‘Minx’ Recap: ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Sexiness’

8/12/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Ophelia Lovibond as Joyce Prigger in Episode 204 of ‘Minx’ – ‘Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sexiness’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 204 of ‘Minx’. To revisit the previous episode, 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.

If there is one thing that people seek out often in this world, it is great leaders. Because great leaders bring out the best in people and inspire them to do more and be more, and to perhaps chase their own dream so they too can one day be at the top. But what’s fascinating about how we view great leaders, is that we only see them for who they are at the end of their journey. Where they are the person, we admire and aspire to be more like and that unfortunately, leads us to believe that great leaders are born and forged in a manner that is almost mystical. When in reality, that isn’t the case at all. For great leaders are oft forged in failure and through mistakes. The kind that they learn from because that is how greatness is achieved.

If anything, the real process as to what forges a great leader is top of mind today, because it would seem that is what a great deal of season two of the STARZ series, Minx, is going to focus upon. For ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Sexiness’ took the time to catch us up with Joyce and the team down the line, and in the thick of publication. Wherein the typewriters were rolling, and Doug was scheming and even Shelley was back at work, bringing erotic magic to life through her sexually charged pseudo diary stories. And while everyone was working hard to bring together a great magazine, Joyce found herself being pulled about everywhere really. For the musician she met at the party in last week’s episode, made his feelings clear and plunged her into a torrid love affair and when she wasn’t at his hotel enjoying his company in bed, she was trying her best to balance life at work.

Such as keeping Richie creatively satisfied, since for some reason his ideas just weren’t vibing with what she thought the magazine should be doing. Which brought about conflict between the two of them for the first time ever and Doug… well… he was still trying to battle his Imposter Syndrome, by doing outside of the box thinking with the brand. Such as setting up a grandiose Minx themed show entitled Club Minx. Which revolved around empowerment for women and championed the sexual revolution and the sexual appetites of women. All of which was designed to support and grow the brand and yet, Joyce wasn’t having it. Which surprised Doug too since he expected there to be creative support from Joyce and well… her constant stonewalling of well, everyone… was a symptom of something deeper, of mistakes to come really.

In that, this is Joyce’s first go round as the leader of something this special, and while she does indeed belong and is the right person to lead the magazine to glory… she’s still a novice, a rookie, if you will. Which means… she is going to make a bevy of mistakes, in fact, she already has. After all, she suddenly is turning off the creative spigot for everyone else and offering only her vision and that… isn’t how this magazine used to operate. For not that long ago she was all about inclusion of ideas and freedom and well, that is going to lead to tough days ahead. The kind that will humble her when she hurts others and pisses them off with her push to be the supreme leader, and hopefully… she will learn from the mistakes made here, and the mistakes that lie ahead. Because that is what will forge her into a great leader, one that people admire through and through.

In the end however, this was simply, a brilliant tale. Simply it explored something we don’t discuss all that often when it comes to leadership and it did so, in a thorough and powerful and relatable manner. Since we saw the direct impact of this upon Doug and Richie, and how it made them feel and how it pushed them into negative territory, and we’ve been there, plain, and simple. But of course, ugly lessons aside, this was still a lighthearted tale, one that featured the right balance of laughs and more amazing moments with Bambi, who always steals a scene when given the chance. And now that we’ve reached the end of this opening chapter of a difficult story for Joyce, it will be interesting to see how long it takes for her to learn what great leadership looks like, and whether or not there will be great damage left in the wake of her learning experience. Until next time.

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