Loveday Writing

The penultimate episode of a season usually provides springboards for the season finale, and this penultimate episode definitely delivered.

These springboards were provided at the right time in the season and were a natural progression of what has unfolded over the previous six episodes, however due to the shorter length of this season, some of them did feel rushed.

I’m going to review this episode character by character.

Doug, Constance, Joyce, and Tina – Tina and Joyce first appear in the episode as they are hiking their way to Constance’s remote cabin. On their way, Joyce tells Tina that she is completely focused on Minx International now and asks Tina how it (the proposal) went with Doug. However, Tina believes she is talking about informing Doug that she got promoted to Minx International’s Executive Vice President. Joyce then mentions that she promised Doug the job and apologises for being presumptuous, Tina tells her that Doug supports her, although her face looks uncertain.

Constance rides a horse to them to check on them and takes them to her ranch. They are there to meet with prospective Minx International publishers. Constance sets up a test for each of the candidates by giving them picnic baskets with random items that contain what they need to improvise a beautiful, woodland feast.

Later, Constance, Joyce, and Tina, interview each candidate, although Tina and Constance seem to be doing most of the talking, much to Joyce’s chagrin. Doug later shows up at Tina’s cabin after finding a torn-up letter with the word “closure” on it in his office bin, telling her that he believes Constance is filing a disclosure, which is what she needs to do to sell Bottom Dollar. However, Tina dismisses him. He tries to warn Joyce as well, however she also dismisses him.

Whilst Constance, Joyce, and Tina continue interviewing prospective publishers, Doug sneaks into the ranch and finds what he needs – the paperwork that proves Constance dissolved Bottom Dollar. Doug shows this to Tina; however, she tells him that perhaps Bottom Dollar has outlived it usefulness. When Doug tells her that Constance has sold everything that they built and worked for, Tina points out that it was never done together as he didn’t promote her for over a decade and calls him out for not being happy for her for getting promoted. When Doug questions Tina choosing Constance over him, she tells him that she is choosing herself over him.

Later, Joyce goes to see Constance and makes it clear that she wants to be on the same page as her when it comes to choosing the publishers, and Constance agrees. Joyce is later seen choosing publishers for each European country. Doug is also seen driving away from the ranch.

Doug, Richie, Bambi, and Shelly – The episode kicks off with centrefold model, Rex, running over and killing his mother in anger, which leads to him being charged with vehicular manslaughter, and Richie and Shelly having to pull his centrefold pages in the next issue. Richie and Bambi end up calling Doug for help, and Richie pitches the bathhouse idea to him, which he loves.

When Doug goes back to his office, he finds that it has been used, when he asks Bambi who used his office whilst he was on leave, she tells him that Constance did. When he calls the bathhouse to set up the shoot, he finds a torn-up document in the office bin, and leaves for the ranch.

Richie and Bambi manage to set up at the bathhouse but the models can’t keep their hands to themselves, and the humidity is affecting the equipment. Richie tells the Minx staff to leave, and he manages to take the photographs he needs in a more relaxing environment. Meanwhile, Shelly arrives to write last-minute Bella LaRouche content in one of the bathhouse’s storage cupboards.

When the police raid the bathhouse, the models scramble to hide, with some hiding in the storage cupboard as Shelly steps out. Shelly manages to hide in the sauna, finding Bambi there having a schvitz. Bambi end up confiding in Shelly that today was the first time that working at Bottom Dollar felt like work, Shelly in turns tells Bambi that she is questioning her entire life, including why she lied to Lenny about her trip to Poughkeepsie. Bambi tells Shelly that she is not powerless and no-one is forcing her to do anything, pointing out that she called the shots in their relationship and only sees the Bambi she invented, and she is sick of everyone doing that to her.

Meanwhile, Richie hides in a room with a glory hole in the wall, watching the police brutally arresting as many of the models as they can. One of them opens the door and tells Richie there is a side exit they can make a run for. As they do so, Richie decides to take photographs of the raid.

The episode ends with Lenny reading Shelly’s latest Bella LaRouche piece aloud where it ends with her character, and by extension, Shelly herself, coming out as a lesbian, and Lenny holding her hand.

Overall, I felt that this was a solid penultimate episode with plenty of springboards – from the reveal that Constance has dissolved Bottom Dollar, to Tina choosing herself over Doug, to Joyce being subtly excluded from discussions if not decisions about Minx International, to Richie possibly becoming a photojournalist or even an activist with photographing the raid, to Bambi and Shelly finally having their long overdue confrontation with Bambi admitting that she is not enjoying being at Bottom Dollar anymore and Shelly accepting herself as a lesbian.

It will be interesting to see what the finale does with these springboards and how it will conclude this too-short and rushed, but admittedly still enjoyable season.

Stray Observations:

Episode title – Richie to Doug on his bathhouse idea being able to fill the empty pages after Rex was charged with vehicular manslaughter for reverse driving over his mother.

Best one liners and interactions:

• “Ugh, we got his dick draped over the murder weapon.” (Richie to Bambi on taking down the pages with Rex posing on a car)
• “They just don’t look like the eyes of a mom-slaughterer.” (Bambi on Rex’s eyes)
• “Yeah, but if we miss our deadline, something bad happens with numbers that only Tina understands.” (Bambi to Doug)
• “Have you been drinking with your bird again?” (Tina to Doug)