‘The City’: Lighten up, kiddies!

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Monday night’s episode of ‘The City’ was a royal downer. Titled ‘Mingling with the Commoners,’ the show purported to expose New York’s uptown/downtown chasm. It was a noble pursuit, certainly, as such a divide does exist, but the problem was this: The entire episode was based on the assumption that uptown kids are superficial and catty, while downtown kids are thoughtful and ‘real.’ Puh-leez. The downtown kids in that bar tonight were just as meticulous about the arrangement of their flannel shirts and stringy hair as Olivia was about her black-and-white DVF ensemble.

So, Olivia was painted as the witch yet again this episode, right on down to her trash-talking sidekick and fluffy white dog. And she did it with aplomb. No complaints there.

Then Jay got to play Mr. Wronged Artist Dude to Olivia’s evil diva. But what did Olivia really do that was so terrible? Sure, she mocked Jay’s music with Nevan, but Whit and Jay were not even in the same restaurant for that. So what was her grand injustice? Subjecting her girlfriends to a fashion show of potential outfits before leaving the house? If that were deemed unacceptable pre-party behavior, I would have to disown my entire crew.

So the bottom line is, what did Olivia do so horribly wrong? What was so unjust that it warranted the wrath of the usually unflappable Whitney Port, back at the office, at the end of the episode? In this debacle, team Olivia is the only logical choice.

And on that note, kudos to evil duo Nevan and Olivia for ‘going there,’ as in taking the formerly suggestive incestuous angle of their relationship and bringing it out into the open, when Nevan called Olivia ‘babe,’ and she replied, disgusted, ‘can you not call me that … I’m your cousin!’

And since we are dissecting Monday’s episode, it is only fitting to at least acknowledge the Erin storyline, since it gobbled up a good chunk of the evening. I just wish I cared more. JR and the elfin Canadian seem almost interchangeable. And since we know, via Erin, that she’s in no rush to put a ring on her finger, and since she was proclaiming her love to Canada just a few weeks back, it all seems a bit -- well -- frivolous.

Unlike Whit and Jay, who are looking more and more like a real-live couple every episode. Whitney finally seems at ease with him. And Jay’s roving eye appears to have slowed, at least for the moment.

So did anybody else feel like tonight’s show was kind of a downer? Even Jay’s fury when Whitney came to his show late seemed pretty melodramatic. Lighten up, kiddies! And for the love of DVF, bring back Allie! If only we could get Allie without Adam. … Hey, a girl can dream, right?

Till next week,

--Stephanie Lysaght