A Bane to be Rich?

Dirty Sexy Money VS Gossip Girl

The Keongomaniac shares his thoughts on being rich, famous and beautiful.

I recently got me the DVD box sets of Dirty Sexy Money and Gossip Girl, both its complete first season. The latter was sold at HMV a few weeks back and was totally sold out within a week! I guess the Gossip Girl craze is just about to hit those who had not been following it online, like myself. As a matter of fact I do not remember the last time local distributors make available TV series that are not shown on local television time. Guess the XOXO's too irresistable? Personally I would like to think its just hottie Blake Lively.

Both TV series do share somewhat similar issues of the day. For its background they depict the affluent class of peoples - the rich and famous. Set in the New York City, the Brooklyn Bridge is prominently featured in the cinematic zoom-outs. In fact, one of the episodes in Dirty Sexy Money depicts Jeremy Darling's 25th birthday bash at the Bridge, to reflect the kind of insane things the insanely rich could afford to do. What is interesting, the series attempt to show the viewers that being rich is not all roses as most of us would think. But ironically too, these kind of series give us the very insight into the affluent lifestlye that governs their daily routine, making "envy" an obvious choice of words to describe it at the very least. The contradictory nature of American TV serials? I think so. While we watch and aspire and drools, we wonder in our little hearts whether we can ever get to wear the same shirt or skirt of the characters.

In Dirty Sexy Money, the rationale mind of the key figure and family lawyer Nick George (Peter Krause) is juxtaposed with the ludicrous spendings of the Darlings, a filthy wealthy family. The eccentricities of its various family members are the highlight of the episodes, as Nick attempts to unravel the mystery behind his father's untimely death. Gossip Girl too plunges head-on on the apparent class divide issue, a modern Austen of sorts. Commoner Dan Humphey (Penn Badgley) manages to climb the social ladder by managing to win the heart of one Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), whose very name sounds aristocratic. Viewers seem to still love a love story classicly divided by class, albeit set in an updated 21st Century setting. The idea that Prince Charming need no longer be a prince per se, nor a knght in shining armour for that matter, is not altogether revolutionary, but could still be presented in a fresh way.

What is it like to be rich, and inevitably famous? These series do stir in a direction which says that being richer, their problems are correspondingly bigger. Cleverly too, Dirty Sexy Money shows how the very fact that you possess richness becomes the gap that separates essential bonds like that of parents and children. Rich parents become completely dismissive of the wants and needs of their born-wealthy children. This is seen in Tripp Darling's relations with Patrick Darling and Jeremy Darling, and the Archibalds in Gossip Girl. Nate Archibald gives a classic resistence to the parents' dogmatic will, and eventually the young would stir the old back to the right direction. But does being rich, or having really loads of money makes one a different person, say, if he or she were not as rich? Jeremy Darling did muse that perhaps the problem lie with the fact that they are so insanely rich. He subsequently decides to take on a job and learn responsibility, even realising that people sees him only because he's a Darling. Same goes forKaren Darling and Serena van der Woodsen.

At the start of every Dirty Sexy Money episode Nick George narrates that "money is the root of all evil, or so they say". In Gossip Girl the Humphrey males are not tempted to be bought with money, but nonetheless do acknowledge that it is the means to go places. If truly it is the root of evil why would the capitalist world sought it? Because it brings with it the source of comfort and power those without it would never dream to know. For me personally, watching these series makes me aspire more to be part of a higher class of society, no matter how shallow that might sound. Climbing the social ladder is not a crime, but to lead a simple life one has to be simple-minded enough to wish it. Life is anything but. So why settle for less? It is a material world, its unequal. We can be atas, as long as you stay true to what it has taken to get up there. I would very much love to be rich and famous one day.

But rich, famous and beautiful? That would be the life.