The Deuce, Season 1, Episode 8 Review: ‘My Name Is Ruby’
The Deuce ended its first season by effectively tying some storylines up in a bow for next season, and leaving many others frustratingly open-ended, but in a satisfying way that played true to the characters and the messy situations they entered into the story with. While some characters appeared to be headed on a trajectory to their true calling, others remained victim to the very dangers and pitfalls of their professions, whether they be on the right or wrong side of the law. Either way, ‘My Name Is Ruby’ was a fitting and fantastic end – sometimes joyful and sometimes tragic – to another HBO drama standout that I’m eager to see continue for seasons to come. And with that, let’s get on with it.
Eileen Finally Calls the [Money] Shots
While it was truly gratifying to see Eileen (Maggie Gyllenhaal) finally get behind the camera to direct her first porn in Wasserman’s (David Krumholtz) absence, it felt like one of the more forced developments of the episode. Nonetheless, I was truly rooting for Eileen (formerly Candy) so much after seeing her put through the ringer throughout the season that I was relieved to see her get to take the reins while Harvey was away. My fear was that Wasserman was going to see what she’d done, feel threatened, then boot her from the set. But he’s come to rely on her so much, and has even begun to think of her as a partner in his business, that he encourages her to keep going. Now, that’s a happy ending (pun intended) that I wasn’t quite expecting, especially from the guys that brought us the tragic brutality of The Wire.
One moment I found interesting was in watching Eileen’s interaction with Darlene (Dominque Fishback), who has turned to making porn films after it seems that business for her at the parlor has slowed down. In a previous episode, Darlene tells Larry (Gbenga Akinnagbe) that she didn’t want to go into the movie business because of the possibility that she may one day have kids and be noticed. Here, Eileen consoles Darlene’s apparent apprehension by telling her that it doesn’t even matter. Who gives a shit if someone sees you? Now, I’m not sure if this was supposed to be interpreted as some kind of women’s empowerment play, or if it’s supposed to insinuate that now Eileen is taking on qualities of the very pimps that she avoided for all of her previous career. She’s now selling sex and calling the shots, even though it’s off the street. Will Eileen ever resort to violence or coercion if her stars fall out of line? No. But she’s dressing stages and getting particular performances out of her stars, which is reminiscent of how Larry, CeCe (Gary Carr), and Rodney (Method Man) speak about dressing Melissa (Olivia Luccardi) like a country girl to play-up the “girl next door” look. I’m not seeking to necessarily equate the two because Eileen is not leveraging some sick power dynamic to get people to work for her, so the sex work she’s participating in is much more voluntary. I’m just saying the parallels are interesting, and I’m excited to see how those dynamics continue to evolve in the next season.
Alston’s Source-ery Can’t Save His Relationship
Well, I suppose it was just too much to ask that nice guy beat cop Alston (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.) was going to finally get to relax into his relationship with journalist Sandra (Natalie Paul), even though their relationship was built on the shaky premise of him being her main source at the police department. I have a lot of feelings about this. One the one hand, my heart hurts for Alston, because he seems to be a stand-up guy, and nobody watching this show can deny that he put himself on the line to get the Notebook O’ Bad Money Things so that Sandra could use it as part of her story about police corruption. On the other, he is a part of the corruption himself, and has to remain so unless he wants to stand out as a snitch in the department, so his hands aren’t completely clean in this. Sandra seems like she genuinely likes Alston, but I can’t help but detect an opportunistic subtext to her motivations; would she be dating Alston if there was no chance that he could produce the evidence of corruption that she needs for her story? Something tells me she wouldn’t. This entire time, she’s been pretty single-minded about telling her story about prostitution, pimps, and dirty cops on The Deuce, and that doesn’t just stop because she likes a guy. Having said that, I don’t think her attraction to him was a complete sham, I just think that she subconsciously expected certain compliance from him once they were in the relationship since she didn’t really show any real hesitation in asking him to put his ass on the line to help her out. And that makes me sad. I admire her tenacity, but I can’t help but be disappointed in how much she unreasonably expected from him.
Vinnie and Abby Make It Unofficial
Despite Abby’s (Margarita Levieva) earlier assertions of her sexual independence, the past couple of episodes have shown her growing increasingly intimate with Vinnie (, and dare I say, showing signs of jealousy when Vinnie goes and beats up the guy who assaulted his estranged wife. This after they make the decision to move in together under some incredibly loose guidelines that allow them to have sex with other people, yet live in the same place. In light of Vinnie’s passionate revenge on behalf of his wife, it looks like the whole you-can-fuck-who-you-want rule may provide some drama once they share an address.
The Existential Crisis of the Pimp
Well, it appears as though Ashley didn’t come back the way I feared, but it definitely didn’t help C.C.’s increasing feelings of inadequacy in light of the new economic landscape of The Deuce. Last episode, he, Larry (Gbenga Akinnagbe), and Rodney (Method Man) were lamenting the new identity of the pimp now that they’ve been pushed into the parlors, where they aren’t allowed, or porn films where they ultimately aren’t calling the shots every day. They are relegated to the background now, and up until now, their identity was based on toxic masculinity, power overwomen, and an enormous amount of ego. Now that they have no women to control on a daily basis (though they’re still making money), they don’t know their place in the world. He pretends that everything is going great in front of his mentor Ace (the fabulous The Wire alum Clarke Peters), telling him business is good when he knows it’s beginning to fall apart. C.C. is still trying to assert his importance to make up for his diminishing power, as shown by his attempt to get into the VIP section of the Deep Throat screening, claiming importance because Lori is “an actress.” With Eileen at the helm, something tells me she’s going to continue to encourage Lori (who’s steadily building confidence and pride in her work) and eventually convince her to assert her economic independence from C.C..
Larry, on the other hand, is doing his best hold his ground as the strutting, powerful pimp, while pushing down his obvious guilt over letting Barbara (Kayla Foster) rot away in jail for him. After getting busted by the cops, Larry is considering getting her out since money is no object, but after a talk with C.C., is convinced to let her take the hit for him, lest he upend the established power dynamic. Larry walks the walk for a little bit, but by the end of the episode, the guilt has gotten to him so much that he’s lost his appetite. It’s one of the rare times on the show where a pimp is actually able to humanize one of their girls. Property wasn’t in jail, an innocent girl was. I’m sure Larry will be able to resist getting Barbara out of jail initially, but I’m wondering how the guilt will manifest itself in the next season, if at all.
Her Name Was Ruby
Speaking being humanized, Ruby (Pernell Walker) met her heartbreaking end while asserting her own humanity. Many references have been made throughout the series to the fact that pimps often change their hookers’ names; Bernice became Ginger, Dorothy became Ashley, and Ruby was named Thunder Thighs. By changing their name, it’s as if their pimp’s are assigning them a new identity as their property. The saddest part of Ruby’s demise is that at just the moment where she asserts her real name to the vile John she’d just serviced, she is brutally pushed out of a window by someone intent on proving that she was casually expendable as any piece of property.
While certain girls may be thriving in the new porn industry, Ruby’s death is a chilling reminder of what could happen should they need to go back to it.
Other Stuff That Happened On The Deuce
- Rodney seems to have plans to get Shay to stop chasing the dragon, which leaves me wondering what the plan is. Because something tells me it doesn’t involve a comfy stay at a rehab where she can get the help she needs.
- Abby took The Deuce and turned it into a modern, free love hippie haven while Vinnie was away. Because of course she did.
- The acceptance of homosexuality is still on very shaky ground at this time. While Paul (Chris Coy) can enjoy being open in New York, Eileen’s brother, Patrick (Dennis Flanagan) has undergone electroshock therapy due to being committed by their abusive father. We still don’t know the extent of what their father has done to Eileen directly
- Yep, Jack is definitely not coming back.
Conclusion
All in all, the first season of The Deuce proved to be another fantastic, impeccably-acted courtesy of HBO, and I’m eager to see these stories continue in Season 2. I may decide to write a review of the season overall, but since the universe seems intent on keeping me from writing either due to injury or illness, you may just have to take the aggregate impression you got from my episode reviews to hold you over. For all three of you.
