The Deuce, Season 1, Episode 3 Review: ‘The Principle Is All’
The Deuce‘s third episode, ‘The Principle is All,’ saw a lot of our key players’ storylines kick into high gear as Vinnie (James Franco) opens his own bar; Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) digs deeper into the business side of the porn industry; a very restless and broke Abby (Margarita Levieva) reluctantly finds her way to a job at Vinnie’s bar; Darlene (Dominique Fishback) continues to get lost in the escapism of books and films with her regular, to Larry’s (Gbenga Akkinagbe) chagrin; and a recently-traumatized Lori (Emily Meade) gets a fucked-up pep talk from C.C.(Gary Carr) about prostitution loyalty programs. Plot-wise, it doesn’t sound that revolutionary, but it’s a testament to the gritty, raw, and painfully human characters that Pelacanos and Simon have created (and damn near flawless casting) that continues to elevate the show to a place that keeps me needing to know what happens to these people next. Let’s incorrectly speculate what lies ahead on their respective journeys, shall we?
Candy Chases Below-the-Line Billing
Ever since Candy understudied for a fellow colleague on the set of an amateur porn, the wheels of her brain have been turning and her eyes have been lit up. So much so that even the passive aggressive digs from her mother can’t get her down. Well, almost. Candy gets taken by Thunder Thighs (Pernell Walker) to the fake filming of a porn where the director Harvey Wasserman (David Krumholtz) charges $60 a head to watch the “shoot” (no pun intended, but I put that in quotes because there’s no film in the camera, and therefore, he’s not filming much of anything). Candy, assertive even when she’s off the streets, asks Wasserman to teach her the tricks of the trade over lunch, yet he can’t keep from suggesting that she’s just “pretty enough” to be in front of the camera (not necessarily the right type to be behind it). As he repeats the suggestion, Candy’s hard, confident exterior almost cracks open to reveal a heartbreaking desperation that almost seems hopeless. You can see it in a later scene with another John requesting anal sex that Candy does not want to give; she’s completely tired of this shit, and now that she’s seen a glimpse of something better, it’s killing her that it appears those avenues are closed to her.
While things may seem hopeless for the moment, even after two episodes we can see that Candy is too smart, too driven, and too entrepreneurial to let one guy stop her from pursuing her dream of porn industry dominance. If anything, she’s already figured out enough to start shooting them on her own, and learned enough about the economics to actually make a decent living at it. Will she try to get some of her fellow co-workers to be in a film for her? Will she finally broker a deal with one of the pimps that are constantly trying to recruit her onto their roster, and split the revenues if she can use their girls? Only time will tell, but I’m rooting for Candy to use that whip-smart, industrious savvy to find her way from the bedroom to the edit room. Maggie Gyllenhaal just keeps on relentlessly pumping new life into this character, and she’s definitely my favorite part of the show so far. Tied with C.C. I’ll get to that, though.
Abby Isn’t Even Having It
As shown from the past two episodes, we now know that Abby is a sexually-liberated, confident, educated, restless young lady who is attempting to buck her affluent upbringing in exchange for the danger and unpredictability of The Deuce. In the first episode, she voluntarily went to go buy speed for her friends; speed that she wasn’t even going to do. If that’s not asking for a little excitement in your life (or a drug bust), then I don’t know what is. Screwing the professor? Check. Quitting her telemarketer job? Check. The girl isn’t even having it. All of these things are set-backs that a normal person would have a panic attack over, but you see, Abby is the type of girl that has probably gotten to use her stunning looks to get out of trouble many, many times. Yes, she’s smart. But who else can casually get out of a drug bust, paying rent, and land a job at Vinnie’s bar the same day as losing another job? She seems semi-bummed out to have scored the gig because of Vinnie’s habit of making his waitresses alt-Playboy bunnies, but something tells me this is the type of gig she’s going to do very, very well in. If she wants some spice in her life, what better way to earn a buck as a college drop-out than to go work at a joint that attracts hookers, pimps, and mob bosses? I smell excitement! And second-hand smoke.
And if the chemistry between James Franco and Margarita Levieva is any indication, having sex with the boss (who’s already having sex with another woman who isn’t his wife) is yet another way Abby will eventually welcome complications into her life. I’m stuck between thinking this girl can literally get out of anything, and thinking that her luck will eventually run out with The Deuce shoving a bloody reality sandwich into her face at some point. So far, I’m willing to go with the former. Because, you know, feminism. And optimism.
I’m Actually Surprised Vinnie and Frankie Are Still Alive?
With Frankie constantly owing people money, destroying property, and generally pissing off people who could easily have him killed, it’s a wonder he survived this long. But then you look over at otherwise responsible and forthright Vinnie, and you see a man who’s always been able to bail his twin brother out because he obviously loves the little “fuck-o.” But then you would think that Vinnie would maybe try to distance himself from someone who so easily pulls him into his bullshit, and then you go back to wondering how Vinnie is still alive. But then you see how affable, loud-mouthed, big-hearted, and welcoming Vinnie is to pimps, hoes, cops, and mobsters alike when they walk into his joint, and you all of a sudden see a guy that can probably charm his way out of any sticky situation, and if he can’t do it himself, he’s made enough friends that he’s probably owed a few favors. He’s gotten to know this world really well, by not only striking up conversations with all walks of life from behind a bar, but also because he’s probably had to negotiate with all sorts of hardened and trigger-happy bookies and mobsters that he now intuitively knows how to smooth things over, no matter what the situation.
We all knew coming into this episode that Frankie was the fuck-up of the two. And we got beaten over the head like a sledgehammer to a jukebox with that fact here, as Frankie…well…takes a sledgehammer to a jukbox and a few other machines to let the coins drain out. At the time, neither he nor Vinnie knew that there was a separate owner for the machines. Somehow, I don’t know if that would have made a difference to Frankie, because even in the face of an irate (and very large) owner, Frankie decides it’s the best time to add insult to injury by completely destroying said machines. To be honest, this is the one part of the episode that seemed a little bit forced to me. Like…seriously, Frankie is still going to completely club this man’s machines to death right in front of him? I mean, I suppose we the answer is yes, but that brings me back to my initial point: If he is really this brazen, how on God’s green earth is he still alive?
Darlene Gets an ‘A’ in Her Larry Management Class
When Darlene falls asleep with her regular while watching A Tale of Two Cities, we’ve all learned – even after only two episodes – that Larry can be very unpredictable with his treatment of her, and that we had totally earned the right to be terrified for her. He’s predictably pissed when she finally shows up, but when she turns in the money, apologizes profusely, and offers herself up for punishment, he doesn’t descend to physical violence as I totally expected. Instead, he asks her what movie they watched and they very briefly agree on how good a movie it was until Larry’s demeanor quickly hardens again, reminding her what the dynamic between the two actually is. Darlene and Larry agree that she’ll stay out all day to make up for being short, and when she comes back with the ample spoils from a hard day’s work, he softens to her and takes her out for a drink at the Hi-Hat (Vinnie’s bar). However, whatever good graces Darlene had earned back may be short-lived since the look on Larry’s face at the sight of her commiserating with Abby about the book was…not good.
In fact, he look downright terrified. Threatened. One of the most intriguing things about these pimps is that while the do have some kind of otherworldly dominance over the women that they oversee, they are enduringly insecure at their core. They are in a perpetual state of fear over the prospect of one of their girls leaving their side. So, when Larry sees Darlene reading at the end of the bar, doing things that educated white girls (who don’t need pimps do), it’s cause for alarm.
Dominique Fishback and Gbenga Akkinagbe have some amazing, fucked-up, lop-sided chemistry in their scenes together. While I was absolutely terrified for Darlene’s well-being after she returned to Larry, I was impressed with how well the two actors played-out this tense dance where the two characters awkwardly negotiated how they would move forward from the transgression. It also showed that there could be more to Larry than just being a straight-forward, one-dimensional bully, which intrigues me, as well. I mean, he’s still kind of an awful human being, but his character is fascinating to watch.
C.C. Tells Lori to Stop Having Tunnel-Vision
Speaking of totally fucked up but fascinating to watch…
In the wake of nearly being kidnapped and raped by a random John last week, Lori is understandably shaken, and has taken to giving blow jobs through the tunnel instead of working a corner. And while C.C. recognizes hard work when he sees it, and knows that she’s still pulling in a good haul for them, he gives her a speech on the virtues of getting some steady income through regulars. C.C. knows that she’s spooked by the incident last week, but reminds her that he would never let anything bad happen to her.
C.C. definitely knows how to shower a girl in the warm blanket of security while tossing her out of a moving car, emotionally-speaking. We all know that this is all for his financial benefit, but his manipulation comes in the form of him saying that she’s “working hard for us.” Us. To go against it would be breaking this completely twisted and abusive bond that’s been forged out of perceived necessity, so as a means of survival – both physically and emotionally – the girl goes along.
And I’ll be damned if Gary Carr isn’t playing the hell out of his role. He’s simultaneously infusing C.C. with smarm, charisma, and an unexpected sophistication and wisdom, despite his obvious brutality when the bottom line is threatened. And Emily Meade has also done a fine job going from the young, sassy, street-smart ingenue (for lack of a better term) to the skittish, emotionally pliable girl she’s become since the last episode. This is another duo who I can’t help but watch despite the fact that the dynamics are messed-up beyond belief. Thank you David Simon an George Pelecanos for making me question my morality for literally the thousandth time. It’s awesome.
Other Stuff That Happened on The Deuce
- Mustafa Shakir is introduced as Mike – the giant, mysterious, wandering drug addict that finds himself in Vinnie’s bar and saving him from being shot by machine-owner guy. Vinnie thanks him by welcoming him back into the bar after he flees; I’m guessing we’ll see him next episode as a bouncer. I need to know more about this guy immediately.
- Bobby (Chris Bauer) has a heart attack. I’m sure this will affect something, I’m just not sure what yet.
- You know what else Abby is not having? C.C. waxing philosophical in her general direction. “I had a college girl once. She was educated but…not intelligent.” Upon hearing this gem, Abby just turns around and walks away. Amazing.
- Alston and Flanagan get made aware of some “no-go” zones, meaning the are to make no arrests in certain areas. Once Alston sees it, it doesn’t make sense to him. This will be important.
Come back next week for a review of Episode 4: ‘I See Money.’
