*A couple relationship spoilers.*
I liked this episode a lot. The client-of-the-week storyline reveals more to us about some of the main characters while also impacting the lives of others in an important way. The whole thing comes together well, and the last scene is a delight.
The whole school is buzzing, after someone sends everybody a picture of a vagina, with a warning that they’ll reveal whose it is in 24 hours. Maeve and Otis are hired by the girl in question to track down who sent the photo, and the time crunch puts them in a precarious position: Maeve, who’s now officially dating Jackson, is supposed to meet his parents that night, while Otis and Eric have an ongoing tradition for Eric’s birthday.
The story with the photo is really well done. No surprise that everyone is merciless in their insults, or that everyone immediately puts on their Vagina Detective hat to try and figure out who it is. It demonstrates how easily someone can be betrayed over a single photo shared with one person in good faith, and both Otis and the head teacher are quick to remind students that this isn’t just a “prank” or “getting back” at someone—it’s considered child pornography, and it’s illegal. Also, there’s a scene where Otis has to break out the D&D-speak to get a suspect to agree to questioning, which is a lot of fun.
The storyline has direct implications for our main characters too. Maeve has her own reasons for wanting to investigate. And because they have such limited time to work with, she pushes past Otis’s boundaries to keep him on the case, which becomes a growing issue between them. I don’t think Maeve is knowingly trying to take advantage of Otis—I think she’s mostly just assertive where he’s timid, and she doesn’t know that he likes her—but that’s how it can come across, especially to Otis.
This has additional ripple effects for Eric. Every year, he and Otis go to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch on his birthday, both in full Hedwig cosplay. Besides Eric feeling like Otis is ditching him for Maeve again, something he’s been worried about for a few episodes now, he’s also left on his own in drag, which isn’t necessarily a safe position for a Black gay teenage boy to be in.
First, it needs to be said that Ncuti Gatwa gives good Hedwig. He works that wig, and he looks good in those heels. It’s a bummer, though a sadly-realistic one, that his episode doesn’t turn into another entertaining Eric side advantage, because it would’ve been fun to see. But as it is, Gatwa handles the more dramatic material well, especially as things come to a head with Otis. Both boys are upset and wind up saying hurtful things to each other, but even beyond the immediate situation, I understand why Eric’s had it up to here with Otis, who gives off real Main-Character Syndrome energy during their argument.
Before I go, I want to make a quick note about Eric’s dad. This isn’t the first time he’s seen Eric wearing makeup or dresses, but while it’s clear he isn’t happy about it, the show doesn’t go full-on “homophobic immigrant dad” with it. In this episode, when his dad tries to stop him leaving the house in his Hedwig getup and Eric insists it’s fine, that lots of people do this for going to Hedwig and Otis will be in drag too, his dad just says, “Put a coat on. It’s not safe.” He has a hard time with Eric’s sexuality and gender expression, but he typically comes at it from a place of worrying how the world is going to treat Eric as a result. I appreciate that, and I’m interested in seeing more of Eric’s relationship with his dad.
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