The Book of Rannells: Black Monday: Season 2, Episode 7 – “Who Are You Supposed to Be?” (2020)

(Note: I couldn't find any stills of Andrew Rannells in this episode, so it looks like we're getting a GIF!)

Black Monday is back! I’ve been missing this show and am so glad to see it return. This episode kicks things off again with a Halloween episode, which is great to see any time of year.

Blair has his “next big idea” for the firm, the promise of a big payday based on shadiness and insider trading. As everyone at the firm comes together for the office Halloween party, along with a few extra wildcard elements, Mo schemes to get things to blow up in Blair’s face without catching Dawn in the crossfire.

First of all, Halloween episodes are always fun. I never fail to enjoy seeing characters’ costume picks, and there are some great, ‘80s-tastic choices here. We’ve got dueling Coming to America costumes, we’ve got Jessica Rabbit, we’ve got George Michael, we’ve got Risky Business – the hits just keep on coming. Just from a plot standpoint, my favorite is Keith as Audrey II, both because he eavesdrops by pretending to be an office plant and because someone pees on him thinking he’s an office plant. The party atmosphere also features a delightful dance battle and Tiff getting sloppy with Roger’s uptight wife Corky. Oh, and Mo describing Keith as a “bald-headed, roller-skating, coke-addled motherfucker,” which makes me laugh.

And of course, illegal activity and Wall Street shenanigans. As usual, things get complicated here, with multiple parties trying to screw over other parties and some unexpected reveals. The relationships involved further complicate things – Blair stole his trading intel from Roger, who’s oblivious of the crime Blair is planning to commit later that night (and then use the windfall to help finance Roger’s reelection campaign, natch,) and Mo is caught between his urge to destroy Blair and his desire to shield Dawn from any fallout.

Andrew Rannells – and Blair – are both clearly feeling Blair’s George Michael costume, which is fun. For all that he’s been playing up both the hero-of-Wall-Street public persona and criminal-mastermind posturing this season, it’s good to keep getting scenes where we’re reminded that he’s a lot less slick than he thinks he is. And in true Black Monday fashion, we’re treated to a great scene where his foolproof plan starts to unravel and he frantically tries to salvage it while not letting on to Roger what he’s doing.

Speaking of Roger, I continue to really enjoy these two together. Rannells plays off Tuc Watkins to perfection, both romantically and comedically. Here, I especially like the roller coaster Blair goes on as he realizes how confusing it can be to mix business with pleasure, as well as a scene of Roger showing-off the hilariously-‘80s commercial he shot with campaign funds he got from Blair – Blair’s reaction shots are everything.