I do not hook up; I fall deep
The synopsis from the Lifetime website:
The show tells the story of a beautiful-but-vapid model wannabe, Deb, who has a fatal car accident and suddenly finds herself in front of Heaven's gatekeeper, Fred, who declares her a self-centered "zero." Outraged, Deb attempts to persuade Fred to return her to her shallow existence but is accidentally relegated to the body of the recently deceased Jane Bingum (Brooke Elliott). A brilliant, thoughtful and plus-size attorney with a loyal assistant (Margaret Cho), Jane has always lived in the shadow of her more comely colleagues, whereas Deb has always relied on her external beauty. Now, by a twist of fate and a bolt of divine intervention, Deb must come to terms with inhabiting Jane’s plus-size frame in the ultimate showdown between brains and beauty.
Oh, hi fake LA! The series is actually filmed in Georgia but the story is based in Los Angeles. The lovely house on the right is owned by Deb.
Here we meet Deb and her boyfriend, Grayson. She is getting ready to audition to be a model on "The Price is Right". He is reassuring her that knees do not look fat.
Next, we meet Jane and her assistant Teri. Apparently, Jane was working all night. Terri informs her that she has to change her clothes because the client will be there any minute. Wrinkled clothes are a no-no.
The girl in the green suit is Kim. She is the office bitch and Jane's main rival.
Terri: And, how many hours did that purse cost?
Kim: Armes ostrich leather. There was a two-year wait but I pulled some strings. And Jane, what its worth....nobody under 50 wears a brooch.
Kim walks away
Terri: Armes bitch.
Parker, who is Jane's boss, slept with the shooter's wife. Jane is trying to get him to calm down, trips on a purse......and is shot.
Meanwhile, Deb is on her way to audition for "The Price is Right". She is chit-chating with Stacy on the phone and putting on lipgloss.
Stacy: Scott dumped me. He said I was ...shallow.
Deb: Uh, hello! Has he seen the indie movies in your Netflix queue?
All of a sudden, we hear a scream. We learn that Deb is killed driving into a truck carrying her food of choice.......grapefruit.
Deb is sent to heaven/limbo ...which has an escalator, apparently. Fred is one of the gatekeepers. He is trying to decide whether she will go to heaven or hell. Fred informs her that she is his first adult zero-zero.
Fred: Whoa, whoa. Hold on a second. I have never see this before. Miss Dawkins, according to my records, you have not done a single good deed or bad act in your entire life. You're my first adult zero-zero.
Deb: No, I am a good person. Lots of deeds.
Fred: Miss Dawkins, I have seen a lot of bad people and you're not one of them. You're not one of the good ones, either.
Deb is shocked to learn this about herself. There is a big "Do not press return" sign on the computer screen. And what does she do?
Obviously, she decides to press the button. Deb's soul is then sent back down to earth where she is "reincarnated" in Jane's body. The last time we saw Jane, she was lying on the floor in the law firm.
Deb is horrified to learn that she is in Jane's body. The gatekeeper, Fred, has followed her back down to earth. He informs her that she will be stuck in Jane's body for the rest of time. Deb does not have any of Jane's memories but she gets her intelligence.....which I am a bit confused about.
Deb/Jane takes a taxi to the house that she shared with her boyfriend. She rummages through her clothes trying to find something that will fit. Deb/Jane hears her boyfriend coming into the house and runs to go hide in the bathroom. She looks on as he grieves for his dead girlfriend.
Deb goes to Jane's law firm and is surprised to see Fred there. Fred tells her the law firm is where Jane feels most comfortable because her intelligence can shine. Fred has been demoted to guardian angel because of the button Deb pressed. She meets her assistant, Terri, who is shocked to see her back so soon.
Deb: Uh no, I do not wear Lame Bryant.
Teri: The doctor said you might have amnesia, but you love Miss Bryant. Stretchy and comfortable.
Deb holds up a book titled, "Ten Ways to Make Way".
Deb: I read loser-lit?
A bit of time has passed by this point. This is Deb/Jane's first case of the day. Her husband cheated on her. The lady signed a pre-nup but the prenup is said to be invalid if there was cheating involved. The client is too scared to testify because of her low self-esteem.
Deb: Miss Wellner, how much do you think you're worth?
Miss Wellner: Why?
Deb: Because if you don't think you're worth much, why should he?
This is Lifetime, after all.
After the dinner with Miss Wellner, Deb has nowhere to stay. She goes to her best friend Stacy's apartment. If takes some convincing, but after awhile, Stacy believes Jane when she says she is Deb.
Stacy: Let me get this straight. You died, went to heaven, pressed a button, and they turned you into a size 16?
Deb: Pretty much.
Stacy: That is so unfair. I mean, fat things should not happen to skinny people.
Stacy comforts Deb when she is sad at being afraid to tell Grayson the truth.
Some time has passed by this part. Grayson and Stacy went to the funeral that was being held for Deb. Deb/Jane went there to hear what people would say about her. She got a call from Terri saying that she was needed in court. After court, Deb went back to Jane's office. She is having a minor freak out when she hears a knock at the door. It is her boyfriend, Grayson. She is so sad because she wants to tell him the truth. She is afraid that he will reject her in her new size.
Deb: You remember me?
Grayson: How could I forget? You interviewed me last week...recommended me to Parker. I got the job, thank you.
....
Grayson: I haven't told anybody this but I was going to propose next week.
Deb is shocked and saddened to hear this news. Brooke Elliot is so strong and subtle in this scene. Just fantastic.
Deb/Jane is so happy that she won the case for Miss Wellner. Her happiness is short-lived as she watches Kim shamelessly flirt with Grayson.
Deb/Jane actually had two cases in this episode but I got a little lazy. Deb was trying to prove that a drug company was responsible for Mr. Newsom wife's death. She is inspired by the eulogy that Grayson gave at her funeral. As she is delivering her closing statements, she is remembering her life with Grayson while staring at him across the courtroom.
Deb: People say there are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Well, Marcus Newsom can't get past his anger. He is angry at Upland pharmaceuticals because they ignored evidence that Zolpitin can cause hallucinations with deadly consequences. Why would they do that? Because if they told the truth, if they admitted to the risks....consumers might think twice before popping their pills. Help Marcus Newsom get past his anger. Access blame where it belongs and only then ...can my client continue to grieve.
Deb wins the case for Marcus Newsom. He is awarded over 8 million dollars. After the verdict is read, Grayson comes over to congratulate her on a job well done. He notices that she is wearing the same nail polish that his girlfriend wore. And on her pinky finger.
After she wins the case, Deb goes back to the law firm. She tells Fred that Deb was not the best person but she still misses her. Fred tells her she is grieving for herself and that she is only human. And? The camera pans away in a cheesy way.
I really adore this show! There have only been two episodes, but I am hooked. The main actress, Brooke Elliot, is fantastic. Such an amazing actress. Yeah, a bit of the stereotypes are annoying. They do not stop me from enjoying the show, though. I love Fred/Jane and Grayson/Jane. ♥