Written by John Edward Betancourt
How ‘Who in the Hell is the Condamned’ Reminds Us That Our Dream is Also a Business and How to Navigate That Fact
‘But this is a business, and it’s a nasty one, at that.’  Mike O’Malley as Charlie Gully in Episode 205 of ‘Heels’ – ‘Who the Hell is the Condamned?’ (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)
When we set out to achieve our dream, be it becoming the next great actor in the world or just perhaps the best possible accountant we can be… we have an idea of what we can expect when we reach the top. In that, there will be relief, joy, and a sense of peace we’ve never known. Not to mention, we know we will be well compensated and comfortable in life and that most important of all… the work will be easy and beautiful. Sure, we might have to bust our butt to maintain, but we are doing what we love. So, there’s no way it can ever be that bad. But alas, that is an incorrect view of our dream job, simply because we lose sight of a tough fact.
In that, whether we are getting into a creative field or a corporate one… we are still working in a business, in an industry and that means… a few things will surprise us. In that, there will be tough days ahead, where it seems we cannot smoothly perform the duties we think we are born for, something we experience in the piddly day jobs that we left behind. Not to mention, we run into bosses and coworkers that are as annoying as the ones we hoped to never work with ever again. Because that’s just business. A world that works for profit and a world that expects results, and while that seems to be a jaded and cynical view of the dream, it’s truth. Which leaves one to wonder then… how do we navigate that world and find joy within it? Well, it just so happens that the next episode of Heels explores just that. A feat that ‘Who the Hell is the Condamned?’ accomplished by first pointing out that hard truth. Because Charlie Gully was FURIOUS about the fact that Jack made a last-minute switch to the card and the story. For he felt that the Condamned’s arrival was nothing short of a middle finger to FWD and that compensation was expected. In the form of having the Condamned get his ass beat at Dystopia the following week. A move that Jack protested to properly tell a story, and that of course… brought hell down upon him. Wherein he came to learn he was an employee of Gully’s for the time being and had to figure out how to work alongside him, and still grow the league in a manner that would fulfill his wants and needs.  Kelli Berglund and Mary McCormack as Crystal Tyler and Willie Day in Episode 205 of ‘Heels’ – ‘Who the Hell is the Condamned?’ (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)
Which in turn, allowed for the show to ponder upon a couple of other unique ideas regarding this problem. Because everyone felt as though, this was no longer the dream job but a job. Since Diego didn’t like being Bill’s gopher and did not like being uninformed of the surprise. Not to mention Crystal was listless since the focus was on the cross promotion over the women’s league. So, this segment of the story offered up some simple ideas on how to keep that sense of wonder and joy in a dream gig, in part by offering inclusion and kindness. Which Bill did for Diego to make him feel once again that he was a partner and not an employee and Crystal… was encouraged to wrestle down in Florida. To put her skills on display and to help create clout for a woman’s league with the DWL. In essence, to just seize an opportunity and roll with the punches to make that opportunity grow, and sometimes… we have to do that in a dream job.
But of course… the bigger lessons in this matter were indeed handled by Jack and Ace, and the entirety of Florida Wrestling Dystopia. Because Jack, with good council from Bill and Willie, came to realize that taking chances with his writing and offering up moments that would appease his egotistical new boss, would help him appease all parties, and that was the right approach. Since it set up a grandiose twist that the audience loved to no end and made Gully happy, and the devil was in the details in this journey. In that, when we encounter the surprise reality that we are working a job, a far less annoying one mind you… we have to understand that this is a business, and we are a professional. That means, we have to act accordingly and find a way to make it work. So that we can get past that rough patch and get back to what thrills us. Which was… a fine lesson to come into play. Because we simply don’t think about that truth when we set out on our quest to reach our dreams… but we should take this into account. So that we are ready when it happens, and it won’t shock us in the slightest. We will just do what needs to be done, and be the consummate professional that comes to understand, while we are blessed, there will be tough days. The kind that never outweigh the good if we handle business the way Jack did here. Which made for a powerful episode for certain, one that put a hard truth on display that we don’t discuss enough, and once again… this show deserves our awe for calling out some hard truths to prepare the viewer for their grand journey to the top, and it will be interesting to see what other new lessons we uncover as our rewatch continues along. Until next time. Watch ‘Heels’
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