“Hung” Recap: Do It, Monkey

By Stacey Harrison

hung_sn1_0609_5So sorry for missing last week’s recap. I was preoccupied covering a minor pop-culture confab out on the West Coast and had to miss one. Long story short: Ray was given a pickle jar full of cash from his supportive student body, but it wasn’t enough to get him the support beam he needed to start repairing his house. He also got a cold from sleeping out in his back yard and used it as an excuse not to sleep with an overweight client. But he sucked it up and did his job, accepting his role as a man whore.

This week starts out with a bit of chicanery on the viewer. Ray plays Good Samaritan to a damsel in distress making a rather pathetic attempt to change her tire during a rainstorm. Look a little closer and you might have noticed it was Natalie Zea, who played the hyper-sexual celebutante Karen Darling on the soon-to-be-departed Dirty Sexy Money. Here, she’s blonde and apparently normal. At least it seems that way until the quick cut to her and Ray going at it in a cafe bathroom. During the postcoital meal, Ray introduces himself as Randal, a book editor, and invites his new lady out to a movie. She shoots him down, saying she’s got a boyfriend.

Turns out Ray was on the clock, and his client, Gemma, was not a happy customer, thus explaining her rejection of his offer for a date. But she’s willing to give him another chance, and pay handsomely. This works well for Ray, who all of a sudden is finding himself to be a happiness consultant flush with cash. Making it even sweeter is the revelation that Jessica and Ron are having money problems. They lost a lot of money in the stock market and are stuck taking the twins to $3.99 buffets while Ray is splurging on steaks and promising them a new car. The fountain may be running dry, though, as Gemma is still not pleased with Ray. He was offering her more of a male fantasy, instead of the female one she wanted. He vows to make her happy.

Their next date seems to be going well, with Ray able to pull out all the stops and getting Gemma to accept his offer for a date. They kiss passionately outside the cafe as Ray’s principal walks by and nods disapprovingly. They go out for a day on the beach, and it all goes south when Gemma tells Ray she’s falling in love with him, and his response is “That’s so nice.” Gemma excuses herself, makes a call, and Ray gets a call immediately after. It’s from Tanya, telling him that when Gemma tells him she loves him, he needs to say it back. Ray’s incredulous, but he gives it a whirl. To no avail. Instead of melting in his arms, she storms off.

In addition to money problems — which her mother is suspicious of — Jessica is having dog trouble. Her adopted decrepit pet, Doris, goes into a coma and requires expensive measures to keep her going. Ron convinces her, ever-so-subtly, to let nature take its course, but they both know Ron was more concerned with his bottom line than the dog’s flatline. Jessica worries her burgeoning bond with the twins might have died with Doris.

Tanya is still involved with Floyd, for some reason. While hosting the class at her apartment, Floyd makes a cheap pitch for everyone to sign up for “How to Be a Multi-Millionaire, Part II.” When Tanya demurs, Floyd is visibly irritated and also alarmed that Tanya seems to be on to him, noticing that his Jaguar is a rental. Their relationship reaches the breaking point when Floyd tells Tanya he can’t “muddy the waters” with her and make things physical. Tanya is taken aback and kicks him out, visibly upset. She dials up Ray, most likely for a booty call, but he’s busy.

Ray has taken it upon himself to try to fix things with Gemma. He knocks on her door at her McMansion and they talk honestly for the first time. He tells her he’s not only interested in her for the money, but out of professional pride. He’s never had a customer complaint, and he’s going to do what it takes to make her happy. Should be fun.

Photo: © 2008 HOME BOX OFFICE Credit: Chuck Hodes