Nick’s parental abandonment issues were front and center in this episode, except this time the angst wasn’t about his late, emotionally distant dad, Dutch.

Instead, he confronted his mom, Claire, whom he hadn’t seen in more than 30 years.

See, Mommy George up and left the family when Nick was a kid, which meant he was prone to wandering the cavernous hallways of Darling Manor feeling unwanted and unloved. (Although he was apparently good friends with a briefcase on wheels.)

So imagine Nick’s surprise when Nola announced that the surprise witness in her case against Letitia—for Nick’s dad’s murder, no less—just happens to be Claire George.

She’s been living in a fancy France chateau all these years, courtesy of Letitia and a $350,000 annual “stipend.” Seems Claire was the last person Dutch called before he boarded the plane that would take him to his death.

Nick stormed over to France, determined to prove Letitia wrong when she said it was Claire’s choice to leave New York. Nick is convinced the affair between Letitia and Dutch drove her away.

But in some of the rawest scenes “DSM” has had so far, Nick learns that Letitia was right.

Claire’s reasons for abandoning her son—that she didn’t fit in with the Darlings and New York society—was pretty flimsy. And then she continued to pretend to her French hubby that Nick is some trust fund lawyer instead of her son, even after Nick shows them photos of her granddaughter? Cold.

Yet I’m still confused about why Nick is so convinced that Letitia is innocent.

That story Claire told him, about how Dutch phoned her the day he died, to say he was leaving Letitia and wanted to start over again with her? Seemed to give Letitia a motive for murder to me! And that vicious hissing of Letitia’s when she was discussing Dutch’s relationship with Claire showed she’s got some serious anger bottled up inside.

So has Nick just become so smitten with the Darlings again that he’s willing to believe anything? Especially now that he’s vice chair of Darling Enterprises? I can’t believe Nick would be that gullible, especially since it seems like SOMEONE murdered his dad, and if it’s not Letitia, it’s probably another Darling. And to those who say, maybe he’s staying on to find the real killer, the show hasn’t done a very good job of setting up that possibility.

Anyway, while Nick was having Mommy issues, Patrick and Brian were having Daddy issues.

Patrick’s problem was Tripp, of course.

He wanted to confess the truth about Ellen’s death—at a debate, no less!—but Tripp convinced him otherwise by finding Paddy’s missing mistress, Carmelita.

Again, this scenario sort of strained credibility, even for an over-the-top show like this.

Does Tripp (or Patrick, for that matter) really think Paddy Boy can become a senator, and maybe PRESIDENT, with a transgender mistress on his arm?

Can Patrick be so dumb to think that he could unload his crimes at a political event and believe it’ll all work out?

And as a side note on the debate: Oh, Dan Rather, how far you’ve fallen.

I know you’re involved with that lawsuit against CBS and all, so maybe slumming in soaps is a way to make ends meet until that big payday rolls in. But didn’t you squirrel anything away during your “60 Minutes” tenure? Your cameo in the premiere of “DSM” is one thing; a second appearance as a journalist when your journalistic integrity is in question is another.

Now then. On to Brian.

He’s become a caring father to Brian Jr., despite the fact that he’s still having more temper tantrums than a toddler. He jets off to Brazil to kidnap the kid after learning that Andrea has been leaving Brian Jr. home alone at night.

That plan is ditched, though, after he finds out that Andrea has been waitressing at night because she doesn’t want to be supported by any Darling money. Seems that Brian would have noticed that she hadn’t been cashing his checks, but perhaps he just has an incompetent accountant.

Alas, even though Brian did the right thing in the end, it looks like he might be in hot legal water, too: Who’s going to believe that Brian Jr. stowed away on the corporate jet without his knowledge?

(And what’s up with the Darlings and planes? Kids sneaking on board with no one noticing? Killers tampering with engines? Methinks the family needs a new security team.)

As for the remaining Darling siblings, the show seems to be intent on continuing the asinine relationship between Jeremy and Nola. Not only are they a snorefest as a couple—and no, an appearance by the Weepies (whoever they are) did not jazz things up at all—but it just seems like this storyline is going nowhere.

And another thing: Does Nola have a trust fund of her own? Because I’d love to know how she affords a massive Manhattan apartment, fur bedspreads and a Mercedes convertible as an ASSISTANT district attorney. The chief D.A.—you know, the guy whose job she wants—doesn’t make much more than $150,000. I’ll bet her yearly bar bill totals more than that.

Then there’s Karen and Simon. He asked her to marry him I might have been shocked if he hadn’t been discussing his manipulation of her on the phone a few minutes before he proposed. We’ve known he’s been playing her—right?—but this seems over the line. Who, who, who is he conspiring with?

Until next week, folks, when we’ve got an appropriate pre-Election Day episode revolving around Patrick’s campaign. We see more of Carmelita—and Ellen’s brother shows up to cause trouble.

And we finally, FINALLY see the return of Juliet Darling!

Samaire Armstrong drops by to say hello, and presumably explain where she’s been. You know, since her sister-in-law died, the family’s suburban mansion burned down and her mom’s been on trial for murder and all…

(Photos courtesy of ABC)