In the previous episode of HBO’s The Deuce, production on Red Hot wrapped, and Bobby put his son Joey to work in the massage parlor. The Deuce season 2 episode 7 picked up where they left off, with Eileen and Harvey getting more funding and Bobby dealing with his son.
Cinematic Subtext
Harvey set up a meeting with investors on the distribution end, including Marty Hodas, with whom Rudy has been butting heads. Eileen would be there for the screening, though they weren’t used to having a woman present. She pitched them the appeal of the movie to a broader audience, and they eventually bought into the idea. However, they asked her to leave the room as they made the deal.
Eileen had another problem, though. Harvey reminded her that she would be front and center since part of the appeal was that a woman directed it. Eileen worried about her son finding out, and Harvey advised her to get ahead of it. While she skirted around the porn part of it, she showed her son where she worked.
Room Four
Joey cleaned the massage parlor, but the girls clearly distracted him. He liked one in particular, Rachel. He paid to sleep with her, and Bobby broke it up. One day, Joey was nowhere to be seen. He had told the woman at the bar that Bobby had asked him to run an errand. Rachel was gone too, so Bobby went to her apartment. They had suitcases with them and they were going to run away together. When Bobby pointed out their situation, she went back inside her apartment, and Joey was heartbroken.
No Pension
Flanagan and Alston had a bowling night with their wives. But Alston knew that Flanagan had a girlfriend, Anita, one of the prostitutes at Bobby’s massage parlor. In Flanagan’s car, Anita wanted to end it since he would never leave his wife for her. He wouldn’t let her leave, and in a struggle, he killed her and dumped her body in the river. Alston was the homicide detective on the case, and he recognized her and Flanagan’s watch still in her hand. He kept the watch, but lied to Flanagan to get him to turn himself in. Flanagan wrote a suicide note and shot himself in his car. The police paid Bobby to keep quiet about Anita and Flanagan after ruling her death an accident.
Getaway
Vincent wanted out, but Rudy wouldn’t let him quit the parlors and peep shows. He rented a car to get away for a bit and ended up in Vermont. He was at a bar and got to talking with the bartender who was short-staffed. Vincent helped him out behind the bar, and the man offered to have him stay at his house before driving back to New York.
After seeing the idyllic life in Vermont, Vincent went home and talked about it with Abby. She reminded him that she was from Connecticut and didn’t want that life. Though they have an open relationship, Vincent realized that Abby had slept with Dave. Abby consoled him, saying that she got jealous at times too. Rudy and Tommy came by the club with a surprise for Vincent: a brand-new Cadillac. They took it to get dinner, but they were followed. Someone opened fire on them and drove off. They were aiming for Vincent.
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