Sumith Prasad
The fifth episode of Starz’s comedy series ‘Minx’ season 2, titled ‘A Stately Pleasure Dome Decree,’ revolves around Joyce Prigger and Doug Renetti’s efforts to widen the scope of Minx by striking business deals with international publishers/distributors. Joyce realizes that she has been ignoring Doug’s significance in the success of her magazine, which leads her to express her gratitude towards him. Richie is getting tired of the way Bottom Dollar Publications is run. Shelly celebrates the “Battle of the Sexes” between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. The captivating episode ends with a major development concerning the expansion of Joyce’s creation and let us share our thoughts regarding the same! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Minx Season 2 Episode 5 Recap
‘A Stately Pleasure Dome Decree’ begins with Joyce and Doug arriving in Las Vegas for a panel discussion of the publishers of the prominent women’s magazines. Doug expresses his disappointment concerning Joyce’s decision to not move forward with the show he has conceived in the name of Minx. Right after arriving at the venue of the discussion, Doug gets smacked by a man as an act of vengeance. While Doug sulks at the bar, Joyce talks to him and eventually learns that the former has closed several deals to publish Minx in more countries. Joyce realizes the role Doug plays in the success of her magazine, which leads her to offer him the position of head of Minx’s international sales.
Back at Bottom Dollar, Shelly and Bambi get ready for the Battle of the Sexes between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Upon feeling left out, Tina arranges a watch party to watch the tennis match at the company. While Shelly supports Billie, one of the models who arrived at the place for Richie’s photoshoot says that men are better in sports. Shelly challenges him to play a small match, in which the model plays with a tennis bat with his penis inserted into the same. After the match, the model fails to take the bat off his penis, only for Lenny to come to his rescue.
Right before the panel discussion, Joyce learns that her former employer George Whitney has started a new women’s magazine named “Gal!,” edited by her friend and former colleague Maggie. Joyce and Maggie take part in the discussion with two male publishers representing two women’s magazines, published without the input of women. When they try to provoke Joyce and Maggie, the two women team up against them by calling out their misogyny.
Minx Season 2 Episode 5 Ending: Why Does Joyce Buy Gal!?
During the panel discussion, the two male publishers turn against Maggie for copying the style of Minx to publish Gal! Joyce, who doesn’t want to see a fellow woman publisher getting humiliated by two male publishers who don’t even deserve to be a part of the panel, starts to support Maggie. She makes it clear that despite the similarities between the two magazines, Gal! offers a different perspective that shouldn’t be discarded or ignored. She champions Maggie’s creation for the greater good of promoting a woman’s voice and presence in the misogynistic world of publishing without being aware of the repercussions of the same.
While Joyce gets ready for the panel discussion, Doug makes deals with several international publishers to sell Minx in other countries by presenting the same as the only true feminist magazine in the scene. The publishers who join hands with Doug strike lucrative deals because they don’t have another option to consider. But when Joyce promotes Gal as a feminist voice with an equally valid perspective, the publishers start to consider the same. They realize that they can strike a deal with George with a lesser figure since the magazine is recently launched.
Joyce eventually realizes that her efforts to empower and support her friend Maggie have cost her the growth of her own magazine. Thus, she acquires Gal! so that Maggie’s magazine wouldn’t jeopardize the success and growth of Minx. Joyce also gets an opportunity to turn against Maggie, who filled the former’s shoes at the New York magazine. After Joyce and Doug buy Gal!, Constance talks to Tina about a new opportunity. It will not be a surprise if Tina becomes the head of Gal!, which will give her an opportunity to learn business by becoming a key player in the world of publishing.
Will Richie Leave Minx?
When Richie joins Minx, he gets an opportunity to express and explore his creativity in the best possible way. Since Joyce is the supreme authority of the magazine, he doesn’t have to worry about filtering his creations and ideas, which makes him a better photographer and artist. But Constance’s arrival in Minx as the head of the same affects Richie severely. His ideas and creations get criticized by Constance, who finds the same appealing only to gay readers. Since she wants Minx to be a feminist voice through and through, Constance asks Joyce to filter the photographs used in the magazine, which ultimately leads the latter to interfere with Richie’s creative freedom.
As a queer artist, Richie uses his photographs to express the beauty of his life and experiences, which doesn’t happen anymore because Joyce decides to cater to Constance’s wishes. Since Joyce and Constance want photographs that only appeal to women, he feels restricted. He then starts to work for other clients amid working in the editions of Minx to express his creativity freely. When Bambi comes across the same, she asks him why he is preparing to leave, only for him to make it clear that he needs creative freedom to work as an artist. Having said that, Richie may not leave Minx.
Joyce is slowly realizing that she has been ignoring the hard work of others that made Minx a success. Such a realization leads her to acknowledge Doug’s efforts to make Minx an acclaimed magazine. Similarly, she may realize the value of Richie’s contributions, which may make her fight for his creative freedom in front of Constance. Since the photographer has even left Bottom Dollar for her, Joyce may not be able to ignore him and his struggles outrightly.
