Minx Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Sexiness
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Minx Season 2 Episode 4, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Sexiness” shows exactly the kind of conflict I expected from this season.
First, let’s talk about Constance. From the very beginning of Minx Season 2 Episode 1, “The Perils of Being a Wealthy Widow,” I felt like Constance was going to cause a rift between Doug and Joyce.
We finally get to see that and it’s every bit as perfect as it should be.
CONSTANCE: 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. Not anymore.
Elizabeth Perkins delivers an amazing performance as Constance. While Constance’s past is still somewhat of a mystery, but her experience has been driving Joyce this season. When she gives her pep talk to Joyce, she gets at the heart of the series and what this season has been building to.
We started seeing Joyce go down this road during Minx Season 1, but the introduction of Constance as a mentor is spearheading the evolution, and it comes from Constance’s experience.
CONSTANCE: No one at your level is claiming sexuality and intelligence with equal confidence. We can be powerful and feminine. Give our girls something to aspire to. See, I had to make this all up as I went along, and boy do I have the scars to prove it. Let me ease your path a little.
Constance’s words resonate because she’s right. Joyce is the epicenter of a cultural shift whether she likes it or not. She needs to exude that confidence, and one of the easiest ways to do that is with her wardrobe at this time.
After all, how can we talk about women’s sexual liberation without Joyce embracing that part of herself?
Constance’s guidance is also sewing a rift between Joyce and Doug. While Joyce was green on Minx Season 1 and didn’t know the world she was entering, the advice of another trailblazing woman is making her more confident and she’s not afraid to say “No.”
In contrast to Season 1, Doug is now having to embrace the fact that he doesn’t know their market.
His secret project is evidence of that. He knows how to titillate, and clearly, the women in the audience are enjoying that, but the intelligence and sexuality that Joyce and Constance are not a tone that Doug is capable of.
The fact that Constance was sitting in the audience and not sure if she should be attracted to a baby coming out of a vagina shows just how left to the point Doug is on this concept.
This isn’t to say that it’s time to write Doug off. I think that he is realizing that a part of his unhappiness comes from being in charge. He hasn’t had a boss for most of his life and giving up control is hard.
If he can open himself up and learn to bring others into his creative vision, he will get back on top.
Outside of Joyce and Doug, Shelly’s arc is continuing to pick up steam. Her Bella LaRouche stories are going to appear in upcoming issues, and I cannot wait to see how they’re received.
Plus, it’s so good to see Shelly and Bambi share scenes again.
Shelly and Bambi had a strong relationship, and I have been dying to see it evolve. Even though it’s clear they aren’t on the same page, I think that there’s a lot to explore with these two, and they’re definitely a pair to watch.
Overall, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Sexiness” gave me a lot of what the last couple of episodes were missing. Instead of celebrity cameos, it took us back to the team and their core dynamics and set up for a lot more intrigue to come.
Stray Thoughts:
- Honestly kind of proud of Richie’s “eff you” photoshoot. Joyce is really dancing around some concerns that she’s going to have to address, but Richie is an artist and his touch is part of what makes Minx what it is.
- Tina is the GOAT of Bottom Dollar, you won’t change my mind.
- Love how Bambi calls Shelly “Shellfish” and the innuendo in the scene before Doug locks him into the room is a chef’s kiss of writing and acting.
- Graham is a tool and I am not surprised that Joyce didn’t know better. While she may have the intellect she is still pretty green.
- Bambi is more than qualified to be Doug’s assistant, but she’s also overqualified. She should really be shadowing Tina and learning about operations, or Richie with art direction.
What did you think of this episode of Minx? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Minx streams new episodes Fridays on STARZ.
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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.