I’ve got to be honest with you. I’m struggling with THE BIG DOOR PRIZE. I don’t hate it, but I sure don’t love it. What started off as a very intriguing premise is now boring me. I don’t care where the MORPHO machine came from and or if we ever find out. What I do want is to actually care about more of the residents of Deerfield who have let this mysterious machine upend their lives.
This week’s episode centers around restaurant owner Giorgio, one of the multiple unlikeable characters on the show. He’s constantly hitting on Cass, Dusty’s wife/Trina’s mom. He treats Trina and the rest of his employees like crap. I thought maybe this week we’d find out what makes him tick. But instead, we just got another episode of him trying too hard to get Cass away from her husband and continuing to be a terrible boss. If Giorgio got hit by lightning in next week’s episode, I’d shrug and say, “ok, that’s fine.” As Deerfield itself doesn’t seem to have anything going on besides the MORPHO machine, I’m sure nothing will happen.
Even Dusty’s b-plot was better than Giorgio’s, and the whole point of it was that he didn’t do anything he was supposed to do. Trina & Jacob’s secret is still that, and even strong-willed Hana or drama-queen Izzy couldn’t add anything to Giorgios’s story. On the positive side, at least Giorgio is there for Cass, unlike Dusty, who doesn’t seem to realize how badly he’s striking out. I don’t expect every woman in every show to make the right choices here, but I still hope that Cass doesn’t throw her marriage away for a guy like Giorgio, who is just SO SLEAZY.
THE BIG DOOR PRIZE is a show about being stuck in a rut in life and possibly getting a second chance to live up to new potential. The rut is relatable. The safe choices we make in life are relatable. Right now, the show itself is stuck in a rut, and if it doesn’t turn around, I can’t imagine I’ll continue it into another season.
THE BIG DOOR PRIZE streams new episodes on AppleTV+ every Wednesday.
