Exhibit A: one independent, successful, single, sassy woman!

This episode's movie dream o' the week features Molly in a Titanic-esque pose on a piece of floating flotsam (or is it jetsam?  I never know the difference).  Her eyebrows and hair are dramatically coated in "frost," and dead bodies float past, including, I note, Kenny's.  Nice touch.  Very nice.  At any rate, Sam clings to the flotsam/jetsam, telling Molly that she's going to go on to date again - but he can't do this.  He slips away into the water as Molly cries out, and then a horn blows in the distance.  Is it the Carpathia?  Nope, it's a yacht, with a splendid, majestic Lou at the helm.  He manfully calls that he's here now - he'll take care of everything.  He tosses her a life ring, and Molly pops awake.  "Well," she thinks.  "That's not very hard to analyze." 

Of COURSE I'm not trying to look like Johnny Depp. He totally stole this look from ME.This week's Starter Wife begins with an homage to that famous scene on the tarmac from Casablanca (woo-hoo! I actually recognize the movie!), complete with stylin' hats and a belted trench coat for Sam. "We'll always have Starbucks," he says as a single tear rolls down Molly's black-and-white cheek. They kiss, but instead of saying, "Here's looking at you, kid," Sam runs after Molly and tells her that he was wrong - with her in his life, he can change! Oh Molly, darling. Your fantasies are always so neat and tidy.

What's that? You say I'm not wearing a shirt? Gee, I hadn't noticed.The theme continues.  Y'see, The Starter Wife just loves to begin each episode with its characters acting out a scene in the style of a classic movie.  But since I'm kind of a classic movie ignoramus, I honestly don't get this episode's film reference.  In it, Molly and Joan (both dressed in 40's garb) are having a confrontation over the true identity of Sam, Molly's homeless yet hot-when-shirtless beach fling.  "Who is he?" demands Joan.  "He's my lover," Molly replies passionately.  Joan hauls off and slaps her: ka-thwack!  Yipes!  "He's a killer!" Molly cries.  Again: ka-slappp!  Joan demands the truth, and Molly replies that he's a killer AND her lover, capisce?  So.  Anyone care to take the time to explain this film reference to me?  Anybody?  Please?

Starter WifeAs we open, Molly’s having a dream in classic black and white of Sam of the Red Swim Trunks, the mystery man who kissed her in the pilot episode. He reclines on the beach as surf washes over him, and she climbs on top of him (rowr!) and they smooch passionately. It’s all pretty romantic until they’re sucked out to sea by the rising tide, and Molly awakens to the thought that she doesn’t know anything about this man. She tries her best not to care, but wonders; if she Googles the name Sam, will it tell her if he’s married? More pressing, in my opinion: will it tell her why he never changes his swim trunks?

Clinky, clinky, ladies

So for months now, while getting my fix of Law & Order SVU reruns, I've been sitting through 4582158 commercials (per episode) for The Starter Wife. Said commercials featured intriguing teaser scenes, such as a sobbing mascara-streaked Debra Messing, and an expensive-looking wedding set being plopped into a glass of champagne. They were tagged with the catchy slogan, "Wife goes on." Sounds interesting... even if the pilot is two hours long with limited commercials (um, yeah... that's why this recap is a little late). Let's give it a try, eh?