It feels as though we're heading toward the home stretch.
The events of Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 6, like the previous installment, has proven that the second half of the season will be stronger than the first.
The bad news is that Filthy Rich's cancelation is official, but at least we get to see it through to the end.
Ironically, there was a near-finality to the installment. Perhaps it was because of how everyone rather abruptly shifted toward being on the same side.
Some of the character changes have been so abrupt that it's jarring, but then a lot of things you have to chalk up to it being a soap drama.
The real Jason woke up from his coma, and it was surprising how unfazed Mark and Rose were about the potential fallout from this.
They both were thrilled to hop on a new fancy plane (despite Rose's anti-plane sentiment in previous installments) and fly to Colorado to meet him in person.
It's hard to say if there are any further plans with the real Jason. He didn't have much of a reaction to Rose and laid there politely while she prayed over him and rambled on.
But his only thing was that he had seen the Other Side, or maybe remembered the haziness of Eugene visiting him and assumed it was the Other Side, and he wanted Mark to help him go back there.
What are we supposed to do with that, and how does it factor in down the road? Who knows?
It remains unfortunate that Filthy Rich mostly removed Not Jason from most of the Monreaux legacy and power change storylines, and the series sidelined him with this romance with Rose.
He's barely a blip on anyone outside of Rose's radar the majority of the time. Ginger referenced each of her siblings when demanding their part of the inheritance, and Rose had to be the one to add Not Jason at all.
We have four episodes left to see if he pays any more significant role in all of this. Maybe they'll surprise us.
Ginger: Look at you all, like an off-brand cast of the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto too because you ride around in your mother's basket.
Rose: I deserved that.
The whiplash sisterly bond between Rose and Ginger has been a headscratcher too. For the longest time, Ginger liked Rose. Her animosity toward the Monreauxs excluded the young fashionista.
But Ginger was right there, dragging Rose to filth with the others at the top of the hour in one of her self-righteous tirades.
Ginger is always on a crusade, and she overdoes it. She really was talking about her girls as if Saint Wagon was a haven house for misplaced youth, orphans, and the poor or something.
Even Ginger has been distracted away from the girls and her business; Ginger can have several seats.
She continues to underestimate how naive and ignorant the Monreauxs are, even when she's given ample evidence that supports how easily swayed and out there they are.
At this point, how isn't it apparent that Eric and Rose are privileged and clueless, and Margaret wasn't running much of anything?
Nevertheless, Ginger directed her crusade against the Monreaux empire solely at Margaret.
For Ginger to repeatedly ring the bell for solidarity among women and so forth, she spends a hell of a lot of time trying to make Margaret specifically pay for the sins and actions of all the men around her.
She wanted to wait to take down Virgil, but she wasted no time having Luke launch a story about Margaret's complicity (despite a few months as CEO) in the 18:20 business.
All of which they could've avoided if the women sat down and had an actual conversation without one of them shutting down or taking a hard left somewhere else.
Margaret's singular focus on accessing that tape was annoying. However, if Ginger told her right at the moment that Sheen had kidnapped and abused her, Margeret would've reacted like any decent human.
Ginger never gave her a chance, but she tied Margaret into Sheen's actions by releasing the tape and implying Margaret had known about it.
The one positive thing to come from the tape reveal was how Rose and especially Eric rallied around Ginger. Eric has barely acknowledged Ginger as anything but a problem, but he couldn't take seeing anyone harm his sister like that, and he called her that.
Eric had the best turnaround on the series. He's turning out to be a decent human who wants to do right.
Eugene hanging out in the shadows like this and moving chess pieces around to right his wrongs via other people is odd, though.
Rose: Are we bad people?
Eric: Maybe. Every time we went on that show. Every time we promoted stuff. Every time we asked for money, people were getting hurt.
Eric shouldn't have to be the person who rights Eugene's wrongs for him. Eugene should do that himself.
But Eric is determined to fix the housing situation and takes his job in the charitable section of the company seriously.
Thanks to Eugene and the young girl whose house was falling apart, Eric was able to figure out how the church and company have profited and made billions off of natural disasters and destruction.
Every time there's a hurricane or something in New Orleans, they're there to make all the money, and it's off the backs of the less fortunate.
It's disgusting, and Paul sounds like a raving mad man and one of those quintessential bad-faith Christians who twist the Bible and their faith to justify the unthinkable, wicked, and despicable.
Of course, it's one more thing on the list of crap that Margaret never knew about, and Eric will probably share the information with his mother soon enough.
Reverend Paul is the absolute worst, isn't he? He was in full-blown maniacal and villain mode during the hour.
If the Devil is whispering in your ear, you surrender to God's plan.
Paul
It was also disturbing to see how he handled his sister when she came to him seeking advice and support. Becky knows her relationship with Eric is a sham, and it sounds as though she never wanted this baby or any parts of most of this.
Paul led her to believe that everything she did was part of God's plan, and she had to go along with it. No wonder Basic Becky is so miserable all of the time.
Her line about how she felt trapped in her body and circumstances was such a striking one. Paul's response, saying how he knows the Devil is whispering in her ear, but she needs to surrender to God's plan was too.
Paul is shoving Becky into the closet and shaming her into staying there, "in the name of the Lord." He's using her as a pawn to get what he needs and desires, and she's in utter misery because of her lack of agency.
I feel trapped, in my body, in my circumstances, I feel like I've been fighting for something that I never really wanted.
Becky
Becky is pregnant with a child she doesn't want, by a man that she doesn't love, to usurp the power of a family she doesn't even like.
She gave up on fighting all of it and surrendered to her feelings in that bathroom with Ginger. She kissed her, and hell, good for Becky.
Something tells me Paul is losing control of his sister, and Becky and Eric will be parting ways in no time.
Paul is losing control of everything, and his biggest mistake was dismissing Sheen. The man is certifiable, and he's done the dirty and bloody work for the 18:20 for decades.
He's not the type of man you flick your hand at and dismiss. He speaks like he's in the Old Testament, and vengeance is always his.
Paul shouldn't have been surprised that Sheen killed Townes. He should be worried about being next on Sheen's hit list.
Townes was a vile man, so he's not going to be missed, but Victoria isn't going to let his death go.
Despite being an abused woman, she had a love for Townes. She also didn't like how Margaret used her, and she called her out on it.
I ask your forgiveness for not protecting you from Eugene's legacy, but I will not take responsibility for it. I will continue to protect what we have created but only if I have to.
Margaret
Margaret does use people and tends to focus on herself and what she wants, disregarding other people's feelings or situations along the way.
It almost seemed ridiculous that with so much going on, all Margaret could focus on was manufacturing her perfume. It's weird how she never anticipates the fallout or consequences of the big moves she makes.
Victoria is someone who slipped through the cracks, and it does make you wonder about what kind of friend Margaret is. But also, Victoria knew all of the crap her husband was doing, and she just drank herself to oblivion and ignored it, I guess.
The most she wanted from Margaret was a head's up if Margaret chose to destroy Townes as she did Virgil. From her perspective, it would be terrible if a friend took down another friend's husband without considering the effects on his wife and children.
Luke: My question for Margaret is how a female CEO puts up with the abuse of women. At some point, Margaret is going to need to speak for herself.
Margaret: Mr. Taylor, get in the car.
Now that Townes is dead, Victoria is a bit of a wild card. I wonder if she'll blame Margaret and do something retaliatory or if Paul will take the blame.
Sheen going after the worst of the 18:20 isn't so bad, but it was disconcerting that he was in Luke's apartment, looking at his investigation board.
And we know he's not the type of person to stop at just the men he was in business with, either. He'll come for Margaret and everyone else too, and that's not right.
But he's not the only scary one right now. It was an ominous vibe to Don, demanding Yopi get into his vehicle.
She's feisty, and while she has some shady ways, I do believe her when she said that everything she does and ever did was for Antonio and Jesus.
We never got a full idea of what her history was with Don, and she apparently has some stories on him that he'd otherwise not want out.
Ginger is right about how there is a system of misogyny and abuse of women with all of this. Tina and Yopi are the poor women discarded, threatened, and harmed because of no one "caring" about them.
Ginger and her girls, they're all of these types of women.
Everything I do is for you. Every choice I make is for you and him, and that's all you'll ever have to know.
Yopi
Victoria, Margaret, and Becky are the women who lose themselves, their identity, and their power and agency while playing dutiful wives.
All of them are flawed, but they're all different variations of victims in their own right to power and men.
The fear is that Yopi may end up dead like a former witness. The worst part about it is will anyone notice?
Margaret and Ginger are right about how women need to support and protect each other. It's for moments like this with the Yopis and Tinas.
It's much preferable than Ginger's weird form of solidarity coming in the form of investing in Rose's fashion line with blood money that came at the expense of so many people instead of doing something more charitable or logical with it.
But Ginger's weird that way.
Over to you, Filthy Rich Fanatics. Will Don kill Yopi? How are you feeling about Eric and Becky these days?
What are your theories for the remainder of the season? Hit the comments below!
You can watch Filthy Rich online here via TV Fanatic.
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