THE PLAYBOY CLUB has improved every week. But it’s a dog eat Bunny world out there, kids, and it looks like Peacock won’t be serving Bunny much longer, as We Love Soaps just reported, NBC has pulled the show from its schedule. While this primetime sudser was luxuriating in its soapiness, the viewers didn't seem to be there to witness it, and it seems like this Bunny is now as cooked as the one in FATAL ATTRACTION. If you weren't watching, here's what you missed last night. First, the gorgeous Laura Benanti’s PLAYBOY CLUB alter ego, Bunny Mother Carol-Lynn, did a stupid thing last night. She hired an undercover reporter to be a Bunny at the club. I hate to say that David Krumholtz’s club manager character Billy Rosen told you so, Carol-Lynn, but David Krumholtz’s club manager character Billy Rosen told you so.
So Carol-Lynn hires Bunny Doris (guest star Carrie Coon) and we know right away she is one Bad Bunny. My instant thought was that THE PLAYBOY CLUB was going to reference feminist Gloria Steinem’s famous undercover stint as a Playboy Bunny, but the storyline didn’t quite take the feminist angle. Doris was there looking for scandal though… and from the last two weeks, we know that she has come to the right place!
Speaking of scandal, mob heir-apparent John Bianchi (Troy Garity), is anxious to speak with Bunny Maureen (Amber Heard) who was the last person to see his mob boss father alive. Clever John! You are on the right path because she killed him! Nick (Eddie Cibrian) warns Maureen not to talk to John, but Maureen seems to think it will be a good idea to keep her enemy closer.
For a show that should be celebrating women’s lib (no matter what the aforementioned Ms. Steinem thinks) here we already have Carol-Lynn being fooled by Doris, who Billy did not trust, and Maureen being tricked by John, who Nick warns her against. The women are strong, but maybe not always as smart as they should be. I’ll say “yet” in hopes for the future.
Sean (Sean Maher) is now running Nick’s campaign for state’s attorney. He sets Nick up with Frances Dunhill (Cassidy Freeman), a wealthy socialite, in a political relationship purely for appearances. Apparently, JFK and Jackie have set the tone and now every politician needs an immaculate woman on his arm… and according to Sean, Nick’s Bunny Mother girlfriend will not do the trick. Being closeted and married to a lesbian Playboy Bunny, Sean knows a thing or two about keeping up appearances. Carol-Lynn obviously wasn’t pleased by this, but she held her head up high and went to dinner with the man Nick’s running against (Joel Gretsch, so nice to see you, but you reminded me I miss V!).
Meanwhile, Sean's lesbian wife Bunny Alice (Leah Renee Cudmore) opens her damn mouth to Undercover Bunny Doris and tells her that Nick is still dating Carol-Lynn and dancing the Watusi with Frances purely for show. So we’re up to three women fooled so far in the episode. Dang, PLAYBOY CLUB!
Back at the mansion, the girls dance to the locomotion in their bras. Alright so this scene was probably just cheesy and unnecessary but I went with it. I told the cynical grumbler inside of me to shut up for a minute. Who wouldn’t want to do the locomotion with a bunch of their best girlfriends in their bras in the 60’s? At the Playboy mansion? Shut your mouth, you’d love it! If there has to be a cheesy, extraneous scene in an episode, this is the one to have.
There’s a great start of a scene, where John corners Maureen in the stock room where she killed his father. The irony of the location is not lost on us. But Maureen should have seized the moment and stuck her other stiletto in the younger Bianchi’s throat so she could be done with his madness. Ultimately, this scene goes nowhere, presumably because the writers weren’t ready for us to see the Maureen/John showdown yet.
Finally, Carol-Lynn learns that Doris is with the Daily News, but it's too late. Virtually every Bunny confesses to talking to her. D’oh! Doris prints a story about a bunny committing murder. She's supposedly going to reveal who tomorrow. Nick goes to see Doris and Doris shows him proof that one of the bunnies is a murderer. When Maureen notices she’s not the only Bunny with her Bunny-Undies in a twist, Janie (Jenna Dewan-Tatum) admits to her that she and her husband robbed a joint and hit and killed and old man while driving away. Ever the hero, Nick keeps it out of the paper, convincing the editor it was a sensationalized accident and it would be libel for the Daily News to label it as murder.
Carol-Lynn sings why “The Lady Is A Tramp” and when Nick asks "who's the tramp?" she says "I can name at least three." They’re so talented and good looking together!
Just when I needed some gayness to enter the episode, THE PLAYBOY CLUB did not disappoint me. It brought us a meeting of the early underground gay society, The Mattachine Society. And Nick’s political beard, Frances, is there! Now we know why she’s so happy to carry on a fake relationship with Nick! And a lesbian connection is born between Frances and Alice! This is red head on red head relationship I can get down with. It’s exciting, it’s titillating, it’s underground and unexpected and counterculture and everything that should be in show called THE PLAYBOY CLUB!
Then they ruin the moment by ending the episode with Dumb Bunny Maureen getting into a damn car with John Bianchi. I guess that sets us up for finally seeing Maureen having to answer to John about his father’s disappearance next week, but will there be a next week? Word is out that THE PLAYBOY CLUB was axed by NBC. Such a shame for a series that is seriously getting better every week! Yes, it’s taken some time to lay a little ground work, but three weeks in it looks like it was ready to go full steam ahead for the rest of the season. I guess viewers aren't willing to give a new show that long to start up. I for one hope that we can see the rest of the season! Somehow, somewhere, some way I must see the sparks fly between Frances and Alice!
Greg Turner contributes primetime reviews for We Love Soaps. Along with Brian Hewson, Greg is the creator, writer, and producer of the web soap, EMPIRE, which can be found at www.empiretheseries.com. Greg loves soaps.
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