If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.
Synopsis: An end-of-the-year crackdown by police in and around The Deuce sparks Vincent and Bobby. Candy tries to persuade Harvey, her adult-film director, that she can do more than act. Rudy witnesses a pivotal lower-court ruling on obscenity, and enlists Frankie and Big Mike to protect his interests in the peeps. Alston tries to convince Sandra that he’s not just a “source.”(HBO)
Writer: Marc Henry Johnson
Director: Roxann Dawson
Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: 57mins
In the last episode, Vincent and Bobby opened a massage parlor but now they needed girls to work there so they went to the pimps to see if they could make a deal and they were promptly rejected. Rudy had some connections and offered to help. Their first night was a rough start with the facilities not being to the girls’ liking. Paul and Abby had a moment at the bar while they were waiting for Vincent to arrive. He told her what happened when he got arrested. After a tough day, Vincent and Abby spent some more intimate time with one another.
Rudy also needed some guys from Vincent for help so Frankie and Big Mike tagged along. He wanted them to follow some people to ensure he wasn’t being shorted in one his many business ventures. Rudy later confronted his business partner with Franke and Big Mike and they took the money. Once they counted it, they determined that he was indeed getting shorted.
In an attempt to get off the street, Candy started a relationship with Harvey and now it was time to start working but Candy wanted more from this experience and wanted to prove that she could be more than just an actress. She was definitely more experienced when it came to her job. It was also a little funny to watch Harvey’s directorial style.
The tides were changing with obscenity laws being challenged so Harvey could start shooting with film in the camera again. In court, a judge threw out indictments claiming that they were against the defendants’ 1st and 14th amendment rights.
Later, when Candy visited her kid, she was surprised once her ex-husband showed up. She escaped out the backdoor because she didn’t want anything to do with him. Back at the studio, Harvey needed a brunette for a scene so she offered to find someone for him which turned out to be Lori. C.C. was not happy with this but was fine after he got paid his share. Despite that, Harold appreciated what she did and helped her get another job until he could start shooting again.
Being near the end of the year, it was time for the police to institute house cleaning of the streets. They did not want prostitutes or pimps on the streets for the foreseeable future. This created more business for the parlor as prostitutes had nowhere to go. After harassing the pimps, the 14th precinct lieutenant harassed the parlor about their take. Larry tasked Darlene to work in the parlor for him.
Alston was still with Sandra but they had differing opinions about what their relationship was. To her, he was her source, however, he wanted a little more out of it. Unfortunately for him, she didn’t date her sources so he no longer wanted to be her source. Alston took Sandra to a jazz club.
The episode title came from Vincent asking Rudy why he entrusted so much in him for which Rudy answered that he wasn’t like the shady people he worked with and that he’s proven himself time and time again. The last shot of the episode was of Darlene sitting in her parlor room while some action was going on in the adjacent rooms while having an uneasy look on her face.
Overall, the show is trending back in the right direction as it approaches its finish line with now 2 episodes to go after this one. Candy continues to be the best character and her forray into the adult film industry was fun to watch. Vincent’s story with the parlor was actually compelling here as it sort of connected to others and that it’s probably where he’ll end up. It will be interesting to see how this season ends.
Score: 8.5/10
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.
