‘Fall’ From Grace

Windfall committed the ultimate in trite, cornball, narrative-device laziness last night. This, after I went on the record in this very space a few weeks back and said how much I enjoyed the NBC drama.

The show, about a bunch of lottery winners whose lives come apart after winning the big bucks, offered up the dreaded Musical Montage In Which Two Young Lovers Try On Clothes (MMIWTYLTOC) last night. Yes, you’ve seen this before: Set to a bouncy pop tune, a fresh-faced couple frolics in a shop, trying on a litany of increasingly zany costumes. Last night, teens Damian and Frankie shopped for prom outfits. He tried on a sombrero. A zoot suit. A sailor’s cap. She shook her head vehemently. She tried on a princess dress. A frilly can-can frock. His eyes went wide in disbelief. He settled on a ruffled-shirt ‘70s tux, she a sleek black cocktail number. They nodded approvingly. All the while, they fell deeper in love.

Mercifully, the Musical Montage In Which Two Young Lovers Try On Clothes—a staple of ‘80s sitcoms and romantic comedies– had become such a cliché by the late ‘80s that you didn’t see it anymore. Until last night.

Nice one, Windfall.

By Michael Malone