Now that I've seen all eight episodes of Easy Money, I'm addicted. I'm hoping the show will finds its way to DVD so I can purchase the set and keep this classic forever. I've taken loans from pay day loan stores and paid those horrific fees. Unlike this show, nobody from the company hunts you down; the employees make annoying phone calls then submit your pre-dated check for payment. But I live in Chicago. The premise of this show--Morgan (Jeff Hephner)and his mom, Bobette (Laurie Metcalfe), hunt down deadbeat customers and retrieve the money (the principle plus 25% interest per week)--is believable because the setting is South Nile, a suburban area in the Southwest where strip and indoor malls pass for local culture.
The show failed to attract the number of viewers it deserved because of poor marketing from the CW network and airing it opposite Desperate Housewives. Moreover, this was not a CW type of show. There were no horny teenagers in angst worried about popularity and purchasing designer labels. The relationships in this show were often layered and messy. Bobette was a matriarch whose Machiavellian manipulations kept both business and family afloat. Furthermmore, the viewer saw how the business affected Bufkins' position in the community: They were somewhat marginalized and viewed with contempt by the very people who used their services. The show implied this marginalization was probably the reason Morgan's siblings, Cooper and Brandy, had parasitic spouses. No one of quality would stay with a Bufkin. Morgan did become involved with a beautiful doctoral candidate, but he was circumspect about his profession.
The viewer had to pay attention to the body language of the actors. Gestures conveyed meaning that carried the plot, unlike some shows where the actors constantly talk and explain. Hephner's wonderful eyes and strong body expressed emotions in instances where a lesser actor would have needed lengthy dialogue.
This show was well written and well acted. The viewer was taken into the local setting and slow pace of the Southwest, as well as the lives of desperate clients who never grasped that money couldn't buy self-respect. The viewer saw how the Bufkins, as Morgan explained, preyed on weaknesses, but managed to show concern for their customers. The show was about contradictions, conundrums, and complications. Anyone interested in quality television should give it a viewing. I recommend episodes 4, 7, and 8.
