Minx is making that money, honey!
And everyone was reaping the rewards on Minx Season 2 Episode 3. Though you know what they say about getting everything you ever wanted, don’t you?
Yeah, me either. But maybe one day, we’ll be lucky enough to find out.
It’s been six months since Constance bought Bottom Dollar, and Minx returned home, and everyone was figuring out their new normal. Because suddenly, they were not a struggling magazine trying to find themselves but a bonafide hit.
For Joyce, she found everything a little bit fragile and hard to fully embrace. And that makes a ton of sense when you think about history and how it treats women.
Naturally, Joyce had her hackles up, and she didn’t want to be seen as aggressive or difficult, so she refrained from pushing back against Doug and generally just avoided being alone with Simon until she realized that it wasn’t doing her any favors.
When Joyce first came to Bottom Dollar, she just had a dream of what Minx could be. And now that she was living that dream, it was hard for her not to feel like it could all disappear instantly if she didn’t do everything perfectly.
Because there is rarely room for women to misstep.
But holding the reigns so tightly, from an outsider’s perspective, made Joyce seem more ordinary than Simon believed her to be.
Here was this amazing woman who spearheaded the first women’s erotica magazine and was at the forefront of a revolution. Yet she brazenly agreed with Doug and wasn’t allowing her voice to be heard.
Bambi’s idea to get her out for the evening, with Simon in tow, was a blessing because it allowed Joyce a respite from the office and another instance for her to bask in the success of her hard work.
She bumped elbows with celebrities and chit-chatted with Linda Ronstadt like they were old friends. And she belonged there just as much as anyone else.
But her doubts remained, and it may be hard to shake those fears in the long run. Because it’s terrifying to think about losing everything.
The closing shot of Joyce contemplating her success and believing in it while looking out at a billboard of her famous magazine was a beautiful way to highlight what it means to have it all but still not have it all.
Just because your wildest dreams come true does not mean you’re unaware of how quickly they can be ripped away.
While Joyce tried her best to avoid Rolling Stone, Doug was trying to steal them away against their will to get eyes on his newest creation, Beyond.
It was fairly obvious everyone was excited and loving the stability they had now with Minx’s success. Bottom Dollar was not only in demand, but they got a facelift, and everyone looked to be happy and a lot less stressed than during Minx Season 2 Episode 1 when their futures were less certain.
Doug did what Doug did best, capitalizing on the Minx name by hawking as many products as he could think of. And good for him! Merchandising is an essential part of any good business, and it was making Minx lots of money, even if it was bruising his ego to think people only saw him as the mug man.
But you could tell from Doug’s persistence that he was dying to do more than authorize calendars and pen designs, and find the next Minx. And he thought he found that in Beyond, a magazine tied to legendary scientist Carl Sagan.
I’m not sure what the science market in the 70s was like, but it was clear that Doug thought he had something worthwhile, even if it wasn’t exactly exciting to anyone else. Meeting Carl Sagan was cool and all, but if Rolling Stone had the chance to cover space or erotica, one clearly had an edge over the other.
Ever since Constance bought Bottom Dollar, Doug felt slightly out of his depth. He’s as responsible for Minx’s success as anyone else, yet you can tell he’s trying to be more than just Minx.
He wants to expand Bottom Dollar further and take it to new heights. And he believed in Beyond a lot. And he was excited about it. Excited about its future. Excited about getting out of town with his love to close a deal and celebrate something he had created.
And that’s why you could see how much it hurt when Constance dashed his dream just like that.
Doug knows better than anyone that, at the end of the day, everything is about making money. It’s a business, and he almost lost everything before because he couldn’t sustain that business.
Constance threw him a lifeline, and he took it, but he’s seeing what it means to not be the number one man in charge, and it has to be difficult for him.
You could tell he did a lot to make Beyond happen and was proud of it. And yet, his talents, who started and sustained Bottom Dollar and were the first to believe in Joyce Prigger, are being pushed aside and jettisoned back into making the latest Minx backpack.
Constance is kind on the surface, but she’s a shrewd businesswoman underneath, and we can infer that she wasn’t always making her premise known at the office and in day-to-day activities, but she certainly was now.
She was making her presence known everywhere, whether swooping in to push Joyce and remind her of her role or making sure Tina realized the power she held within her perfectly manicured fingers.
But isn’t it starting to feel like we are headed toward a Doug and Constance showdown because, as pleasant as they’re currently being, it’s not at all genuine.
The main difference between the two is that to Doug, Bottom Dollar is his baby. But to Constance, Bottom Dollar is simply something she acquired.
It should be fun to see this dynamic evolve, especially as the company grows.
Elsewhere, Richie was doing the opposite of Joyce, reveling in every second of his newfound fame. And on the one hand, he should be enjoying himself. Life is short, have a little fun and drink a little too much.
But like everything else in life, do it in moderation.
You’ve got to love Bambi being the voice of reason for so many and taking the initiative in securing her future at Bottom Dollar.
In a lot of ways, Bambi is Bottom Dollar. She loves that place and does so much for it, even if her title is a little made up. But she’s intelligent and capable and would make a great assistant if Doug gave her a chance.
It’s clear Doug is loathe to replace Tina, and it’s Tina. She can’t be replaced. But Bambi can not only do what’s asked of her, but she can do it well. And she will put her heart and soul into it because Bottom Dollar is home for her.
Doug better do the right thing here. He’s been known to make bad decisions occasionally, but this shouldn’t be one of them.
Bambi is the heart and soul of that place, and she deserves to be recognized.
Everything Else You Need To Know
- Shelly and Lenny getting into swinging actually makes a lot of sense for them, and it’s clearly brought a spark back into their marriage. But I’ll be curious to see what will happen with Shelly and Bambi once she’s back at Minx because their love affair feels far from over.
- It’s a shame we didn’t see Doug and Tina get a little romantic trip in! Their relationship has been seriously sidelined thus far when their will-they-won’t-they dynamic was such an exciting part of the first season. Here’s hoping we see more of them in the later episodes.
- Linda Ronstadt! Carl Sagan! Annie Leibovitz! A who’s who of 70s icons.
- Who was that man in the band making eyes at Joyce?
Minx has never been better, and as we reach the midway point of Minx Season 2, there’s much to be excited about.
So, drop all your predictions about where things may go in the comment section below, and come on back next week for more thoughts from yours truly. Stay minxy, my friends.
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.