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Oh, my God, darlings, you have got to see this forgotten gem of an episode on "Law And Order: Criminal Intent." "Six Degrees Of Separation " was brought down by its masquerading as High Art, when it was really Trash; there is no such chance with "Privilege," which would not be mistaken for anything but Trash! And because of that, it is more convincing and fun. It also offers actor Richard Kind a chance to venture outside his acting comfort zone, and he is pretty hilarious!
This is almost as big a hoot as "The Little Foxes." I am sure Lillian Hellman would have approved of this one.
The upper crust New York Society family being torn apart are the Harringtons. Very Upper East Side, dolls. Eighteen years before the story takes place, Virginia Harrington's daughter, Libbie, was murdered. Libbie had a daughter, Isabel, who was then taken in, and raised by Grandma Harrington, played superbly by Doris Roberts.
But Granny has a checkered past. Before she married Harrington, she was married to a Mr. Foley, by whom she had a son, named Ernest. He grows up to be one of the biggest losers of all time. This is the role played by Mr. Kind, and he is terrific. Just wait.
By Mr. Harrington, Virginia has a handsome son named Grant. But he turns out to be nothing but a big old pussy hound; all he cares about is having enough money so he can chase after tail. And, of course, he ends up marrying a White Trash Southern slut, named Cheryl, but that does not stop him from whoring, or from Cheryl spending so much of the Harrington fortune they get into financial difficulty, and so have to dip into Virginia's houses and trusts.
In order to do that, though, they ply Virginia with psychotropic and allergic drugs, reducing her to the manner of an Alzheimer's patient. Which is how one first encounters Doris Roberts, and which is what I first thought.
But, when loser Ernest, gets wind of the sales, and keeps sniffing after more money, he is dismissed by Nick to "go play with his dancers." You see, Ernest, though he won't admit it, is one big HOMOSEXUAL!!!!! And, since he has money, he can create his own dance company wannabe, exploiting the talents of students who truly want to dance, and think they are studying with some Michael Bennett/Jerome Robbins genius, when, actually, their instructor is an incompetent hack, who should never have gotten beyond Row E, Center. But, this is what money does, sometimes.
Eventually, with Goren's and Easmes' help, Doris recovers. And when she tells everyone off at the party, all Hell breaks lose. "You haven't got what it takes to be a Harrington," she tells son Ernest, who, it turns out murdered both Libbie and Isabel, both to get more for himself, and to keep Isabel, who had broken away from her Park Avenue digs, and was slumming in So Ho (at $5000/month, which is what slumming in So Ho is, these days!!!!!!!!!!!) from writing a book exposing the dirty family linen. Ernest thinks by murdering Isabel, he is saving the family name, and getting in good, which means more money for him.
What he did not count on was Virginia truly loving her daughter, and favoring her granddaughter. You have to see the scene where she calls Ernest a monster, while he, a man in his Fifties, wails "Mama!," like one of the Pleasure Island boys being turned into donkeys, in "Pinocchio."
It is worth it, just to see this! Meanwhile, Virginia is left with scoundrel Nick and White Trash Slut Cheryl. You just know, that, within several months, Virginia will boot them out of Park Avenue and they will be living out of a trailer, down South, with Cheryl's parents, who are probably straight out of "Honey Boo Boo!"
This is one big camp fest, girls, and scores on all levels! The next time it is repeated, don't miss it!
And, once again, don't go messing with White Trash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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