An Exciting New Chapter In The Annals of Erotica
Episode 4 of Minx begins with Shane fumbling over his words, which only causes further angst for Joyce. They’ve got the premiere addition of Minx coming up and she’s desperate to make a good impression for the press. While Joyce tries to train Shane up, reassuring him that feminism is not a bad word and it’s all about equality, the pair start drinking wine and flirting. That flirting soon leads to kissing and so much more. In the morning, Shane shows up with croissants and flowers for Joyce. Uh oh, so much for a casual hook-up! When the others inside the office find out, they’re worried about how Joyce is going to keep her eye on the ball. And not Shane’s by the way, the proverbial ball with the press conference. The pressure is really on though when a respected reporter called Glenn decides to attend the press conference and learn more. After Doug’s ‘Troop 69’ gag last episode, Tina returns with big news. They’re now being audited by the county tax assessor, as Westbury doubles her efforts in shutting him down. The thing is, they’re bleeding money right now and Tina is worried that they’re spiraling out of control. 50 grand is missing from the books, which Doug eventually admits to, as it turns out he’s taking funds for himself for a side-hustle. He encourages her to trust him though. The next day, a lot of reporters show up for the press conference – as well as Shane’s parents. Unfortunately, Shane admits to Joyce just before they hit the stage that he’s starting to fall in love with her. Shane almost outs them both in front of the press, gloating about having sex in a public bathroom and talking about how beautiful his teacher is. Thankfully it’s Glenn who saves the day, steering the conversation back around to the magazine. After the conference, Shane appears and Joyce tells it to him straight – they’re not a couple nor will they be going forward. Shane is heartbroken and eventually decides to pull out of the magazine completely. The thing is, he’s signed a contract and as such, they’re legally allowed to publish his pictures. With the magazine already printed and ready to go, Doug calls Joyce out for her hypocritical attitude and admits that if they pulled this magazine, they’d be done and Doug’s business would go up in smoke. “Get okay with this, or fix it.” He eventually says, slamming the door and walking away. Joyce heads over to the fire station to talk to Shane and eventually admits how she’s feeling. He’s only the fourth person she’s slept with and apologizes for not taking his feelings into consideration. She also apologizes for not speaking to his parents after the conference, as Shane eventually decides to run with the story after all. Interestingly though, the other firemen make fun of him but for Shane, he confidently steps up to them in the shower and points out that they’re part of the patri-archie and that’s not good. As he walks away, naked, the episode comes to a close.
The Episode Review
Joyce’s character comes under scrutiny this chapter as we see her double-standards as a feminist and she’s rightly called out for it. The dynamic is fascinating though, seeing her pedal these ideas but also start to wrestle with her own feelings and what it means to be a woman. There’s a surprisingly complex character here and seeing Joyce so open with her flaws is a refreshing change of pace, especially as the show looked to introduce her as a Mary Sue early in episode 1. That’s not the case though and Minx is all the stronger for it. Doug’s dodgy dealings and his financial records are likely to come back and haunt him though, and Tina appears to be well aware of that too, pointing out how concerned she is. However, everything points toward an intriguing double bill of episodes to come next week, setting everything up for more drama to come.
