Sumith Prasad
The second episode of FX on Hulu’s sports drama ‘Clipped’ begins with V. Stiviano turning her attention to a billboard of a burger joint named “Quillby’s” after a conversation with her confidante. She stares at the billboard for a considerable while before deciding to confront Shelly Sterling, the wife of her employer, Donald Sterling, who sued her for receiving gifts from the Clippers’ owner. The placement of the billboard and the emphasis it receives as Stiviano stares at it make it a noteworthy part of the episode. Even though Lucy’s Drive Thru, the place from where she sees the burger joint’s billboard, is real, Quillby’s doesn’t exist beyond the show!
The Significance of Quillby’s
Although Los Angeles, California, is home to several burger joints, Quillby’s is not one of them. The burger joint and its billboard are fictional and created for the sake of the narrative. The significance of the burger joint lies in its tagline, which reads, “These aren’t sloppy seconds.” “Sloppy seconds” is a slang phrase used to refer to the sexual encounter between two individuals after one of them had sex with a different partner right before the same. When it comes to V. Stiviano, after staring at the billboard, she realizes that she gets Donald only after Shelly gets her share of him first as his wife.
The fictional burger joint and its billboard are integrated into the narrative to bring out Stiviano’s insecurity. In her view, she deserves Donald more than Shelly because she believes that the businessman loves her. Ever since getting hired by Donald, Stiviano has been taking care of him night and day, especially while Shelly is cherishing a social life far removed from him. The personal assistant feels betrayed when Shelly sues her, claiming that she doesn’t have any right to receive any gifts from her husband. Shelly’s attempt to establish that she is Donald’s primary partner makes Stiviano think that her relationship with the businessman is nothing but “sloppy seconds.”
After getting sued by Shelly, Stiviano tries to manipulate or garner the sympathy of Donald. She also wishes to kick Shelly out of the picture by reminding him that he loves her. By attempting to return some of her gifts, Stiviano gains the Clippers’ owner’s support to defeat Shelly. Stiviano’s ambition convinces her that she has to rise through the ranks to be Donald’s primary partner and not his secondary option after his togetherness with Shelly. Thus, the fictional burger joint’s billboard sheds light on the personality and aspirations of Stiviano, who gets provoked by the advertisement, thinking she is only getting what Shelly leaves behind in Donald.
Read More: Clipped (2024): The True Story Behind the Hulu Show, Explained
