Well, they sure as hell threw a bunch of things at us at once, didn’t they?
The death count, birth rate, confessions, and twists climbed on Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 9, and there’s no telling what we can expect from the series finale.
But if we were wondering why Margaret burned that cursed mansion down, then the reasons are stacking up.
The rich will always have their secrets; the poor will lose themselves in their acquirement of riches.
The line drawn between the Haves versus the Have Nots is as clear as ever right now.
Have the Monreauxs learned anything from their experiences? And does this mean the outsiders can only flock to one another?
The hour didn’t have a shortage of the classic soapy reveals, but the execution of it it was rough all around. It was so choppy and all over the place that I found myself wondering if we had somehow missed an installment between the last one and this.
It felt as though there was a sudden realization that the season (well, series) had to come to a close, and they already on the penultimate episode, so they crammed a bunch of things in and glossed over others.
Sometime between the end of Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 8 and now, Becky delivered the baby. Jesus was missing for a day and a half. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the immediate aftermath of that for Antonio and Yopi.
We fast-forwarded to the two of them along with Margaret making pleas to Hagamond to bring Jesus back. It would’ve been nice to get some more focus on Antonio’s response to all of this after winning that fight.
But of course, that would have required the series to focus on Antonio and Mark more than they do Margaret, Ginger, and the others. And their stories, in comparison, have always felt underdeveloped and perfunctory.
Poor Rachel felt nothing but guilt since Jesus was under her watch when Hagamon kidnapped him, and she was with Eric. But it’s hard to understand the degree of her guilty conscience or the shaming projected upon her when we’ve seen Jesus literally in the middle of the hallway of a dank motel.
Rachel: I need you to look me in the eye and tell me I’m not a bad person.
Eric: Rachel, you’re an angel. You’re the only good person I’ve ever known.
They pass Jesus around so much among the working girls, and Margaret’s interest in him is fickle. Nevertheless, it was sweet that everyone could come together on Wings of a Dove to pray for Jesus, work the phones, and everything else as they searched for him.
It is a bit strange that there were no search parties or how no one put Paul’s feet to the fire more since they all knew he was associated with this man.
Rachel’s redemption — one that she didn’t necessarily need in the first place — came in the form of her almost leaving town and randomly seeing Hagamond at the bus station. She knocked him out, snatched Jesus up, and she took off running.
You fought for my baby, and you put yourself in the ring, and I’ll never forget that.
Antonio
I appreciate that she kicked off her heels for this endeavor, but it was bothersome that she was so guilty and suddenly so put off by other people gossiping about her that she planned to bail before finding out if Jesus was safe.
For all of that work to redeem Rachel, we didn’t even get to see her crowning moment of glory as she walked into The Sunshine Network with Jesus in her hands. We jumped to the aftermath of it.
And because of Becky’s baby, Eric’s latest plight, and everything else, now the sweet relationship that was blossoming between Eric and Rachel got doused with cold water, but things are looking up for Rachel.
Despite rarely sharing screentime or exchanging many words with him, Rachel and Antonio have a connection. Yopi is grateful to Rachel for saving her grandson, and she considers her part of the shares Antonio has in the network.
Yopi worked her magic like the hustler that she is, and she, Antonio, (and Rachel?) now own Don’s shares of the network. It’s a hell of a glow-up for all of them.
You figure, even as blood and an heir, the only thing Margaret could give Antonio was a job as a security guard. Yopi had to hustle their way to a position Margaret married into with Eugene.
No one expected Rose and Eric to earn this position of power and luxury.
I ran like a coward. I left a man to die, mom. I left a man to die alone.
Eric
The theme of that carried on throughout the hour. We no longer had any room to ignore the privilege and power of Margaret and the Monreauxs and how awful they are as a result of it.
Luke’s death was but a footnote, and we already knew he would pay the ultimate price for his investigation. Ironically, the person who was responsible for Eugene’s “death” didn’t have to do a thing.
Eric was the one who accidentally killed Luke, but now I’m confused about the timeline. Did he do this before he went to Rachel’s for sex or after?
I would think it happened before since he would’ve gone with Becky to the hospital after she was attacked and went into labor. Do you see what I mean about the timeline and clunkiness?
Eric killed Luke by accident since he found out about Luke investigating Margaret and the Monreauxs. And when he confessed all of this to Margaret, she basically told him that Franklin would handle it, he wasn’t an evil person, and not to worry about anything.
Taking accountability for actions isn’t something that only Eugene struggled with in this family. They all have this issue, and the days of them painting themselves as victims of Eugene are over.
Margaret studied all of the pictures and evidence from Luke’s crime board, and she realized that Franklin was the one behind Eugene’s plane crash.
She was outraged, and she didn’t seem to comprehend how he could do such a thing, even though Eugene has treated Franklin like absolute trash since they were children.
Margaret feigning naivete only to hit Franklin where it hurt during his confession proved how diabolical she’s capable of being.
Margaret got a golden gateway into the wealthy lifestyle when she married Eugene over Franklin, but even though she brought Franklin along with her, he was always the help.
Margaret: He is the father of my children!
Franklin: He is the father of many children. The way he treated you with all of those other women, dammit Margaret! Everything I have ever done was in your best interest.
Margaret: I have always done my best for you.
Franklin: Really? Then why didn’t you make me CEO? You and Eric weren’t ready. I know this business better than anyone, how it was built, how it was sustained, and yes, I know where bodies are buried. Now why was I passed over?
Margaret: You’re not blood, Franklin.
Franklin: Well, there it is. Trust me, I knows I’s the help. I am the only man who has ever loved you, but if you try to take me down for Eugene, I’ll take your son with me.
Margaret: You get out!
Franklin: Yessum.
Margaret used to be the help, but it’s funny how someone can distinguish themselves, yes? She got so accustomed to the life of luxury and her facade that she forgot about her roots.
Margaret didn’t seem the least bit affected by Franklin’s anger.
And he was right to be upset about being passed over for a job as CEO that he was more than qualified because of his lack of familial status. It had to sting more knowing that the board had more stake and control than the Monreauxs did, so was it really in the family?
If you think about it, Paul was a nobody who got to work himself up and get rich while also having more stake in this family-owned business than someone like Franklin, who has been part of Eugene and Marget’s lives for decades.
Franklin’s loyalty and love for Margaret didn’t get him much, so his motivations make sense. Margaret didn’t even seem affected by him until he told her that if she tried to take him down, then he would bring Eric with him.
And it’s the fact that she would probably consider ruining Franklin when she put up with way too much from Paul and the 18:20 that doesn’t sit well at all.
But this has been a fascinating study of socioeconomic and racial politics and dynamics.
Ginger: You know I know what it’s like to grow up without a father in your life. Don’t put her through that. I’m not saying go back to Eric. Just make room for him.
Becky: You should go home.
Ginger: I don’t have a home. Never did. Just different walls and different rooves.
Becky: I feel bad for you, Ginger. I always have.
Ginger: Back at ya, girl.
Franklin and Rachel aren’t the only ones who felt discarded by the Monreauxs. Ginger experienced a similar feeling with Becky.
They were such a promising pair, but you could see the exact moment Becky’s facade went back up after she dismissed Ginger seconds after such raw vulnerability.
Her quote about how she wanted to hold off naming her daughter because of not wanting to assign her a role before she necessary was a powerful statement in so many ways.
Becky doesn’t believe that things can work out with Ginger, and she’s not ready for that yet. To be fair, Becky has a lot to work out, and it doesn’t seem as though she’s going to fall into Eric’s arms and play marriage either.
Ginger: Does she have a name?
Becky: I’m not ready to tell her who she is supposed to be yet. A name is the first thing that defines a person. It defines them forever without their consent. I want her to be free for as long as she possibly can.
Ginger: That’s sweet.
Becky: You taught me how lovely it is to be free and dangerous.
She had high hopes of starting a new life with her baby and Paul after Margaret fired him. Isn’t it insane that Paul crumbled after Margaret told him to get lost and take his followers with him?
Paul didn’t have any real leverage beyond that? He hardly seemed threatening after that.
Despite Margaret firing him, his sister getting attacked by his colleague, and more, he died, not taking a speck of accountability for his actions.
He was still asking God for favor as if he wasn’t out there doing the devil’s work on the regular. He only cared about himself to his last breath.
Paul: You’re not the witness, Hagamond. You’re not the witness. You’re my greatest sin.
Hagamond: You played your part well, Paul. Time to go home.
Despite the info-dump of how hard he and Becky’s lives were growing up during their sweet but misplaced moment at the hospital, Paul didn’t get the chance to have any real depth, and his death was anti-climatic.
Hagamond’s death was much the same, but they used it to bring Eugene back (again) to reveal himself to Ginger. We’re toward the end, and I still cannot make sense of Eugene’s season-long mission of hiding the fact that he’s still alive.
Wouldn’t the longer it took to reveal himself and fix his own messes, the more worthy of blame he is for every terrible thing that happened since he “died?”
The entire family and the company have fallen apart while he was on the outskirts. People have died, Eugene! Your son is a murderer now, sir!
Margaret’s prayer moved Ginger, and she was back to the starry-eyed girl who looked forward to spending time with her idol and felt embraced by the family, but then Franklin dashed her hopes again, and I don’t even know if he was right or wrong for it.
But now, Tina is back, and she knows that the father, who she learned was a crappy person, is back too. Where will Ginger stand on this?
Eugene isn’t a decent person, but he’s supposedly making amends, but as time has gone on, most of the others aren’t the greatest either, and it’s not solely because of Eugene.
Does Ginger continue to foster the bonds she developed with Margaret, Rose, and even Eric? Does she distance herself and focus on Tina and Eugene?
Meanwhile, Rose, always in a universe all on her own, announced that she and Mark are getting married.
Margaret: You’re fired.
Paul: You can’t fire me. You need me. I leave, and my ministry follows.
Margaret: I forsake any who follow you. You’re canceled, preacher.
You could’ve bought Margaret for a quarter. It’s hard to believe that after all of this time, Rose is the only one in that household who knows Mark isn’t Jason.
Maybe she should’ve led with that, so Margaret didn’t think her daughter was marrying that half-brother she has barely paid attention to since he arrived.
Mark is probably the only genuinely happy person on the show right now. He didn’t get wrapped up in all of the money and drama. He stayed away from most of the Monreauxs.
He cleared his conscience by telling Veronica that he’s not really Jason, and sharing with Rose that he helped Jason die.
Mark is the only one living his best life.
In passing, we also learned that Rose did get the abortion in New York, but it hasn’t affected her and Mark any, and I guess Ginger was there with Rose when it happened?
I don’t know. Again, the timeline is wonky, and the hour fast-forwarded through so many moments and once again showcased which characters and stories they’re more devoted to over others.
At this rate, I endorse burning that house and the company down and all of them starting over from scratch.
The newbies can hold their own; they’re all survivors. Margaret should get in touch with her roots as a working-class person. Rose will be fine, living paycheck to paycheck with Mark in New York as she gets her fashion line off the ground.
Eric will either pay for his sons or be willing to give up everything and devote his life to charitable efforts to atone for his sins. As Ginger reminded him, God has chosen all types of people who have done unspeakable things.
It’s the good deeds outweighing the bad ones that matter. Or, you know, as Romans 12:21 states: Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Over to you, Filthy Rich Fanatics. What are your theories for the finale? Did anything surprise you during this installment? Hit the comments!
You can watch Filthy Rich online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.