Episode Commentary: This Is America or Fifty Bucks
“Hung” has officially managed to take the issues most sitcom characters face, whether it be the homosexuality of a child or job cutbacks and put them in a show that centers on a male gigolo and madam. This allows the message to finally be heard that “Hung” is clearly a solid show worth another season And it goes without saying that “This is America or Fifty Bucks” continues the winning streak of the past couple of weeks.
Ray Drecker starts the episode out with the unfortunate duty of having to host detention, but what he finds out sooner may be worse. Is his son Damon a homosexual? An issue that has been in the minds of most viewers when the character was first introduced may soon have an answer. Discovering that his son attended detention to hang out with one of his guy friends forces the elder Drecker’s mind to wonder. The audience’s suspicion is confirmed when Damon soon discusses the issue with his twin sister Darby.
However, one still can’t help but wish they cast the twins with better actors because these kids stink.
Then Tanya Skagle suffers from a serious issue of how to promote a male gigolo to enhance her profit margin. This leads to what could be best described as “The Office” after dark. She literally walks around the office trying to explain to sexually frustrated women the joys of having to pay for sex and that leads to the frustration of one client with whom she used most to promote her business.
The sensual Lenore (Rebecca Creskoff) decides to be a good Samaritan (Well in her warped mind anyway) by finding out what Drecker’s best qualities are and how Skagle can market them. Of course, this leads to an intimate scene between Lenore and Drecker in a furniture store that had more to do with carpet than anything else.
Lenore’s good deeds soon continue when she takes Jessica Haxon (Anne Heche) clothes shopping before forcing her to roar like the woman she is. Seeing this scene, it’s obvious Heche’s character is developing excellently, allowing the audience to want to know more about her in future episodes.
When all is said and done, the character of Drecker tries his best in this episode to handle everything. A struggling father, semi-caring teacher and a devoted gigolo, Drecker may be getting closer to breaking and thanks to the sharp writing this series has had over the past few episodes, the drama figures to build through the end of the season.
Sadly however, HBO has delayed the series until September 13 for the season finale. So, while the series may just be heating up, it may be a full year before we get any gratification.
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