Cashmere Mafia: A Little Sexy, A Little Ally, a Lot of What We’ve Seen Before

by Racialicious Special Correspondent Latoya Peterson

Ah, we have tasted the crumbs and they are sweet.

(Well, at least compared to the increasingly unpalatable fare of reality TV.)

While Darren Star’s offering is derivative and all too reliant on Sex and the City style, there is just enough potential (read: there is some form of a script) to warrant me watching the next episode.

The Good

* Great visuals. Though a lot of the written jokes fell flat, the crew kept it going with the visual cues. There are a couple key scenes (Juliet and Mia with the glass of wine, the dramatic announcement at Zoe’s daughter’s recital) that play well due to the staging.

* Spotted! Looks like an Asian American guy does get to play the hottie for a while.

Actor Jack Yang signed on to play Doctor Jason Chun, a cute brain surgeon who is fixed up with Mia on a blind date. Think he’ll make it? (Warning: This link goes straight to a spoiler.)

Here’s to hoping he gets a fair chance to represent. Good luck Jack!

* Looks like minorities are going to get regular paychecks after all. I saw more people in varying shades of tan/brown in the first episode of Cashmere Mafia than I spotted on the entire first season of Sex and the City. According to IMDB, it looks like they will have continuing roles. Griffin Matthews (playing Patrick, Caitlin’s assistant), Lourdes Benedicto (playing Caitlin’s love interest), Purva Bedi (unnamed role, booked for three shows), all join Jack Yang for multiple episodes.

*The day to day (and some of the late night) fashion is fabulous. Lucy Liu’s black top in her deal clinching meeting, the bags, the black and white evening dress. Luckily, some people already got on this and found some cool pieces that replicate what was on the show.

The Bad

* The writing. The main writers for the show are listed as Kevin Wade (Maid in Manhattan, Meet Joe Black, Working Girl), Terri Minsky (Sex and the City, Lizzie MacGuire), and Jeff Rake. Now, I was skeptical checking out the male to female ratio on the writing staff and some of the credits, but I figured I needed to watch and see. And did we ever see.

The plot opens with a cheesy proposal and closes with a tearless ending to said proposal. There’s an Ally McBeal plot throwback scenario where a sadistic boss inflicts a sudden death scenario on two high level employees who happen to be dating each other. Apparently, HR does not exist in the CM world. There’s also a recycled visual gag from Sex and the City. Zoe’s kids launch a football at her head while she is conducting a meeting via teleconference. That immediately brought to mind an old episode of SATC where Miranda gets beaned with a ball while attending the baby shower from hell. Funnily enough, writer Terri Minsky happened to write for that exact episode. What a coincidence! Meanwhile, the other women are shown mounting up and declaring their power in the boardroom and in the home. The soundtrack features every “Girl, we are SO independent!” anthem they can find.

The writers blow a lot of good lines of plot and dialogue with clumsy handling. (“Don’t use the ‘r’ word, it’s like the ‘c’ word.”) The lunchtime talk quickly diverges down Carrie Bradshaw boulevard, spinning into a half realized monologue on having it all before dishing the hottest gossip on the latest divorces. However, there is one huge divergence from SATC.

“They need to rename this show. They should call it Ballbusters.”

That was the quote from my boyfriend after we finished watching the pilot episode. While I ended up getting all the men around me (boyfriends, roommates, friends) hooked on Sex and the City – the hilariously train wrecky leads, the quick banter, the eye popping “do women think like that?” moments where they look like they are about to flee from the living room and barricade themselves in the bathroom with beer and lad mags – it looks like that isn’t going to happen with this show. The women may be shallow but the men are flat, uninteresting accessories and plot devices. While the women may occasionally show a vulnerable side, they are generally overscheduled, overworked, and ready to bring the drama to someone’s doorstep. In one scene, even Lucy Liu’s ponytail had an attitude! However, in the midst of fighting to defend their turf they have effectively obliterated any show of…well, humanity. I am all for strong women in strong roles – but these characters seem to verge on parody.

The Ugly

Fashionista has already weighed in, but honestly, one has to see it to believe it.

Say it with me now…

What

the

Fuck?

Just say no, Patricia. For real. You don’t have to be infamous, you’re already famous.