What's the First Thing You Know?

Ol' Jed's a millionaire, of course. Intending to mock my affinity for unsophisticated fare, a relative gave me a The Beverly Hillbillies DVD set for Christmas. Maybe she has a point. I see myself in virtuous Jed, dull Jethro, prim Miss Jane, scrappy Granny and the oily banker Mr. Drysdale. Much like The Wire, another definitive television series, the '60s comedy is an accurate distillation of the American psyche. Both document our often dubious aspirations and gritty, heroic stoicism.