Jane Bingum’s love life is full but without guardian angel Fred she and her BFF Stacy will lose a sweet presence in their lives, as Drop Dead Diva moves into more complicated waters for season 4.
UPDATE—Monday June 11, 2012—– Episode two aired last night and new angel Luke is showing himself to be resourceful about how to get Jane’s attention.
He spoiled a cocktail session between Jane and Grayson, just as Grayson was exploring the “Jane is Deb” scenario. Read more, here.
Drop Dead Diva premiered its fourth season on Sunday night and characters came and went pretty quickly.
What fans thought would be the largest plot line seemed to be dwarfed by the departure of a main character. Background on season 3 and the cliffhangers from the final episode, here.
Jane and boyfriend Owen returned from their idyllic trip to Italy after the law firm got into serious financial difficulties.
The managing partner Parker was off trying to find his recently discovered son and Kim found out the firm was in deep doo-doo after Parker left her in charge.
Jane was coaxed to come back with some sweet financial incentives and shortly thereafter Fred, her guiding hand returned as well but with a new girlfriend in tow.
Grayson acted like a detective as he tracked down clues about whether Stacy was right about Jane Bingum being Deb, his dear departed lover and he found some information that makes it clear to him that something otherworldly might have taken place.
While Jane’s true identity was once again addressed at the conclusion of the episode, it was the case of the week and Fred’s tough decision that took center stage.
Fred and Stacy were caught in that mess of behavior that occurs when jilted lovers don’t want to be the first one to seem weak and ask for forgiveness.
Stacy tried to make amends but Fred played it cool on advice from Jane’s funny and twisted secretary Teri played by the always good Margaret Cho.
After Stacy was told to remain strong if Fred changed his mind and broke up with the new girlfriend — which he did — Fred could no longer take the back and forth and the emotional fall out.
Look Ahead With Sneak Peek Video Of Sunday’s Episode Two
Fred revealed himself to Stacy as Jane’s guardian angel and after she thought that would solve it all, she was devastated to learn that once he did that he had to return.
Not only would he disappear but she would have no memory of him.
That advice came from new relationship guru character Nikki LaPree played for all it’s worth by Kim Kardashian, who looked like she fit in very well with the stylish cast. She will be seen again in more episodes.
When Angel Fred had to break the news to Jane, struggling with the end of a court case that saw her bamboozled by a client who got away with murder, she was devastated but determined that she could make it on her own.
That was not to be her choice however. Parker crawled back to the law firm and announced that it would be just fine once again. While he couldn’t find his son, he found a silent or “angel” investor who gave the firm the capital infusion it needed to survive..
The investor made a pass at the lovely Kim and then decided to engage Jane in some verbal sparring as well.
Not impressed as she mourned the loss of Fred and the case that went awry, the investor makes Jane realize that Fred’s replacement is standing in front of her whether she likes it or not.
The two make it clear that this season, Jane feels more empowered to be Deb but understand the rules of the road for her to stay in her life, while the new angel Luke Daniels will not be the loving and funny presence of Fred.
The show might lose some of its innocence this season with Grayson digging more and more into Jane being Deb, but one thing’s certain. Jane Bingum has more men around her than ever before.
Is Fred’s departure a good thing for the show? It will certainly give the plot lines a bit more sizzle as the new angel seems more devilish than angelic.