Monday, February 17, 2003

THE MONEY SHOT TO TOP ALL MONEY SHOTS: So, as it turned out, money didn't rule Joe Millionaire, and neither did love, really, though I guess we'll have to wait a week to find out if Evan has managed to squeeze in any time with Zora given his busy celebrity schedule.

No, what really ruled Joe Millionaire was the editors. Man, give those people a hand, and then some. Tonight's padded first hour featured some great comedic sequences -- Evan's repeated problems with champagne corks, MoJo's eyebrow-raising proclivities, Melissa's "ohmygod!" refrains, etc. -- things the editors picked up on to deliver, as they had throughout the season, a great comedy in which the participants were entirely unaware.

Yes, like The Amazing Race, the genius of Joe Millionaire was the show's ability to cast well and deliver comedy in unanticipated circumstances. This wasn't about Evan finding love, or Evan lying about his background -- surprising little of which we really ended up seeing. It was about this doofus hunk charming his way across France, and, by gum, there's something about the dumb galoot that's awfully entertaining.

I mean, damn, there was something nice and genuine about the smiles at the end of that episode, when the million-dollar bonus was revealed. Sure, Evan and Zora kinda seemed happier about finding the money than finding each other. But so what? They were happy, and it felt real, and for a few minutes, it felt good to be a television viewer, privileged to view uncomplicated human emotions from a pair of decent people.

Then, of course, we switched over to watch the Michael Jackson stuff on NBC, and felt dirty again. We get the point already: he's a freak, and we shouldn't let our kids play with him, and he's really rich, and he's a freak. Maybe this love of scandal does mean that, as a culture, we're over 9/11, but, really, should we be proud of this fact, or ashamed?

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