‘Praise Petey’ Recap: ‘We Need $30’ & ‘Father’s Knee’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Annie Murphy as Petey St. Barts in Episode 104 of ‘Praise Petey’ – ‘Father’s Knee’. (Photo Courtesy of Freeform.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 103 & 104 of ‘Praise Petey’. To revisit the Series 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.
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When we last settled in to discuss the hilarious new Freeform series, Praise Petey, our hero and hope for a better tomorrow was facing quite the powerful conundrum. In that, Petey’s dad left her with nothing but an utter mess in the utopia he once ran as its leader. For the people in this town believed in nothing but the leader and were so deeply entrenched in his teachings and his desires that they had no future or purpose. Which Petey of course, believed she could change and well… the question that remained in our minds at the end of the first two episodes was… could she? After all, she made a lot of compromises to keep the status quo going for a short time and that spoke to a town that was potentially too far gone.
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But the next two episodes in this wondrous show made it clear… that it might be possible for Petey to save the day and save the good people of this town. It will just take a lot of work and a lot of shattering of old nonsense to make it happen, as evidenced by what she faced and fixed in ‘We Need $30’ and ‘Father’s Knee’. In fact, the task ahead of her is so great and so powerful, that for quite some time in these stories it seemed as though the positive direction we spoke of, simply wouldn’t be possible here. In part because Petey came to learn that the town was in fact, broke in every sense of the word. For financially, its income was created by having new recruits just hand over money and morally, it was a mess since the town’s magazine was nothing more than a front to spy upon people.

Which pushed her to see if by chance she could make the magazine worthwhile and if there was a way to jump-start and create an economy. Since the Comet Bucks used as currency were a joke outside of the city walls and truly… Petey struggled to find a solution. Because her best efforts to make money for the town, just to get thirty bucks for medical supplies, were rousing failures, further complicated by her being cut off by her mother. And the magazine was deeply close to its gross immoral ties, to the point where Petey even pondered upon using its evil powers to advance her own causes with Bandit. Simply because everything she needed to offer up scandalous piece about him was there. Leaving her beside herself and unsure of how to make this town better.

But… she eventually figured it all out. Because she came to learn that all the money in this place, went to her father and his so-called elder friends. Who lived in posh mansions while others suffered, and if she decreed those houses and their materials to be put up for sale, the town could finally fund itself. So, she did, saving a nice pharmacist from losing his life savings. And of course… she knew better as a journalist than to let a dirty rag remain dirty. So, she stood up for journalistic integrity and wrote a great piece about herself and her hopes and dreams for the town. Giving this place the baby steps, it so desperately needed to thrive and start moving in the right direction. Which was wonderful to see take place and truly gave Petey and the audience hope for a better tomorrow for this town, which it… desperately needs.

But of course, while it was wonderful to see Petey make progress and move this town in the right direction, make no mistake about it, challenges remain. For the people are still broken, and bad vibes still surround the town. Not to mention, dear old mum is hiding secrets about her baby, and that’s a huge deal. For now, however, this town is on the right path for a change and while we wait to see what steps await Petey next to save its collective soul, we can celebrate, one delightful set of stories. The kind that of course, featured amazing one-liners and off kilter moments that made us laugh out loud, while also showcasing the best aspects of humanity. Through Petey’s kindness and desire to do what’s right above all, and truly… if she can keep on that path and keep handling the setbacks as she did here… she may just get her wish and save this godforsaken town from the desolation her father laid down as its foundation. Until next time.

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