‘Minx’ Recap: ‘It’s okay to like it’

8/6/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Ophelia Lovibond as Joyce Prigger in Episode 203 of ‘Minx’ – ‘It’s okay to like it’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 of ‘Minx’. To revisit the Season Two Premiere, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

When we look at people in this world that are true titans of their career field, we feel a sense of admiration and we see joy and peace in their eyes, and rightfully so. Because they achieved their dream, and we absolutely admire that and long for that… and of course… by living their dream they have to be at peace with themselves internally. And truth be told… a fair majority of them are indeed experiencing just that. But not everyone. Because sometimes… the admiration we send their way and the awe we endure over what they’ve obtained emotionally… is deemed as something they do not deserve. For they aren’t sure they belong at the top of their field, nor are they certain this ride will continue.

Simply because… imposter syndrome is a very real thing in this world and it can strike even the most successful in their field with worries in that vein and well, this is something we don’t talk about all that often in our world because of how much we believe success fixes all. But we should discuss it, and showcase it, for it can wreak havoc on the minds of the successful and they too, need nurturing and guidance despite being at the top and that is why this week’s episode of Minx on STARZ is of note. Because ‘It’s okay to like it’ showcased imposter syndrome and its impact upon people and how hard it can be to shake and it accomplished this feat, by way of a red-letter day at the Bottom Dollar offices, for Rolling Stone had dropped by… to do a feature on the magazine.

Which Doug saw… as a prime opportunity to showcase what a brilliant publisher he was. To the point where he had Carl Sagan (yes, THE Carl Sagan), hang out around the offices to help reinforce his genius since he was launching, Beyond, the definitive Sci-Fi magazine, with Carl’s work. Yet while he was eager to have Carl talk to the folks from the Stone and felt quite proud of its structure, this was all designed to shake a nagging reality. In that, Doug was beginning to understand that being viewed as a genius publisher was an impossibility. For in reality, he was seen as the merch man in this office, as ‘Mug’ Renetti, and he didn’t want to be that, despite the success his merch line brought forth. But that was his role here, that was where he succeeded, and it took words from Constance to hammer that home and help the audience understand that sometimes… imposter syndrome pushes us away from what we are good at, because we cannot make peace with what we truly succeed at in this life.

That just so happened to be an aspect of this syndrome, few have ever discussed on television, but that tracks, since we’ve all known someone or been the person that tries to hide from what they’re really good at. But to really drive home the power of this problem, Joyce was the one who exhibited the more traditional iteration of it. Because she spent her day, avoiding the reporters from Rolling Stone, for some silly reasons. For she claimed her aversion to an interview related to worries about Rolling Stone using its power and reporting to make her and Minx look bad in the public eye. But as the day went on, it became clear that Joyce was hiding for deeper reasons, the kind that were revealed in an intimate moment with said reporter. Wherein he called her to the carpet on the fact, that she was worried about being seen as a fraud. As though this was all some stroke of luck, and she confirmed just that. Which was… the perfect way to showcase the power of imposter syndrome. Since that explains so much about Joyce’s behavior over the past two years and that adds incredible depth to her and makes her more relatable than ever.

Because of our own battles with imposter syndrome, and battles to come. For it touches all of us in some form or fashion and it is in fact, beatable. Since we came to learn here, that speaking to or being confronted of our worries helps greatly with this, as does acceptance and enjoying the ride and well… while those were some cerebral storylines, we’d be remiss to not point out that the show’s trademark humor and heart were present here as well. Courtesy of that whole Sagan storyline, and the other historical cameos here, such as Annie Liebowitz and Linda Ronstadt. Not to mention, Shelly and Lenny’s swinger party was as awkward as can be, but the decision Shelly made about coming back to Minx was quite the delight. In the end however… all of these elements brought forth another brilliant episode. One that really did tackle an important topic and it will be interesting to see if Joyce and Doug will take what they’ve learned to heart and rise to the occasion and enjoy this wild ride. Until next time.

Watch ‘Minx’

0 Comments