In the penultimate episode of season two, the audience experienced three unique stories, all packed with details that will most likely play a huge role in the finale.
Stalker Love: After his night of self loathing, Matt ended up sleeping with his stalker, Labia. He tried to play it off as no big deal at first, but after speaking with the Lincolns, Matt realized that continuing to interact with Labia was a bad idea. He asks her to please go back to just being his stalker, and she agrees to. However, Labia answers Matt’s phone when he’s out of the room. Diane, Matt’s ex-wife is on the other line. Diane has already threatened Matt about his interactions with Labia, and this will probably not bode well for him.
Merc’s Out, Carol’s In? Ever since Merc passed on the talking dog pilot, he’s been getting hell for it. With the ratings for the show skyrocketing, it seems that Merc’s bad decision will cost him greatly. He’s under pressure to find a show that will get him back in the network’s good graces. There’s a great scene where he demands all of his creatives to pitch him ideas, desperate for their network to have their own vampire show. It’s one of those great moments where Episodes hits a note that’s so close to reality, you just know that actual conversation has happened in a boardroom before.
Whatever Merc finds, it is probably too late. Elliot Salad, the actual head of the entire network, calls Carol to set up a meeting with her. He delivers the bad news: Merc has been voted out of his position. While Carol tries to defend her boss/lover, she is surprised to find out that she’s a the top of the list of names to replace him.
Date Weirdness: After finding out that Beverly went on a date with Morning’s brother Rob, Sean acts very weirdly around her. He doesn’t want to know the details, and yet he can’t stop pestering her about them. He eventually apologizes, but seems unable to handle the news that Beverly has agreed to a second date with Rob. Beverly gives Sean a last minute chance to stop her — she tells him that she won’t go on the date with Rob, but only if Sean will give her a reason as to why he’s upset. Beverly tells him that if it’s just jealousy, she’ll continue with the date. However, if he still wants to give them another try, she’ll call it off. Sean hesitates, but then tells her to just go on with her plans with Rob.
Beverly does just that, and their second date goes much better than the first. After dinner, he takes her to a house he’s painting to show her what he really does for a living — he creates faux marble finishes on walls in homes. His work is very impressive, and Beverly compliments him. They end the date with not one, but two kisses.
The best twist of the episode is the chance of there being a network without Merc in charge. If Carol is put at the helm, would she help make Pucks! a better show? She has clearly been shown to be capable of running things better than Merc, but only time will tell what the future holds for everyone involved. Maybe Merc won’t lose his job after all, or maybe Carol won’t accept the position. There are a lot of variables going into the finale, and it’s sure to be a trip.
I’m film school graduate with a focus in screenwriting, just entering the shallow end of the great big Entertainment Industry pool. I consider myself a fan of fans, always interested in fandom culture and studying the trends within the ever evolving world of media.