Back in LA, Steve is berated by Irene and his lawyer Cheryl for missing his deposition. 13 people are now suing him for racial discrimination, and Irene has run the numbers. If they don’t win the case, they won’t have enough funds to keep the club open. Steve tries to put the case from his mind and proceed with business as usual. When he signs off on calendar proofs at the print shop, he decides at the last minute to print 200,000 more calendars than he originally planned. Nick comes to LA to see Steve and pitch the international tour idea to him. Without the presence of his lawyer, Steve agrees to sign a contract Nick writes up on a napkin, then and there. Steve gifts Irene with a necklace and assures her they can afford it. He tells her about his move to increase calendars and to start a touring company. He apologizes to her for having done some bad things. She doesn’t respond, except to tell him she’s going to take the necklace back. Irene does take it back herself. But the jewelry store clerk convinces her to be the woman her husband believes her to be–the woman who would wear such a beautiful necklace. Irene decides to keep the necklace, and later surprises Steve in his office in the necklace and lingerie. She tells Steve she doesn’t mind that he does shady things–but he shouldn’t do them badly. They spend a night together snorting cocaine, while Irene insists to Steve that there will be no more secrets and lies. They go forward with the discrimination suit. On the witness stand, Steve insists he’s never heard of a VIP card or membership at Chippendales. Those suing Steve then accuse him of not letting them into the club. And finally, Steve’s own bouncer testifies against him. When Steve loses the case, Cheryl’s advice is for him to declare bankruptcy. But Steve refuses, deciding to at least wait until the calendar is out. Steve receives his first check for the Chippendales tour. It’s a lot of money, but Irene still worries it won’t be enough. The calendars also come in, but in the rush, they printed with 31 days in every month. He tries to stop the presses, but they have already printed all of them. Steve didn’t follow his dad’s number one rule of printing: always double check the proofs. So he decides it’s time to file for bankruptcy. Steve later opens up his next check from the tour. It’s even bigger than the last one, but he has reservations, so he sends Ray to investigate. Ray finds the tour is bigger than expected, and he thinks Nick is cheating him. Steve then confesses to Irene he didn’t have Cheryl handle his contract with Nick. When he shows Cheryl the contract, she explains he signed over touring rights to Nick forever. Steve’s mother calls him to berate him for running a criminal male stripping club. He admits it’s shameful what he’s done. He’s relieved his father didn’t have to witness his failure. His mother agrees that’s what he is–a failure. When Steve puts down the phone, he’s unable to hold back tears.
The Episode Review
For a show that boasts drama and mystery, Welcome to Chippendales is having trouble keeping up the suspense. Slower and more tedious with each episode, it seems content to rehash old points of contention. We already understand the conflict between Steve and Irene; Steve and Nick; Steve and his mother. It’s time for something new. Additionally, I would have liked more focus to be placed on those suing Steve. Chippendales’ history is their story, and a shift in perspective could have been just what the series needed to spice up its repetitive plot points. I was equally hoping for this to be an opportunity for Otis to return. Will he be involved at all in Nick’s tour, or have writers left him in the dust? While this episode doesn’t add much that’s new, it does tease more conflict regarding an explosive tour, bankruptcy, and bad publicity for Chippendales. Things are not looking up for Steve and his dreams.
