‘Praise Petey’ Recap: ‘Taxi to the South!’ & ‘Unemployment Crisis’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Annie Murphy as Petey St. Barts in Episode 101 of ‘Praise Petey’ – ‘Taxi to the South!’ (Photo Courtesy of Freeform.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Series Premiere of ‘Praise Petey’. 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.
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Something that each and every one of us secretly fear… is coming to learn that someone we love deeply, was lying to us about their life and their actions, shortly after they’ve passed. For death means there is no confrontation we can indulge in, no chance for apologies. Just the cold hard truth that they were not who we thought they were, and there will undoubtedly emotional consequences and beyond for making this discovery. Thankfully though, this fear rarely comes to light since the people we love are often honest with us. But the ‘what if?’ portion of our brains… cannot help but ponder upon that possibility and that is why, fiction tends to explore this. In a somber manner, no less.
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For such discoveries have to be devastating and likely afford a life changing experience. So, keeping it serious and keeping it grounded is seemingly the only way to explore those possibilities and what our lives might become with the truth now in front of us. But that does beg an interesting question. In that, if such a discovery were made… would there be anything positive to glean from it? Well, it just so happens, that a brand-new television series on Freeform is looking to explore if that outcome is a possibility and that makes, Praise Petey, quite the fascinating watch. Simply because… it offers up quite the theory as to how we could in fact spin such a discovery into a positive and make something special out of darkness.

A feat that ‘Taxi to the South!’ and ‘Unemployment Crisis’ accomplishes, by introducing us to a plucky and joyous IT girl named Petey St. Barts. Who is happy in New York City, and rightfully so. After all, her boyfriend is just the best. Sure, he’s plank of wood, but he’s solid and reliable and a great listener. Plus, she has the best job in the world. Yeah, it’s entry level and she is essentially a line level employee that no one cares about, but she’s in a field she loves. Not to mention, she has the best, Best Friend for Life that anyone could ask for. Never mind the fact that she is totally sleeping with her man. Okay, actually, Petey does mind that… because that breaks her, as does losing that job and this collapse leaves her wondering in these tales what she should do and that’s when quite the surprise arrives. In that, she learns that her now late father, left her an entire town for her to run, a move that should give her purpose and direction.

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John Cho and Annie Murphy as Bandit and Petey St. Barts in Episode 102 of ‘Praise Petey’ – ‘Unemployment Crisis’. (Photo Courtesy of Freeform.)

So, she heads down to her new Utopia, only to learn… dad had a lot of secrets. Such as the fact that the town he cherished was in essence, under his rule, and happy to follow his orders because uh… well… everyone in the whole damn town belongs to a cult. One that her dear father started, and they hope she will now lead in his absence, and that’s where the story works… to explore how one could make the most of a wild discovery in death. Because let’s be honest, that’s a lot to unpack. Enough to break someone, but the story theorizes that if by chance… we wanted to be more in life and such an event landed in our laps during that quest, we could try to make such a situation something worthwhile. All by trying to guide misguided people to something more and a life where they can find fulfillment without praising Petey and her mere standing as the Leader’s daughter. 
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Of course… there are no guarantees that this theory will pan out. That’s for an entire season of storytelling to decide. But that is a refreshing twist on such a concept, one that also offers up some fascinating satire on our modern world and our love of stories that feature the trope where a big city girl must adjust to country life, courtesy of some brilliant comedic elements. Such as Petey’s manservant, who is there to warm her feet on a moment’s notice since that is the comfort a leader deserves, or the fact that the trappings of city life don’t exist in this town. To the point where brewing an oat-milk latte is nothing short of an all-day job. One where the end result is not worth the effort. Oh, and the fact that everyone here really is brainwashed by the teachings of her father… and unable to function without someone barking orders their way, and when their way of life is interrupted, chaos ensues. 

Which means that Petey has her work cut out for her and well… that’s a great way to invest an audience in this particular tale. Because we want to see if Petey can in fact, pull off the impossible and improve the lives of the people in this town, and rise above the shadow of her father and find purpose. Plus, we want to see what wild jokes await us next. Because those examples are merely scratching the surface of the jokes in this tale. And there are many, because this is indeed at its heart, a comedy through and through, one that features an all-star cast that delivers incredible work from beginning to end, and it really does want to put a smile on our faces as it offers commentary and send ups, and well… in the end this is a great series premiere. Because it perfectly sets up a magnificent season of storytelling, one that will indeed take us on a hilarious and fascinating ride as Petey does her best, to make things right in a town where everything has gone wrong. Until next time.

To learn more about Petey’s Dad and the joy it brought Stephen Root to play him, check out our interview with Stephen, right here.  

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