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After last week’s very heavy Pray Tell episode — and he was entirely absent this week — the latest episode lightened things up … to a point … reminding us a bit of the good old days when Mother Elektra would plan museum heists to obtain spectacular costumes for the night’s ball (and because of filming during a pandemic, these last two episodes haven’t even featured the ballroom). Now Elektra is a business mogul, a hugely successful owner of a phone sex operation with an 81% customer retention rate. The world is finally Elektra’s oyster, and her new position in life seems to also have given her a new attitude — thinking of others (her children) while keeping herself comfortable in the grandest of New York City apartments.
But there’s always more to be had as she learns while having lunch with her ‘friend’ Ms. Orlando, who seems to have come up in the world from where we last saw her, giving illegal augmentation injections. But how did she come about her newfound wealth? The mob, of course. And Elektra wastes no time in showing her interest, meeting with two ‘goodfellas’ and barely batting an eye when she understands that to make money, she needs to launder money for them. Drug money. But they strike a deal and before you know it, ‘Star 69’ is operating in more cities across the country and raking in the dough. This arrangement is benefiting both parties, and Elektra is more than happy to give her children whatever it is they desire.
For Blanca, it’s new furniture. For Lulu … a trip to rehab, which Lulu is not keen on, assuring Mother that she’s clean but admitting Candy’s death took a toll on her (as it did to all of us). And she’s got a new man which convinces Elektra that the pipe has seriously damaged Lulu’s brain. Before things got more heated, Blanca cooled things down and Elektra asked Angel what she wanted. She said she didn’t need anything and announced that she and Papi were going to get married in a small ceremony at the courthouse. Elektra would have none of that because Angel deserves the wedding of her dreams. More than that, her wedding is symbolic to their community and all of the girls should be able to witness it and know that it can happen for them too.
Selling Papi on the idea may be a bit tough on his pride. He even goes to Elektra’s office to tell her he is not okay with her handout because it makes him look like less of a man, and it completely undermines their own plans of just having a small, intimate ceremony with Blanca as a witness. Elektra tells him the same thing she told Angel, about how important the symbolism of their wedding is for their community. Papi’s afraid the wedding will no longer be about them, but Elektra assures him it is still their day but what they are doing is so important. He finally gets it and agrees to let her pay for everything.
Elektra is sparing no expense, booking the finest hotel for the wedding, hosting a fabulous bachelorette dinner for all the girls, and taking Angel, Blanca and Lulu shopping for a wedding dress. They all join in on the fun in a wedding dress montage. But when Angel finds ‘the one’, the store’s owner clocks them immediately and refuses to sell the dress to ‘their kind’. Elektra tries to tell him that he doesn’t have to like them, all he has to do is take her money, but he said he wouldn’t even take gold bars from her. Hell hath no fury like Elektra scorned and she reads him just as hard as she did the snooty women at the restaurant on Long Island. And she also left him with a threat to watch his back. And she wastes no time contacting her mob friends and explaining the situation, asking for the favor of robbing the store, but not just for the one dress … all the dresses. They carry out the job and at the bachelorette dinner, every woman there got to pick out her own wedding dress. It was like the sale at Filene’s Basement.
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But while Angel is enjoying all the pampering Elektra’s money can buy — she bought out a spa for the day for Angel, Blanca, Lulu and herself — Papi gets a visit from an old friend, the sister of a girl he used to date. And it’s not just a social visit, she has news that her sister has died because of her addiction. Papi feels bad because he was the one who was able to keep her grounded, but even her sister said it wouldn’t have changed anything because she didn’t want to be saved.
But she did leave something behind — a five-year-old son, Esteban Jr. (I believe this is the first time we’ve learned Papi’s real name), who Papi didn’t know existed but he wants to meet the boy who is living with his aunt. Papi sits down with Esteban and tells him they have the same name and asks if he can help him put his LEGO toy together. The boy says he isn’t supposed to talk to strangers but he’ll let him since he’s friends with his aunt. Papi hugs the boy and starts sobbing.
After enjoying her day of pampering and partying, Angel comes home and Papi gives her the ‘we need to talk’ line that immediately makes her think he’s gotten cold feet. He tells her about his ex-girlfriend and then reveals he has a son. And he wants the boy to live with them. This is a bit much to pile on his fiancée right before their wedding, and while she’s still dealing with her own sobriety. She is nowhere near the right mindset to be a mother to some other woman’s child. Papi reminded Angel that he’s stuck by her side through thick and thin and now he needs her to do the same for him, but she can’t. She leaves the apartment, with Papi on his knees sobbing.
Will Angel be able to support Papi? With only two episodes left, perhaps the series will end with the wedding of the century!
What did you think of this episode? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
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