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Later down the line, he would fancy himself the besuited proprietor of a backgammon club.
Steve only became Mister Chippendales out of necessity when those more modest dreams didnt pan out.
If Chippendales failed, what would he have done next?
I have been emotionally steeling myself for something to go wrong since Otiss introduction.
Hes just too nice.
And the fact of a Black man stripping for a white audience was too easily dismissed.
Of course, by halfway through this series, I should have known better.
The only real enemy to anyone is Steve.
Steves defense is as depressing as you would predict.
But Steve implores him not to take the tremendous slight personally.
First of all, what happened to the bell-hop routine?
But you watch Otis shake it all off like a pro and plaster on a smile for the crowd.
But Otis growing antipathy is a comparatively minor problem for Steve.
His big issue is Nick, who is MIA.
Nick hasnt even called his roommate/collaborator/bestie Denise with proof of life.
On a scale from one to ten, Steve is so pissed he could kill him.
Which is a shame because Nick may have just found true love!
His old Broadway connex are a little too buttoned up for U.S.
Male, the dreadfully-named East Coast rival to Chippendales Nicks been describing to potential investors as Folies Bergere meetsPlaygirl.
I, personally, was moved by his vision.
Sadly, the money walked.
How could it possibly work between them?
Nick is mostly in the closet; Bradfords been out since hanabata days.
Nick thinks Someone is Waiting is Sondheims best; Brads more of a Being Alive guy.
It cant possibly work between these polar opposites!
Can it????
CUT TO: Hotel sex and bonding over post-coital cigarettes.
Nick even confesses that his ex-wife is CoverGirl star Jennifer ONeill.
Male concept in favor of opening an east coast franchise that capitalizes on the name recognition theyve already built.
Whats more, Brad also happens to be very rich.
How do I know that?
Because he says so.
How is he so rich?
The characters declaration of his own wealth is so nakedly expositional its almost refreshing.
The second is that Steve has already decided to branch out in a more familiar direction.
See, the demand for Chippys calendars is bananas.
He needs more calendars, and he needs them before the New Years Eve ball drops.
The calendar business is reliable, but it is cyclical.
Nobody needs to know the date in February.
Of course, Steve bought the printing press.
Steve was always going to end up in the family business.
Still, Steve is feeling pretty powerful.
The offer is still money, to be clear, but at least Nicks is paired with a threat.
He cant work with Steve, but he cant bring himself to forfeit what theyve built.
For Otis, who Nick invites to come out to NYC, distance is not enough.
I bet if hed pitched the idea to Steve, he might have been into it.
In fact, maybe a few of the club favorites could each have their own dedicated calendars.
Steve has many flaws, but hes proven hes open to outside ideas.
Steve doesnt fire Otis over the disloyalty, but its the last straw in Otis disenchantment.
This should be a learning moment for Steve, but its already clear that Steve doesnt learn.
When Otis originally confronted him about the calendars, for example, Steve doubled down.
Now he makes whites-only calendars and owns the means of production to make them.
By the end of the episode, Chippendales is issuing membership cards.
Ray is almost tearful when he apologizes for his role in Otis big deception.
He doesnt want to be Steves employee; hes the Godfathers willing soldier.
When he literally kneeled to kiss the ring, I gasped.
Steves lie to Irene isnt as big as the one Michael told Kay, but the echo is unmistakable.
Some men cant be saved.
