Good Girls Review: Pick Your Poison (Season 2 Episode 4)
Well, it didn’t take long for the truth to come out about Leslie, but unfortunately, that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Good Girls Season 2 Episode 4, “Pick Your Poison.”
I mentioned in my review of Good Girls Season 2 Episode 3, “You Have Reached the Voicemail of Leslie Peterson,” that I actually felt bad for Leslie and his grandmother. Good Girls wasted no time shattering that illusion with the revelation that Marion was going to be evicted because Leslie stole from her.
To Annie’s credit, she tries to keep Marion from the truth. It feels a little weird to see her walk up to Marion’s door and offer to help, but Marion likes her, and I think on some level Annie felt guilty. Figuring out how to get Marion squared away is the least that she could do, and she does it in such a way that is unobtrusive and unconfrontational.
While Marion may be sweet, she’s not stupid. When she finally figures out that her grandson isn’t everything she thought the look of disappointment on her face is heartbreaking. Her view of her grandson is shattered.
But the girls are getting ready to move onto bigger things. So let’s talk about Beth and that key.
The storage unit Rio left her had “a lot” of counterfeit money. (Like an uncountable amount.) There was no way that they could wash it all and still continue to operate, which is proven when they get stopped at the store and confronted with what they’d been doing.
The discovery of their scheme pushes the plot forward, but I never expected it to be Dean who would pick up the mantle.
Dean isn’t a character that’s easy to like. He was cheating on Beth in Season 1 and he lied about having cancer. (By the way, did we ever really see the fallout from that? Because that’s something I find unforgivable.) Now he’s in over his head because of some bone-headed business moves he made.
He literally made the same mistake again! And as Beth and Annie mention, this isn’t even the second time! This has happened before.
And yet, Beth still gives him the money to buy cars to restock his business. Cars which he, in turn, can’t sell.
It feels like guilt is a running thread through “Pick Your Poison.” There’s guilt over disposing of Leslie’s body and there’s guilt over Rio shooting Dean. But Dean’s behavior in this episode is appalling.
It’s been established that Beth is a very smart and very innovative woman. She figured out how to wash Rio’s cash through the stores and secret shoppers, and now she’s finding ways to help Dean sell cars.
Yet, Dean’s reaction is to tell her to stay out of it when she’s moved more cars by talking to moms and speaking their language than his top salesperson.
Buying a car is a practice that can be gendered and sexist, and Good Girls shows how the experience doesn’t need to have those stereotypes attached to it. When Beth helps the mom Dean is talking to with her bag and starts talking about convenience and cupholders, the frenzy of numbers and specs slow down and you actually see the customer enjoy the process.
She looks excited about a test drive after talking to Beth, and yet Dean shuts her down. Which is big talk for someone who constantly seems to be running them into the ground!
After this, Beth deserves a moment akin to Ruby’s in Good Girls Season 2 Episode 2, “Slow Down, Children at Play,” where she takes ownership of her role in bailing out his sorry behind.
All of this is the impetus to Beth and Rio getting together in a bar bathroom. I’m not a fan of the, “My husband cheated on me so I’ll cheat on him,” paradigm, but after watching Beth attempt to have Dean take her seriously I can see the attraction.
What Rio has that Dean doesn’t is simple: respect for Beth. Rio believes in Beth, he may have been skeptical at first, but she’s always proven herself capable of finding a solution. Laundering money through the dealership is just another layer to that, and it’s also the perfect set up.
“Pick Your Poison,” sets up the car dealership as a money laundering site, and this can be Dean’s downfall. Depending on how it looks on paper, it may look like Dean is operating alone, and if that’s the case, then he could be in for a rude awakening when the FBI comes calling.
In some ways, it also feels like Dean’s eventual downfall might be foreshadowed by the final scene with Agent Turner and Mary Pat in her kitchen.
Having her son blow the secret that Leslie was in the freezer is such a haphazard way to have something slip out, and it’s a sobering reminder that it will only take one word at the wrong time.
During the last act of the episode, Rio takes back the counterfeit money.
Just like Beth is an intelligent woman, Rio’s a good businessman. He sees an opportunity to make money that is too good to pass up. (Come on, how much can they seriously move by buying and returning Vitamix blenders? Cars are a bigger payday.)
It’s hard to read this scene, but I don’t think it diminishes his respect for Beth outright, but that will all depend on how he treats her now that this deal has been struck. Rio also seems to compartmentalize business and personal pretty well, so if he has any deeper feelings for Beth I don’t think this “partnership” is interconnected.
However, if they’re stuck with Rio, Dean is really going to need Beth’s help.
Stray Thoughts:
- The world needs more people like Ruby in it. The scene with her at the payday loan office giving out money for a kid’s prescription and other expenses people were hoping to take out a loan for is so heartwarming. These ladies really aren’t evil at heart.
- You know what I said about Dean and Beth and the lack of respect? Yea, Gregg is just as guilty. Kick him to the curb, Annie!
- The opening sequence showing everyone going about their day while the garbage is picked up is very well orchestrated and scored. It gives off just the right amount of nervous energy that makes you spend the entire sequence waiting for the bag to break or some similar calamity.
- Is anyone else worried that Mary Pat is going to sell out Annie, Beth, and Ruby? They did help dispose of the body.
What did you think of this episode of Good Girls? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Good Girls airs Sundays at 10/9c on NBC.
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.
2 comments
“The scene with her at the payday loan office giving out money for a kid’s prescription and other expenses people were hoping to take out a loan for is so heartwarming.”
I also liked that scene a lot, but the reality is that – in today’s world – such a stunt would have probably ended up on social media, and drawn a lot of unwanted attention. Worse, the mere hint of suspicion that she could do that “on a cop’s salary” would draw scrutiny on her husband, if not the whole PD.
Benevolent and charitable, but extremely foolish.
You have a point, and I do agree that if this was real life and not a scripted drama then an act like that would have totally blown their cover.
There’s an element to this show that always seems to let them enjoy the hopeful parts of their circumstances so I’ve never really had an issue suspending my disbelief in moments like this. Plus, Retta’s performance is fantastic and she really delivers in each scene she’s in.
Comments are closed.