TV Recap: Don't Trust the B in Apt. 23 - "The Original Bitch"

Left to right: Charo and Krysten Ritter

Welcome to the TV Recap column for the ABC comedy Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23. Every Wednesday, I will be bringing you a recap of the most recent episode as well as personal insight into why I find the characters to be an infectious version of what 2 Broke Girls wishes it was. So please join me for a fun season as we deal with the bitch, the Beek, and June as they get into wacky adventures. Also, make sure to check out my columns for Maron (Tuesdays) and Family Tree (Thursdays) right here on Optigrab.

Left to right: Ritter and Sarah Wright

Since my previous entry, I have come across some news regarding the availability of Don't Trust the B in Apt. 23 episodes. They were initially available for free on Hulu. However, they have been taken down, as they were meant to only be available for a two week period. They are still available for purchase off of iTunes. Also, I realize that if going based on IMDb, "The Original Bitch" is not actually the episode following "The Leak." However, due to some mishaps, I have decided to go based on the list on iTunes.

I guess it was too good to be true to have the show back, however. After a fantastic debut with "The Leak," we are now face to face with an episode that isn't quite all that great. In fact, majority of the episode takes place within a dream and not a whole lot happens. However, what does occur does manage to strive for interesting goals, and that alone gives the program some merit. Still, is doing an episode around a dream really the strongest way to do this show, especially since it feels like a different take on Inception?

The episode begins with Chloe (Krysten Ritter) talking to Charo about her roommate. Also, James Van Der Beek is talking to his parents about who his real father is. It turns out that one of the dancers in a production that his mother had sex with. She is apparently very frisky. Chloe and June (Dreama Walker) tagged along for support but leave when Eli (Michael Blaiklock) rushes in claiming that someone broke into Apt. 23. With a gun in her hand, Chloe bursts into the room and deals with the force on the other side.

It is Tommy (Ian Reed Kesler), who is a private investigator who has been tracking Chloe's previous roommate Trish (Sarah Wright). This opens room for a back story that reveals life back when Chloe was an innocent newcomer to New York. However, Trish didn't care for the attitude and soon they were drinking together. It was during this time that they fell in love with a show called the Crank, which catered to promoting music. One of the perks was that they had a dancer who sat at the host's feet which was referred to as a Foot Ho. Chloe strove for that. She wanted to beat the current dancer and get in. However, one thing lead to another and soon Trish ripped her off. When executives called for Chloe, Trish accepted the role and became the Foot Ho. Chloe never forgave her.

That is what lead her to hire Tommy and try and get Trish back. It has been over 10 years and the show is off the air, but she never forgave Trish. Tommy revealed that she was living in New Jersey and went to a gym called Bodies Bodies Bodies Bodies. This lead to a trip out there that resulted in an employee (Christian Sussin) revealing that Trish got cancer and died. Chloe was now ravaged by the news without any real understanding of how to solve it.

Dreama Walker

With Van Der Beek turning to Luther (Ray Ford) for help on finding his father, Chloe decides to take a nap. This results in her talking to Charo, who spews wisdom on learning to be open with others and just moving on. However, this results in Chloe having a dream in which she is on the Crank and is quickly trying to get to the top level, which is where Trish and success lie. Somehow two Luthers and Van Der Beek's father story get mixed into it. This is mostly because it is Chloe's dream and she wants them there.

To climb the levels, she flirts with the cameraman, uses Van Der Beek's celebrity credibility as a pass, and goes through a quiz with June about being roommates. Once at the top floor, she confronts Trish. However, she is over it by that point and just walks by her. Her initial plan of blasting her eardrums with loud music is instead used on the two Luthers, who have been bothering Chloe for most of the dream. During this time, Van Der Beek's father is revealed to be Richard Dean Anderson.

Once out of the dream, Chloe seems to be over getting back at Trish. She decides to let June have more knowledge of who she is as a person. She even tells Van Der Beek who his father is. The episode ends with him going out to Anderson's home only to hear him deny the allegations. However, this isn't without a suspicious looking character that could resemble a younger brother.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Ray Ford

This is a bizarre episode because unlike most episodes, this is supposed to make Chloe come off as sympathetic. The most fascinating part of all of it is that we get an origin story of how she evolved into the bitch that she was. It wasn't through betrayal, but through the process of befriending another bitch. Things began to escalate and soon she is who she is. That alone is a poignant reason for this episode to exist. I feel like we understand Chloe better as a result of this flashback. 

However, I don't know if Trish was exactly an interesting character. Maybe because she was presented broadly and as an antagonist, but I felt like she was just a jerk compared to the endearing factors that make Chloe a compelling character. I don't really understand why Chloe strove to be like Trish. Maybe that is the point.

What is more interesting is how almost everything about this episode revolved around identity. Van Der Beek was in search of his father. June wanted to know more about Chloe. We learned who Trish was. All of these things helped to flesh out characters and make them more likable. Even during the flashbacks when we get an array of random characters, it must be applauded that their broad characters that merely exist for a joke have gotten better since the show began. 

Still, the substance of the episode revolves around Trish. She isn't that compelling and Chloe just seems desperate to go after her. The twist of her being dead does hold some substance, but from there, Chloe just pulls off one of the lesser sides of being a bitch that isn't the show's strong suit. However, confiding in Charo is one of numerous cameos that make this episode feel somewhat hefty. The opening scene with Charo makes no sense in context, but it does open up the floor for a lot of questions of what is going to happen.

I am not saying that the dream sequence wasn't interesting, but for an episode, it just felt regressive at times. There were random sight gags that worked, but it played out like a game, and not always one that felt worth investing in. Sometimes Chloe just got further along because of chance. 

Still, my theory is that this is one of the better Inception parodies because it is only effectively one if you think about it. In said film, there are layers involving a dream within a dream. While the Charo part debunks this from making total sense, it works otherwise. We are always inside Chloe's dream, but the catch is that each level of the Crank set is actually a layer. We discover more and things get crazier until we are come face to face with the most vulnerable part of Chloe's psyche. It may be hooey, but this structure really felt like it worked as satire.

Overall, it was just an average episode made better by cameos by Charo and Anderson. Otherwise, it is a passable episode with not a lot of the show's strong suits. I do give it points for making a challenging look into Chloe's past, though the route essentially felt regressive towards the end. Still, the reveal of Van Der Beek's dad was quite amusing and worth the price of admission alone. Also, kudos on somehow getting Charo.