Things continue to change at Bottom Dollar, and the team is feeling those changes heavily.
Once Minx took off, it was obvious that dynamics and roles would change, but seeing it play out is sad for everyone involved because it just doesn’t feel like that Minx of yesteryear.
Minx Season 2 Episode 4 saw Doug and Bambi’s dreams dashed, Joyce doing a little shopping, and Richie and Tina questioning their worth. And if that sounds depressing, it should. And it was.
In his quest to be more than the merchandise man, Doug and Bambi teamed up on a super secret project, which was basically just a way to impress Constance and further Minx’s profitability.
Doug is a businessman, and he’s a hustler. The day Doug Renetti isn’t conjuring up the next big thing in an attempt to get rich and feed his ego will be a cold day in hell.
But this latest setback makes me wonder what comes next for Doug.
Club Minx was essentially Chippendales before Chippendales was a thing, and it was a good idea on the surface. It was a little garish and over the top, but everyone in that club was enjoying themselves, and it was another way to capitalize on the Minx name.
But unfortunately for Doug, Constance isn’t the one actually calling the shots now. She defers to Joyce, and to know Joyce is to know that a male revue is not something she wants the Minx name attached to.
So again, I wonder where Doug goes from here because it’s obvious that he feels shackled in his current role. He’s not used to seeking approval because it’s something he’s so rarely had to do. He goes after the things he wants, and that’s that.
And he’s offered the privilege so many others are not.
Doug: You know, I haven’t had a boss since I was sixteen years old. And now I have two. And one of them is Joyce fucking Prigger.
Tina: I was wondering when you were gonna figure that out.
Now he’s got two bosses, two women, who aren’t allowing him to get his way, and it’s definitely throwing him for six.
Doug will rebound because that’s what Doug does, but it feels like in all the time he’s been working with Joyce to this point, he still doesn’t understand her. Joyce wasn’t wrong when she said in Minx Season 2 Episode 1 that Minx’s success was as much Doug’s as hers, but it’s still not his.
It will always be Joyce’s, and I’m not sure Doug has ever fully been able to grasp that.
What was interesting during this hour was Constance’s sly influence in the background, as she hooked Joyce up with some new clothes and subtly set her up with a little after-hours fun.
I can’t figure Constance out because, on the one hand, she could very easily be a silent backer here. But she’s taking a hands-on approach, especially when it comes to Joyce, and she’s using her influence to mold Joyce into the woman she thinks she should be.
This started during Minx Season 2 Episode 3, and it continued here with a request for her to diversify her wardrobe. And here’s the thing: Joyce embraced the silky dresses and glamour, but was it really her?
Navy suits and pussy bows. They got you here. But you do not need to dress like a man to earn the respect of one.
Constance [to Joyce]
She said she still felt like herself, and maybe that’s true. She looked incredible, but she looks stunning and comfortable in everything she wears, and Constance’s pushing doesn’t exactly feel genuine.
Constance wants the most out of her investment, and she’s business-minded first, whereas Joyce will always put Minx first, not as a business, but as her life’s work.
When you think about it, Constance and Doug have a lot more in common than one might think on the surface.
When she wasn’t being styled or telling people no, Joyce was engaging in a bit of fun of her own with rockstar Graham. And I’m all about Joyce embracing her celebrity and having fun, as long as it’s on her own terms.
But this Joyce was definitely letting the prolonged hookup distract her in a way that wasn’t her. Joyce can do casual, but she’s no groupie.
Elsewhere, everyone was struggling in their own way and for various reasons, and it’s tough to watch what was once a pretty cohesive team feel so fractured.
Even when they struggled to get Minx off the ground, they never seemed as sad as they do now.
Richie has been such a pivotal part of Minx, and his feeling like he’s undervalued and not considered enough was valid.
With such a large cast, we often don’t get enough time to spend with everyone, and Richie is a huge casualty of the runtime and cast size.
We’re getting these peeks of his struggles, but it’s hard to get into it because it’s such a peripheral storyline. Same with Tina, whose role is unclear right now.
I lamented the lack of Doug and Tina regarding their relationship this season, which you could easily forget exists 99% of the time. Minx isn’t a show about romance, but it’s an interesting choice to sideline the established couple this season when it was such a notable piece of its first season.
Richie: You think anyone else knows how good we are?
Tina: Not a chance.
And while they touched upon Doug’s tendency to devalue Tina at times, it appeared she felt that on a more significant level, and just like with Richie, those feelings are valid, but we do not see enough.
Tina’s bump from Doug’s assistant to managing editor is noticed in her increased responsibilities, but no one seems to appreciate just how important what she does is.
Tina continuously helps everyone around her in a variety of ways, not just ways directly associated with the magazine. And it’s a pity she doesn’t feel appreciation from her peers.
It feels a lot like we’re either leading up to a mutiny of some kind or a splintering, and I don’t know what’s worse.
There’s just a lot of tension in the air coming from many different places, and as it stands right now, it’s hard to see how everyone gets back on the same page without some serious changes and self-reflection.
Everything Else You Need To Know
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Much like Richie and Tina, Bambi was going through it after the super-secret project was axed, and she really needed a friend, but Shelly’s not ready to be that to Bambi right now. It’s a really heartbreaking situation all around for both women.
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Even with Club Minx getting axed, there is no reason Bambi shouldn’t be promoted to being Doug’s permanent assistant. What else does Bambi have to do to prove she’s more than capable of helping Bottom Dollar succeed?
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Richie’s photoshoot mocking Joyce was so petty and actually perfect the way it was.
We’re officially at the halfway point of Minx Season 2, and there are many unhappy and disgruntled people! All the success Minx has garnered isn’t translating to happiness, and it’s unclear whether it will ever right now.
Let me know in the comments what you thought about the hour and where you feel things are headed in the second half of the season!
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Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
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