Filthy Rich Review: Romans 12:21 (Season 1 Episode 9)
The titular scripture of Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 9, “Romans 12:21,” says:
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
It’s difficult to see how anyone embodies these words on the episode or even throughout the series thanks to Eric confessing that he’s Luke’s murderer.
For the record, this new development is unsurprising, disappointing, and inconsequential all at once.
As Filthy Rich nears its ending, there are still very few characters worth rooting for. The fact that Eric now stands with the majority is perhaps inevitable given how much he admires Eugene. Like father, like son and all that jazz.
I’d stand up and defend Hagamond Sheen for murdering Reverand Paul before letting Eric off the hook for “protecting his mother” or whatever his motive is.
The fact that we don’t see the shooting scene makes it that much harder to believe murder is necessary or that Eric could ever work up the nerve to pull a trigger.
He does. But the fact that we never see it happen is a gaping hole in the plot. It doesn’t matter because Margaret will make it all go away and we won’t see what happens if she can’t anyway.
Of course we’re happy Antonio’s son Jesús is back with his family. But we know he’s safe before the title rolls and tension never really effectively builds throughout the hour to make us worry much.
Considering all is well and Rachel atones for her mistake by finding Jesús and brings him back to the studio safely, she’s shaping up to be the true heroine of Filthy Rich.
But that scene lacks emotional impact like the rest of the episode.
Rachel is on her way out of town when she happens to see Hagamond and Jesús at the bus station. She does the right thing, but before the opportunity presents itself cannot face up to her mistake like an adult.
This gives the scene less impact to watch. Plus, though we don’t know Eric is a killer at this point, his singing in this montage is just unnecessary and weird.
We catch Antonio kissing Rachel’s cheek at the end of the episode and Yopi calls her “family now.” So if they all want to live happily ever after with their money, I’m not mad about it. I just am not enthusiastic about the events that might lead them there.
Becky is another potential heroine of the series. Her line about a name being the first thing that defines a child is brilliant. I admire her for wanting her daughter to be “free” as long as possible.
It’s also good that she and Ginger “break up” or end whatever their relationship is. Becky should not be jumping into a relationship. For her daughter’s sake, she has a lot of work to do on herself whilst she also acclimates to motherhood.
We learn a little bit about Reverand Paul and Becky’s family history on “Romans 12:21,” and while it’s easy to empathize with her, their poverty and horrible parents don’t make Paul more likable.
That is precisely why it’s a horrible idea to kill him on the penultimate episode of the show.
Everyone in the Montreaux orbit is hard to root for, but they also have qualities that are hard to describe and make them difficult to hate.
Everyone, that is, except Paul and the boys of the 18:20. So, why are we to tune in for the finale now?
Rose’s wedding to Mark is hardly a draw. Need I remind you that the man is a murderer, too? He’s getting empathy from Filthy Rich and Rose because he’s disabled and it’s so hard to stomach.
But I’ll carry on because there is so little time left.
What did you think of this episode of Filthy Rich? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Filthy Rich airs Mondays at 9/8c on Fox.
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Esme Mazzeo
Esme Mazzeo is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist from Long Island. When she's not writing for work, she's writing for fun, or searching for something to satisfy her sweet tooth. She thinks rainy days are the best kind of days. Certified night owl.