Dirty Sexy Swan

I get a decent number of hits each day from folks around the world running either web or blog searches on Google. Mostly it's names of celebrities or characters I've mentioned but once in a while it's something much more specific. Yesterday, someone in Fresno, California found me by Googling "what is the meaning of the crystal swan on Dirty Sexy Money."

Not only do I appreciate the specificity of that search (and wonder how it landed them here), but I totally have an answer to the question! I don't know if my mystery friend in Fresno will find me again, but if you do, here's what's up with the crystal swan:

In the season premiere, Simon told Karen that it had a lot of sentimental value for reasons having something to do with reminding him of the story of the ugly duckling and being a symbol of a simpler time when he first came to New York as a poor, black, Russian orphan or whatever. Late in the same episode, Karen pilfers the tchotchke and gives it to her father in what I interpreted as a sign that she was on Tripp's side and was still acting in her capacity as his whorey spy. Now, this week, when she's gone and stupidly gotten herself engaged to Simon, Tripp gave this symbol back to her right in front of Simon.

Given that no one's motives on this show are remotely easy to figure out, it's difficult for me to understand what Tripp's intentions were here - to show that he knows she's no longer his spy? To tell Simon that as recently as a few weeks ago she was spying on and stealing from him? To mess with their heads? To rid himself of a useless bauble? Who knows. It doesn't really matter though, does it? It was just kind of nice to see the swan make a second appearance instead of being completely forgotten after the first episode.

There you go, Fresno...hope that helped.