DROP DEAD DIVA Season Premiere: Would I Lie to You

Hey, hey, hey Drop Dead Diva fans! So glad we have a chance to officially talk about this show here on GMMR!

How did you like the season two premiere? I thought it was a pretty good starting off point for what looks like a good summer. Let’s get right to talking about it…

First of all, can we just set up a basic understanding for this season that when we say “Jane”, we really mean “Deb/new Jane”? I think that is the general idea of how the show seems to be dealing with it, don’t you? I’ll say “Old Jane” or “Deb” if I mean either of those two characters.

Last season ended with Jane (while facing disbarment) quitting her job as a lawyer, but happy with her decision. She was also going to go ahead and forget about co-worker (and Deb’s fiancée) Grayson and move on…with boyfriend Tony. But to her surprise (and mine), Old Jane’s husband Ethan showed up at the door.

This season opened up with Jane having a dream of working at a Hot Dog on a Stick, featuring the entire cast in song and Judge Paula Abdul. Awesome! But she wakes up to Stacy (who totally made me laugh this entire episode) telling her it’s time to get to work. Someone has to pay the rent.

Showrunner Josh Berman is a BONES producer, so it’s easy for me to see some similarities sometimes, but I think the biggest thing in common is that like BONES, this show feels impossible to label. It’s funny and smart, but there is drama, and at least one legal case each week, which makes it a procedural. Whatever genre mashup name you want to give it, it works for me.

This week’s case for Jane involves a young girl, Jackie, who needs heart surgery but is being turned down by the insurance company since the surgery is experimental. This show has a lot of heart and so does Jane. I love her compassion for her clients, whether they are pro bono cases or not. I love her mix of Deb’s charm and determination with Old Jane’s smarts and legal experience. Jane is fighting quite a few battles in this episode. Even though Teri (the fantabulistic Margaret Cho!) forces the case onto her, Jane quickly begins to fight for what is right for Jackie and her mother. But the reality is that she also has to make sure the case is completed BEFORE her disbarment is completed. It seems neither Parker nor Kim are on her side. Meanwhile, she has to figure out what Ethan is all about, and when she finds out he wants a divorce, she feels rejected. On top of all of THAT, Tony finds out about Ethan and isn’t too happy about it.

But before that Tony had decided to represent her in her disbarment hearing (“As your boyfriend, it would be my honor to fight for your honor” Cute!), and Grayson encourages Parker to stand up for Jane too. I really liked the scene where Tony & Jane were talking in the conference room and Grayson was watching on. I sensed a tiny bit of jealousy, I think! But what I really liked was the mild disappointment on his face at the way Kim and Parker weren’t interested in helping Jane. Kim’s character was developed more last season, but it looks like they are back to making her somewhat of a villain this summer.

I’m not thin or blonde (though I’ve tried to be both), but one thing I really love about this show is that it’s kind of okay to be that or not be that. It’s not like the models are vapid & evil and the plus-sizers are perfect and always winning. The show presents that all women (and men, actually) have individual personalities and issues that go along with them.

Jane DID happen to win her case this time around, with some pretty quick thinking and persuasive arguments against a head insurance honcho. But her romantic life wasn’t quite as successful. That Jane had three gorgeous men in her life (Grayson, Tony, Ethan) made me smile in the beginning. But I really hate seeing Jane hurt. Jane’s reactions to rejection are probably what she and I have the most in common. Brooke Elliott is amazing in those little moments…the smiles that don’t quite reach the eyes, etc. Ethan did turn out to be a dirtbag, and even though I’d say I’m probably a Jane/Grayson shipper, it made me sad that Tony put the brakes on their relationship. As for Grayson, this entire storyline is so intriguing to me.

Jane started out last season in love with Grayson, but gradually grew to care about him as a friend, which he needed, while keeping the secret that she is also Deb in Old Jane’s body. But what happened, and what I think is happening is that Grayson is going to begin to fall in love with Jane. Not the Deb part of her, but Jane. Does that make sense? It’s one of the most creative love triangles (if you can call it that!) I’ve ever seen.

What did you think? What was your favorite moment? Are you glad to see Fred back? What kind of one-word combination of drama, comedy and procedural can you come up with? I think this is going to be a great summer show, and come on, would I lie to you? Would Judge Paula Abdul lie to you?!