‘P-Valley’ Recap: ‘The Dirty Dozen’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 of ‘P-Valley’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Normally, television shows that feature a slice of life, if you will, tend to have some kind of larger plot point looming over their season. Something that the characters will all have to work together to resolve, in an effort to give the story gravitas and to keep it from slipping into the mundane stuff that everyone doesn’t enjoy dealing with. But when a show features quality characters that the audience cares about, ones that are incredibly dynamic and intelligent and offer up a level of relatability that is irresistible, that particular show can do whatever it wants with those characters and keep the audience on the edge of their seats, and that is precisely why P-Valley on STARZ continues to be such a compelling and engaging show. 
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For its characters are incredibly well-fleshed out and human and dynamic and the importance of that is relevant to our discussion today… simply because those elements allowed for a slice of life episode to take place on Sunday. One that was devoid of any major plot progress but still was compelling and amazing. A feat that ‘The Dirty Dozen’ accomplished by having us spend a little time with Mercedes while she stepped away from The Pynk. So, we could see how she was going to make money while her shoulder healed, a move that ironically… allowed for us to get to know her and her past better, and why her relationship with her daughter is so frayed and that led to some powerful moments for certain, the kind that we simply could not look away from. 

Not to mention, this episode also focused heavily on Lil’ Murda and his Dirty Dozen tour. Allowing for a grand exploration on the power of dreams to take place, since we saw Murda in his element and enjoying himself like never before and oddly enough… being on stage and wowing crowds and enjoying adoring fans… helped him to understand how much he wanted to share this kind of wonder with someone he loved. Which in turn, helped him to outright admit, that he loved Uncle Clifford and constantly had Clifford on his mind and well… that was beautiful to watch take place since it means that Murda is finally being honest about who he is and it would seem that his love will be reciprocated when he's ready to let Clifford in, as evidenced by how every postcard he sent was on display in Clifford’s room.

Plus, this episode also stayed close to its roots, by giving us more insight as to how life in the club really is. Thanks to some quality time with the new girls and how they’re eager to do whatever they must to get those stacks of paper from the willing, and we were even privy to a little commentary on the world’s complicated relationship with religion right now. Since Pastor Patrice’s power play to move the town in a direction she sees fit was met with great and justified resistance. A move that speaks to how there are those out there right now, who believe that church should have a greater role in government, despite what the Constitution might say, and it will be quite interesting to see where this power struggle takes us in the weeks to come.

But what matters most is that this was indeed… a perfect slice of life tale. One that covered a lot of stuff that other shows would deem boring or mundane. But here, it was electric and powerful and somehow relatable since we too have pushed ourselves to great length to get money and eventually get in touch with who we are on a fundamental level, be it sexuality wise or morality wise, and of course… you can never go wrong with quality commentary on our world and that just makes this, a wonderful episode when all is said and done. One that once again reminds us that P-Valley is a genuinely special show, one that knows how to really reach us on a fundamental level and sadly, we are once again left counting down the minutes to this brilliant series, so we can once again be treated to bold stories that defy convention and strike a chord deep within. Until next time.

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