By Matthew Wood

Those who were looking for a happy ending to the first season finale of THE RICHES probably knew they weren’t going to get what they wanted. I mean, what’s the best-case scenario? That they keep on living as this dead family whose identity they have stolen? That they get the heck out of town and make it to Mexico before anyone finds out? Not quite the fairy-tale ending anybody wants.

And, unfortunately for the show’s loyal -- if not large -- fan base, there wasn’t much resolution either.

As the finale begins, the real Doug’s best friend, Pete, is waiting for some answers from the imposter family. After an awkward meal filled with carbs, a whole lotta hot air, made-up explanations and faux philosophizing from Wayne and Dahlia, Pete ends up in Doug’s car, on the way to find him in the middle of the woods. This is where Wayne “explains” that he’s a hit man hired by Doug to protect his family. And, Pete almost believes it, until he sees that the hired gun is packing a water pistol. So, Wayne does what he probably should have done in the first place: He knocks him out and drags him home.

As they drug Pete to buy some time (you gotta love Dahlia’s tried-and-true wine cooler roofies), it looks like the end of the road for the Riches. The bags are packed, the house is emptied and the RV is primed and ready. Except, of course, that creepy Dale has been under the hood and that thing ain’t going anywhere.

This is where we end up; the family’s stuck in a broken RV, Dale’s ready to take Pete out of the equation and nothing has been resolved.

And, to make things worse, Nina knows the family’s big secret and Hugh’s hot new ex-stripper wife has run off. But these stories are on the back burner for now, and a Wayne-Dale showdown is imminent.

So the question is:  Will enough people care to find out? I sure hope so. I must admit, I never would have started watching this show if it wasn’t for the chance to rant about it. But, it has grown on me. Eddie Izzard is tolerable as a lead, and Minnie Driver seems ready to steal the show every time she opens her mouth and lets that Southern drawl come through. I love her waxing poetic about absolutely nothing while trying to figure out what to do with poor Pete at the dinner table. “Those who wait shall inherit the earth,” she coos, hoping to ease Pete’s nerves. When he replies that he thought it was the meek who are supposed to do the inheriting, she quickly counters, “No. The meek inherit sh*t, Pete.”

That’s good stuff. I want to see more of that. Will I (or anybody else) sit through another season of not-so-compelling plotlines with sleazy Hugh, crazy grandma and nosy Nina? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.