OPINION: DIRTY SOAP Loses Some Steam This Week!

Family and the role they sometimes play in relationships is where this week's episode of DIRTY SOAP found its focus. I have to admit that I found this week's episode disappointing after last week's stellar but sad hour. There wasn't anything particularly wrong with it but I wasn't all that riveted while watching. I even thought to myself...am I watching this out of some sort of obligation? I'm not saying that they should capitalize on Kirsten's illness but there have got to be more interesting things happening in the lives of the other cast members.

This was also a big departure from earlier episodes in that the entire cast wasn't featured. With the revelation of Kirsten's illness last week I wasn't entirely surprised that she was missing in action but it wasn't until the episode was half over that I realized that Jenna and Galen weren't even there. I didn't even think about them once. The focus rested on Nadia, Brandon, JP, and Kelly all facing obstacles with their families by their side.

Nadia was offered the opportunity to sing the National Anthem for the San Diego Padres. The last time she sang the National Anthem she completely messed it up. Nadia goes home to talk it over with her mother, Fary. Thank God Fary is back. Brandon comes into the living room very soon after and Fary cannot hide her contempt for the man. It is dripping off of her face. He says hello and she pretends like he is a ghost and she can't see him. Fary wants Nadia to sing the National Anthem because it was what her father would have wanted her to do. Tears flow for Nadia and Fary as they reminisce about all the hopes and dreams that he had for Nadia. Brandon just sits there looking confused. Confused and very very gay. He looked as gay as I've ever seen him. Later, it's a race against time to get to the stadium when they get caught in traffic on their way to the Padres game. Is this supposed to be edge of your seat stuff to see if Nadia is going to get there? Even as Brandon tries to do everything he can to get Nadia there on time, Fary criticizes his driving telling him that he drives like a maniac. This man cannot win with her. They get there with 45 second to spare(yeah right) and Nadia sings beautifully. We get to listen to her sing the whole thing. Was that really necessary? I didn't need to watch her sing the entire National Anthem. Later, Brandon gives her a framed photograph of her and her father as gift to show her how proud he is of her. She is touched. I am bored. Was this really the most compelling thing that they could come up with?

Farah and JP are on a road trip to Kentucky to see her family. They stop for food on the way (I'm not sure where-either they didn't mention it or I didn't catch it) and Farah has eaten a fish sandwich that makes her look like she wants to die. At least now she has a reason to look miserable. There is a whole sequence about them doing a photo shoot for some bourbon and then a fan who is obsessed with Farah but REALLY obsessed with Nadia. They interact with the fan for a bit and I'm left wondering again...is this just filler? Was there nothing else exciting happening? They couldn't set up a contrived circumstance for Farah and Kelly to get into a fight. I'm not heartless and wouldn't expect them to torture Kirsten when she is sick. Farah seemed to at least try to be sweet with the fan. That was a nice gesture on Farah's part. She didn't have to go out and talk to her. Later, Farah and JP are both grilled about whether they are going to get engaged: him by her dad and her by her mom. Neither JP nor Farah really seem to want to get married. JP just won't take the conversation seriously and Farah seems to want to not get married as a means of pissing off her mom. After, Farah and her dad meet up and he starts talking about her biological clock. I get what he was trying to say but something struck me as strange with his choice of words. Do dads really ask their daughters about their biological clocks?  Farah drops the bombshell that she doesn't want kids in the near future and may NEVER want them. At least she seems to realize she's probably not maternal. She also isn't sure if she wants to get married. She sure seemed to a few episodes ago. Afterwards, Farah and JP find some alone time to talk everything over. Since it's raining I'm not sure why they need to have the conversation outside on a picnic table but that aside she seems to let him off the hook and compliment him on how he handles the pressure of marriage talk from her family. She thinks he will be ready for marriage at some point. I'm not sure what makes her think that but okay.

Kelly heads home to Pennsylvania to spend some time with her family. While at the airport, she experiences all kinds of delays so she has a cocktail and then runs around the airport acting wacky. Exactly what I would do with my friends if we were trapped in an airport for 7 hours. Her ex now lives back in there hometown so there is the possibility that she is going to see him. The possibility is 100% because she is from a small town and this is a reality show. Kelly and her mom have a lot of inappropriate talk about sex. Talk turns to their trip to the Jubliee (a bar in town) and how her mom invited Mike. Why the f would that woman do that? The family seems to want him around. To be fair they were together for 18 years so they have probably grown attached. Momma Monaco reluctantly tells Kelly she'll tell him not to come. When they get to the Jubilee, Kelly is having a great time seeing her friends and family when Mike walks in. Oh what a shock. He makes a beeline for Kelly and they have a really awkward conversation without ever actually addressing what happened between them. He tells her that she is the love of his life and he wishes he could take back the things that he did to hurt her. She cries. There was some sort of betrayal which we will apparently never learn about. Kelly seems to feel better and freer after the conversation. I'm not sure what was accomplished by this conversation but if it makes her feel better than that's the important part I guess. Kelly talks to her mom later and says the family has to distance themselves from Mike which her mom agrees to.

I thought that this week's episode was kind of blah. I hope that things start to pick up next week and we get back into delving into the inter-personal dynamics between this group of people rather then isolating them in their own worlds.


Brian Hewson contributes primetime reviews for We Love Soaps. Along with Greg Turner, Brian is the creator, writer, and producer of the web soap, EMPIRE, which can be found at www.empiretheseries.com. Brian loves soaps.