Loveday Writing

The next day it’s revealed that Vince runs the mob who delivers Minx, who has pulled the plug on deliveries due to Francesca’s offence at the article. Doug gets his staff, including those at his other titles, to rip the birth control article out of the magazines. When Joyce alerts the shipping warehouse employees to their safety rights, they quickly go on strike and demand better conditions, causing another problem for Doug. This problem is exacerbated by Tina discovering a snake in the breakroom cupboard left their by another mobster, Louie, as a threat, which leads to him forcing Joyce to go to Vince’s house to “kiss his ring” to get Minx back on the trucks.

Doug and Joyce bring a Bottom Dollar style gift basket, thinking “Little Vito” was the nickname of one of Vince’s henchmen, they discover he is actually Vince’s young son who is having a birthday party when they arrive, and quickly ditch the basket by the front door. Joyce is quickly sent off into the kitchen to be with the mob wives, while Doug tries to discuss business with Vince to no avail as he’s watching a football game.

Meanwhile, back at the Bottom Dollar office, Bambi, Richie and Shelly are struggling on how to shoot the centrefold photos for the next issue, the way Joyce wants. Richie eventually gets the photos that he thinks will work better than Joyce’s overly complicated idea, however he, Shelly, Bambi and Dane (the centrefold model) run over their studio time, forcing other publications’ who need the studio behind schedule. This leads to the staff forcing their way into the studio and starting a riot, forcing Tina to break it up, announcing that she will put together a schedule and policy for studio and equipment time.

Back at Vince’s, Joyce discovers the mob wives’ manipulative ways to get what they want and need from their husbands, and her questioning choosing a career over marriage and family. While Doug ends up trying to point out the mob men’s hypocrisy in their racism by making a remark about Sicilians being thieves only to fail miserably. He appears to cause more trouble by telling Vince that the people closest to him and not low-level employees would be most likely to skim money from him, only for Vince to tell him he’s right in his assessment, when they speak in private.

Vince asks for Doug’s secret to workplace success, and Doug tells him it’s hiring the right people for the job no matter their gender, race or sexuality, and in turn asks him who he trusts the most with his finances, which is clearly Francesca. In the kitchen, Francesca commends Joyce on Minx, with the exception of the birth control article. When Joyce respectfully asks Francesca if she can tell her about the article, she agrees and although we don’t see the conversation take place, we cut to the next scene, with Doug and Joyce leaving, saying that all the magazines except Minx are back on the mob’s delivery schedule. Joyce tries to tell him about her interaction with Francesca, but he doesn’t let her get a word in.

Doug eventually hears from Vince, who puts the Minx trucks back on the road (with the birth control article included), and Joyce uses the mob wives’ manipulation tactics on Doug to applaud him for his work, only for him to realise he was played by her.

Overall, I felt that this was a weaker episode, due to the slow pace and centrefold model B-story. While it was compelling to see Joyce’s tendency to make assumptions about others explored again, this time through the mob wives, I felt that the pace of this A-story was too slow.

I also felt that the B-story of Bambi, Shelly and Richie going over their studio time didn’t really add anything to the episode. Sure, Doug ended up expressing his appreciation for Tina’s dedication to him and Bottom Dollar towards the end of the episode because of the policy she drew up, I felt that this moment could have happened with any other situation, not just this one.

Stray Observations:

Episode title – Relaying news of a wayward snake is a remark Doug makes over the phone to Louie, a mobster, about finding the snake, which is a threat, in the breakroom cupboard.

-Shelly is seen working with the others, a good sign of continuity after Joyce offered her a job in the third episode.

Best one liners and interactions:

• “So they’re Catholic enough to be offended by an article on birth control, but yet they’re somehow fine with naughty nuns?” (Joyce to Doug on the mob being offended by her article in Minx)
• “Are you one of those people who get turned on the moment before you die?” “How can anyone answer that with any accuracy?” (Doug-Joyce on her plan to explain the benefits of family planning to the devout Catholic mob)
• “Oh, that doesn’t look like Eddie.” (Richie to Tina on the snake in the breakroom cupboard not being the same snake they book for photoshoots)
• “Aw, hi friend, are you lost? It’s okay, we’re going to find you a new home. What about the parking lot? In a little ditch back there, I saw a bunch of mice, seems like a fun time, yes cutie.” (Bambi talking to the snake from the breakroom cupboard as she picks it up and takes it outside)
• “Am I supposed to look away?” “You’ll get used to it.” (Shelly-Bambi on the naked model for the next issue’s centrefold)