Loveday Writing

Back at the Bottom Dollar office, Doug has the team putting copies of the magazine into envelopes to send to protest groups (although some of the groups are made up by Tina out of spite to Doug). While Joyce tells him that the negative criticism is scaring away their target audience, he tells her that it’s good publicity for Minx, revealing to her that several journalists have contacted him, wanting to interview her, one of them, Beulah Barrett, being a celebrity profiler she admires.

Meanwhile, Richie tells Bambi that he was invited to meet a famous artist he admires, Edward Shawn, at his gallery. However, when he goes to the gallery, he chickens out after viewing Shawn’s art, and believes that his photography in comparison, is way out of Shawn’s league, however he was invited to a party he’s throwing at his home in the Hills. Bambi encourages him to go and that she’ll go with him.

When Joyce goes to meet Beulah, Terrence Carpenter from the Associated Press shows up in her place as Beulah was called away on another story. While Terrence did his research on Joyce and she explains her history and her plans for Minx in great detail, he ends up misquoting her. However, Doug is happy with the story as it has gone national, which means more publicity. Doug is proven right when he and Tina go to a newsstand when the second issue is released and they are told by the owner that Minx sold out. This leads to a montage showing that Minx has sold out all over the country, and is gaining more publicity through a local radio show hosted by two sexists, Willy and Franco, as well as Shelly’s husband, Lenny, catching his nurses reading it at work, and Joyce spotting Westbury holding a protest against Minx at the Los Angeles Public Library.

Despite Minx’s growing popularity, Joyce laments at the criticism and hate mail, which Doug points out is a good thing as, if people are willing to take the time to write to them, even if it’s hate mail, it means they touched a nerve. Shelly echoes this sentiment, albeit differently, by pointing out to Joyce that she was also upset when Minx and The Matriarchy Awakens didn’t get attention. When Joyce feels even worse after comparing herself to her fellow Vassar alumni, she spontaneously goes to see Glenn and has a one-night stand with him.

The next morning, Glenn tells her that she shouldn’t be hiding from the publicity and that she should fight back. He also tells her that he wants to run his own publishing company from an inheritance he received two years ago, and wants Minx to be the flagship title. When Joyce points out the fact that he had this inheritance when she was working on the magazine as The Matriarchy Awakens he didn’t want to invest, but now that Minx is popular, he does and only to benefit himself. She also tells him that trying to steal her magazine is the most ambitious thing he’s ever done, before leaving in anger.

Joyce’s anger at Glenn empowers her to stand up for herself and Minx when she goes on Willy and Franco’s radio show, which gives Minx further publicity and puts the sexist radio hosts in their place. Glenn also manages to hear the show as he’s making his bed after Joyce has left, angrily throwing a pillow at the glass she drank out of the night before, when she declares that no-one can take the magazine away from her. However, she also tells them about Shelly revealing that Lenny doesn’t satisfy her sexually to make a point about female sexuality, which both Shelly and Lenny hear. Lenny comes home and Shelly waits for him, however we don’t see a confrontation or conversation about the issue take place.

Meanwhile, Bambi and Richie go to Edward Shawn’s party, and moments after Bambi leaves Richie alone to mingle, he wants to leave, only to find his car blocked in. The owner of the car is revealed to be David Hockney, who applauds him on his photography for Minx.

Towards the end of the episode, Doug and Tina eat dinner together, with Tina revealing that Dick Cavett’s talent agent asked for Joyce’s availability. Doug admits to her that he was irresponsible and got in way over his head with Minx but got lucky. When Tina gets up, Doug gets up and kisses her.

The episode ends with Joyce joining Bambi and Richie at the party, celebrating her success on Willy and Franco’s radio show.

Overall, I felt that this was a solid episode, bringing back the momentum that was lost in the previous two episodes. I was happy to see that Joyce didn’t go backwards by getting back together with Glenn, in fact, she took a major step forward by leaving as soon as she realised that he wanted to use her and Minx’s success, especially as he forced her to choose between him and the magazine in the pilot and called her a sellout for going with Doug. This scene also shows Glenn supporting Joyce in the previous episode in a different light. I also appreciated that her anger at Glenn trying to use her ultimately empowered her to stand up for herself and that it led to further success.

I also appreciated a spotlight on Richie and the support he received from Bambi and Hockney. Doug and Tina’s kiss at the end of the episode simultaneously surprised and didn’t surprise me. On one hand, their chemistry has been evident from the moment they first appeared together onscreen, on the other hand, a part of me expected the writers to go down the cliché path of pairing Doug with Joyce, that being said there’s been no sexual tension evident between the two of them. Doug and Tina have clearly been through thick and thin over the ten years they’ve known each other, and I’m glad the writers didn’t go down the cliché path.

On a smaller note, I felt that Councilwoman Westbury’s reappearance was underused. I would have liked another confrontation between her and either Doug or Joyce.

I’m looking forward to seeing where we go from here now that Minx is finally popular and successful, as well as the outcome of Joyce sharing Shelly’s secret on air.

Stray Observations:

Episode title – God Save the Queen of Dicks, David Hockney says this to Joyce as he meets her at the party.

-Richie’s full name is Ricardo Montes Izquierda.

-According to Bambi, she’s already famous.

Best one liners and interactions:

• “Less talkin’, more lickin’.” “I used to love hearing that.” (Doug to Richie on putting copies of Minx in envelopes, then Bambi)
• “What if he wants to show your photos, or what if he wants to have sex with you, sometimes it’s both.” (Bambi to Richie on receiving an invitation from Edward Shawn to meet)
• “There’s no statute of limitations on borrowed pumps.” (Shelly to Joyce on her shoes that Joyce borrowed and never returned)
• “Oh no, he tried to sleep with you? You did sleep with him? You slept with him twice? It was good? It was bad? He hates his mother?” (Bambi asking Richie why his meeting with Edward Shawn didn’t go well)
• “You know when I stepped on my first set, I didn’t feel like I belonged. I’m not even really sure how I got there, but the photographer could tell I was really nervous and so he walked over to me and said, ‘you’re not going to be hot forever, now take off those shorts, get on that elephant and ride.’” (Bambi trying to inspire Richie to meet up with Edward Shawn)
• “The last time I went to a party in the Hills, I stayed there for a year…and then the murders started.” “The Manson murders?” “Not those!” (Bambi-Richie going back and forth)
• “I get it, I get it, I do. The thought of a female pornographer that makes people pretty uncomfortable. It made me uncomfortable, but I’m doing it anyway and there is nothing you can do to co-opt it, or diminish it, or it take it away from me.” (Joyce to Willy and Franco on air)
• “Male desire is celebrated. There is an entire industry built on servicing it. Why should female desire be any different? We’ve got more nerve endings in our sex organs than you do. Men like you are really good at limiting women’s options. Now maybe, just maybe, you guys are worried that my magazine can offer them something you can’t.” (Joyce to Willy and Franco on air)
• “Why don’t you, uh, teach them how they should read it?” “With a yellow highlighter and an open heart.” (Doug-Joyce on doing an interview on Minx)