Not like a shvantz right in the face
Episode 1 of Minx starts with a woman named Joyce accepting the Pulitzer Award in 1971. This happens to be a vision though, as we find out later on in the episode; an idealized dream that shows where Joyce’s value lies. Joyce is rudely snapped out of this by a catcaller, as we see her en-route to a big Pitch-Fest; a convention where one can pitch their own magazine ideas. In this men’s world, Joyce starts pitching feminist ideas, including “The Matriarchy Awakens” but it largely falls on deaf ears. On her way out the door though, she meets a sleazy producer called Doug, whom she had an earlier run-in with in the queue, calling him out for smoking a cigar. When Joyce leaves, she drops her magazine on the floor. Joyce’s big plans are directly at odds to her partner Glenn, who’s unhappy with her ideas. He was hoping she’d get bored and move onto something else, but for Joyce this is part of her life. So when Glenn makes her choose, the option is easy – she kicks Glenn to the curb. At work the next day, Joyce is approached by that same publisher, Doug. He’s read her magazine and admits that it’s actually pretty good. He doesn’t want to publish the magazine in its current form though, believing they should work together to fancy it up a bit. His exact analogy likens it to hiding a pill for a dog in peanut butter. And Doug’s peanut butter? Male nudity. The money Doug’s offering is certainly lucrative, and Joyce’s sister Shelly believes it’s a great opportunity when she finds out. She’s quite supportive, suggesting Joyce has the brains and know-how to pull this off. So naturally, Joyce shows up to see Doug at his office. After meeting ditzy Bambi and Doug’s secretary going on 10 years Tina, they pitch ideas for the centerfold spread. The ideas don’t quite resonate with Joyce, who comes out with some ideas of her own. Which fall flat. Instead, Doug decides to press ahead with his concept of auditioning for male models for the centerfold. A pretty hilarious montage ensues, complete with a fair amount of male nudity. Eventually though a guy called Shane shows up. He’s a fireman and as an earthquake rumbles, Shane jumps on Joyce and holds her down, protecting her from any aftershocks. There’s a definite spark between them, something the others pick up on when they head out to celebrate their success that night. When Joyce is dropped off at 7am, Glenn shows up and calls her a sell-out. This is enough for Joyce to change her mind and skip out on doing the photoshoot after all. Unfortunately, Cosmopolitan run with a nude male centerfold – for Burt Reynolds no less – which is a massive sensation all over the country. Joyce realizes her mistake and heads back to see Doug, who’s not exactly pleased with her. That is until Joyce admits that this male nudity has actually empowered women, which is kinda what her magazine is all about. In order for this partnership to work though, the title of the magazine will need to be changed. And that name? Minx.
The Episode Review
Smartly written and with bursts of humour, Minx delivers a really solid opening episode, one that continues the current trend of displaying full-frontal male nudity in media. It’s a welcome change of pace, following hot on the heels of HBO’s other raunchy drama – Euphoria. The story here is quite straightforward, with Joyce desperate to get her message out to the world. She’s relatable and her rags to riches story is certainly enticing, allowing her to grow over time and become more accepting in her ideals. There are some anachronistic issues with dialogue and a few fashion choices that aren’t quite right but largely it’s easy to look past that given how timely these issues actually are – and how relevant they are today as they were back then. With two episodes released today, lets not waste any time and jump straight into the next one!
