No Good Deed – Season 1 Episode 1 “Open House” Recap & Review

Open House

Episode 1 of No Good Deed starts with the scenic view of Derby Drive. The Morgans, Paul and Lydia, are hosting an open house at their picturesque family estate to find a buyer. Currently, their estate agent, Greg, is showing the house to a few prospects while Paul and Lydia hide in one of the rooms and secretly check out the people in attendance.

Lydia is hesitant to sell the house, but circumstances have pushed them to this point. For Lydia, the house holds so many fond memories of raising their kids, but Paul is stressed as it has been costly to maintain the house, given that Lydia can no longer work.

Among those interested in buying the house, we have a lesbian couple, Abbi and Poppy. They are not sure if the house will be good for them, but Abbi has a good feeling about it. As for Poppy, she is getting a dark vibe from the house and wants to hold off from buying the house. To assure her, Abbi offers to drive the street in the evening to make sure it is a safe neighbourhood.

On the other hand, we have a Black couple, Carla and Dennis, who are expecting their first baby. Dennis is excited to start a family in the Morgan mansion, and his mom tags along to check the house, too. Dennis is a mama’s boy, and it is driving Carla crazy. Simultaneously, there is another lady, Margo, who is not on terms with the estate agent. There is also J.D., an out-of-work Soap Opera actor.

After the open house, Mickey drops by and threatens Paul. Based on their conversation, it seems Mickey knows what happened in the Morgan house. He is fresh out of jail and feels hurt that Paul never visited him. However, the main reason behind his visit is to blackmail Paul and demand $80k in 24 hours. To prove his point, he half-chops Paul’s little finger.

Inside the house, Lydia has a former colleague, Jerry, help her fine-tune the piano. Lydia used to be a famous pianist, but she can’t bring herself to play the instrument anymore. She claims it is because her hands keep shivering, but there is more to it than she lets on.

Elsewhere, Margo meets with her lover, Gwen, and tries to convince her that they can work together to flip the Morgan mansion. Gwen is hesitant, but promises to bring up Margo’s ideas for the house to her business partners.

In the evening, Paul and Lydia get into a minor fight about selling the house. She notices Paul’s finger, and he comes clean about Mickey’s visit and his demands. Paul promises to figure something out. Also, trying to figure things out are Carla and Dennis. They agree they can’t afford the house, and Carla suggests they buy a different house on a different street.

Dennis suggests they ask his mom for money and have her move in with them to help take care of the kid once it is born. The thought of living in the same house as Denise scares Carla into action.

Across the street, Margo and J.D. discuss the Morgan mansion. They are both interested in buying it for different reasons. Margo wants to make money by flipping the house with her lover Gwen, while J.D has always loved the house and thinks it would be cheaper to maintain. Given that he has been out of work for years, and Margo’s affinity for the finer things in life, he is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Outside of Morgan’s house, Abbi snoops around to check out what was in the locked room that Lydia and Paul were hiding in during the open house. Unfortunately, the neighbours’ dogs start barking and the security lights turn on. She hides in the bushes. Paul is feeling anxious that Mickey is trying to send them a message and grabs his gun. He surveys the compound but doesn’t spot Abbi in the bushes.

Inside, Lydia goes to her son’s room and leaves him a voicemail on his phone. The lights start flickering, and she assumes that it is a message from her son. Paul returns and tells him that it was a racoon.

Once Lydia returns upstairs, Paul hides the gun in the piano and Abbi sees him through the window. Based on Paul’s flashback, it is highly likely that the gun was used to kill to kill someone.

The Episode Review

This intriguing episode introduces us to the mystery of the Morgan’s house. Whatever happened in that house has been haunting Paul and Lydia for years. Mickey knows the truth and blackmailing them to get some money.

The show uses flashbacks to give us a look into the mystery but never quite enough to help us solve the puzzle. However, this is only the first episode, so we will find out the truth in due time. The show employs a range of cinematographic techniques, including long shots and bird’s-eye views, to present the stunning visual appeal of Derby Drive.

It also makes us feel like we are outsiders, spying on the neighbourhood and learning some juicy secrets. Everyone interested in the house is keeping a secret and some of these secrets are about to be unearthed.

Although this is only the first episode, the comedy and mystery aspect of the show is well-balanced. The dead puns and the satirical responses from Paul give the show more flair. It was the right choice to cast Ray Romano and Lisa Kudrow as the leads in this show.