‘The Riches’: In Which Dahlia Beats up a One-Armed Woman

Last night’s Riches established a striking contrast between the way in which Wayne Rich, played by Eddie Izzard, and Dahlia Rich, played by Minnie Driver, are perceived by and interact with their newly adopted neighbors. Wayne, in trying to get hired as a lawyer, is working to convince his new peers that his brand of B.S. and their brand of B.S. are the same. He’s motivated by the desire to provide for his family, and he proves himself to be quite adaptable in this pursuit.

While speaking with the staid members of a local firm, he mimics their stodgy ways, and when interacting with the local loon/richest man in town, he lets it all hang out–and is offered jobs in both instances. It’s clear that no one is buying everything that he’s selling, but that doesn’t stop them from accepting him as one of their own, albeit grudgingly.

Dahlia, on the other hand, has a run-in with Hartley Underwood, President of EFHA (Eden Falls Homeowners’ Association…sounds like Yeehaw) and throws caution to the wind. She wants to get her family’s RV back, she wants to get her children’s possessions back, and she definitely does not want Hartley to tell her what to do.

Hartley openly dislikes Dahlia, and Dahlia openly threatens to kill Hartley, so I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that these two will not end up as friends. Hartley seems like a cookie-cutter Stepford Wife until she slaps Dahlia. Dahlia, meanwhile, responds by knocking Hartley’s prosthetic arm off of her body.

Dahlia may not have found the same success her husband has in fitting in with the neighbors, but she–like Wayne–is clearly adept at responding in kind. In this case, that kind is barely-suppressed suburban crazy.

By Liz McKeon