While there might be those who view the Chuck Rhoades chess moves as the centerpiece of the episode, it's really about pulling the curtain back on the Kappa Beta Phi fraternal order, a secretive Wall Street membership that meets once a year for drinks and dinner at the St. Regis, requires new members, neophytes, to appear in drag, and generally is unknown to all of us.
Apparently Kappa Beta Phi is a real organization and the Wall Street chapter is filled exclusively with one-percenters and above, those whose money Elizabeth Warren is trying to confiscate to pay for free college education for all, and a forgiveness of student debt.
I've never heard of it, but my broker probably has. It requires the freshly admitted members—by invitation only—to show up in drag. Thus, Wags presents himself at the check-in desk outfitted with lipstick, earrings, necklace, wig, heels and a dress, looking thoroughly unfeminine by leaving left the goatee on, and not hiding the chest hairs sprouting through the dress, only to find he's been the subject of a practical joke.
The lawyer Nussfaur who beat Wags to a coveted burial spot, reveals the joke and tells him the photographer who just took Wag's picture is a Page Six photographer, looking every bit like Annie Leibovitz, and Wags is going to be shamed as an "interloper."
Wags's dad was a member of the society; his dad was also a Grand Loaf, a high member of the society, whose main honcho is Grand Swipe. The real life details of this group of people is told by a reporter, Kevin Roose, who crashed a meeting a few years ago.
Chuck is getting itchy for a beating. He's been relegated to another part of the house for sleeping, and therefore is not next to Wendy. He comes into their bedroom for a fresh set of pajamas. Wendy tells him to take two sets. The thermostat registers a drop in temperature and clicks the burner on to send up more heat.
Chuck knows there's no chance Wendy is going to go for the toy chest and help him through his pain addiction. He asks for permission to outsource the humiliation. Wendy grudgingly agrees. But, she has to come to the house, and hopefully a bit disguised as a sports therapist. Wendy will clear the deck and get the kids out for the session. Wendy explains they can't have anything getting back to them if Chuck were followed to the dungeon. Chuck's prayers have been answered.
Moving on with the alternating story lines, Chuck is met at home by his outsourced dominatrix, who is the typically latex-clad woman who whips off her raincoat and gets down to business. In this case, she ignore questions from Chuck on how she'd like to be addressed—Goddess, Mistress—and gets right to pulling a black leather glove over her right hand and sucker punching Chuck right in the face—Howard Cosell calls it, "Down goes Chuck"—before Chuck has even whispered what his safe word might be. It's brutal.
The upshot to the session that we thankfully don't have to witness, is Chuck gets a bit beat up. Wendy catches him applying some expensive wrinkle cream to his bruised face and welted body. "Things got a little out of hand" Chuck explains. Wendy doesn't really feel too sorry for him, and doesn't offer to fill in next time. (Jesus, Chuck, how can having no fun be fun? You've got to see someone about his compulsion. You're going to get killed.)
Lara makes a brief appearance. Aside from being sidelined by being separated from Axe, she hasn't been seen much, due to the actress, Malin Akerman, getting her own show on NBC, 'Prism,' a murder mystery series.
Lara looks good. She's got a smart hair bob, nice jewelry, and gets what she wants from Axe, the ability to take the boys to live in California and a release of some of the money Axe put a lock on. It will be her only appearance this season. I will miss her fjord-blue Swedish eyes. Rebecca's don't do it for me.
Of course there is the usual Connerty/Rhoades pissing match for control of cases, with Chuck firmly getting what he wants. Chuck almost drives a wedge between Connerty and the U.S.A.G. Waylon 'Jock' Jeffcoat, played so disarmingly well by Clancy Brown that you swear his vocal cords must be covered in Kentucky bourbon and branch water. Jock needs his own show.
All the machinations don't work, and Connerty realizes Chuck has had him, and backs off challenging his boss, who reminds Bryan that every desk in the Justice Department is his desk.
On his way to setting things up, Chuck meets Judge DeGiulio clandestinely in the back of a candy emporium on Rivington Street. Economy Candy has been there since 1937 and is candy store heaven. Absent would be the bookmakers you'd find in Queens of long ago, but candy is certainly what they sell. One thing about this show, they make good use of the New York locations. I never heard of this place, but it is now on my list to drop by.
Chuck, for a N.Y. state attorney general, spends a good deal of time in NYC, rather than Albany. The New York locales are probably what the producers know best, given that Andrew Ross Sorkin is a New York Times financial reporter.
Axe gets a lesson in relationships with females, smart, business females, when he doesn't trust discussing with his new financial gal pal, Rebecca Cantu, the dilemma he's in with Victor Mateo and insider trading concerning a business that Axe unwittingly has a percentage of, all because Taylor was smart enough to put Trojan horse wording in a contract that Bobby didn't thoroughly read. Trouble on the horizon.
Axe's reluctance to share with Rebecca cost him an evening of a meal with her and a nightcap of sleepover sex. She leaves him in his kitchen to consider that females are not just to open bottles of wine with and screw. Bobby knows he's been licked.
Rebecca and Bobby make up when he acknowledges what he's learning. But since this epiphany comes in her office and not his apartment, no one heads for the sheets.
Not yet discussed would be the growing story line between Taylor Mason and his Dad, played by Kevin Pollak. It seems they've been a bit estranged for while, but are now coming together to promote dad's revolutionary design for airplane turbines.
Dad isn't quite used to Taylor non-binary gender, but they've rekindled their relationship. So much so, that Dad is now comfortable in having his son raise the capital with outside parties to finance what promises to be a blockbuster invention.
Initially, Dad was hoping for Taylor's firm to finance the project solo, and nearly torpedoes the growing relationship when Taylor insists they need outside capital. Dad's been burned before, but does acquiesce.
Axe's dislike for Taylor runs deep. He gathers information that will help him scuttle the project's success. But the real information on how to blow their ship out of the water comes from Wendy when after reviewing session notes with Taylor back in the day at Axe Capital, that the dynamic between father and son is fragile, and if Axe wants to destroy Taylor he has to do it psychologically as well as financially.
Thus, a plan is needed to make it seem like Taylor is betraying Dad. That is basically where the episode leaves off. The plan will I'm sure unfold.
http://www.onofframp.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment