Chucalissa, and The Pynk in particular, are places in transition.
That fact was made abundantly clear on P-Valley Season 2 Episode 8.
The Promised Land casino, Chucalissa, and The Pynk are so intertwined that the outcome of the first will help determine the fate of the last two locations.
So it was little wonder that the mudslinging began in the Chucalissa mayoral race, with Andre the primary victim of it.
Andre brought most of this exposure on himself. In addition to screwing around with ex-stripper-turned-strip-club owner Autumn, he lied about his father being dead instead of being on Death Row for murder.
Andre missed an opportunity there. Indeed, having overcome such a father through his relationship with a new father figure, the late Mayor Ruffin, made for a much better success story.
But Andre also was caught up in the feud between Corbin, his primary financial backer, and the interim mayor, Wayne Kyle. Since both feel that the casino would benefit Chucalissa, the Kyle brothers should work together, but there’s too much history.
Patrice also was a target of an attack ad by Wayne, but she freely admitted to her sordid past. She’s had to do so for years, so that didn’t faze her.
The Pynk is also bound to impact the race mainly because of its estranged owners.
The problem is that while Autumn juggles multiple plans, Uncle Clifford is too busy with personal issues to deal with The Pynk. It’s good that she has Big L to deal with the club’s many problems.
Understandably, Autumn is backing Andre for mayor, not only because of their illicit relationship but also because he’s likely the most pliable of the three candidates.
Give Autumn credit for interrupting Georgie’s hair appointment at the whites-only salon to push for a better deal for The Pynk. Georgie was wise enough to wait and see how the election shakes out before considering raising her bid.
It will be intriguing to see what inspired idea Autumn came up with to salvage Andre’s campaign.
But every time we see the venal side of Autumn, her well-meaning side comes out. Take, for example, her effort to rescue Keyshawn from her abusive relationship.
Autumn’s plan was genius: Have Keyshawn be the headliner at The Pynk’s reopening and give her all the admission money to use as her relocation fund. She was even arranging for passports for Keyshawn and her kids.
The mistake she made was not looping Clifford in on her grand plan. Clifford thought Autumn was lording over her again and stormed off.
After that vision from her mother, Clifford sought revenge by suggesting that Corbin buy off Patrice.
It doesn’t make sense to knock Patrice out of the race since she’s the only candidate who wants to scuttle the casino, who would ruin The Pynk’s sale value for Autumn. Shouldn’t Corbin be wondering why Clifford proposed the idea?
As Clifford’s breakdown at her mother’s gravesite indicated, Clifford’s problems were piling up.
Fortunately, despite Covid, Ernestine appeared to be hanging on at the hospital. But Clifford’s relationship with Murda still seemed tenser than expected after they reconnected on P-Valley Season 2 Episode 7.
Rather than being so secretive, Murda should have opened his mouth and explained to Clifford that he had to bury his longtime friend Big Teak.
Since they were never even a couple, what did their sexual experiences while separated even matter, as long as they were protected?
Woddy continued to care for Murda, even encouraging him to come out if that’s what he wanted to do. That Woddy was a philosopher when it came to life and death.
Big Teak had a good turnout at his funeral for someone just out of prison as the chains piled up on his casket out of respect.
However, Pico disrespected Teak in the stream he sent out, which was shown to Murda.
Murda’s gunning down Pico seemed out of character. Murda is a sensitive soul despite the macho fronting he does as a rapper.
Perhaps Murda felt that this was a way he could pay back a man who had been there for him all of his life, doing what he could to keep Teak’s reputation intact.
The question will be how becoming a killer will affect Murda. Mercedes admitted to Mane that she’s still dealing with killing Montavious, a man who undoubtedly deserved that.
Like Clifford, Mercedes finds herself at a crossroads. She hasn’t physically recovered enough to dance again, her students can’t afford dance team anymore, and she’s worn out her welcome in Memphis.
It was distressing to watch Mercedes return to The Pynk, her body betraying her like many other athletes who had hung around too long. She couldn’t even enjoy the return of Mane.
It was good to see Roulette and Whisper get some screen time. They started as a Greek chorus, fangirling over Keyshawn and denigrating Mercedes’s efforts.
Then Roulette talked Whisper into turning tricks, with Terrence as her first john.
When Terrence started to choke Whisper, Roulette showed him how she got that nickname, terrorizing him and taking his clothes and car. That girl, she be nuts.
To revisit Chucalissa politics, watch P-Valley online.
Are you Team Clifford or Team Autumn?
How will Pico’s killing affect Murda?
What will Mercedes do next?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
