If we had to summarize the theme of this week's episode of
Magic City, it might be "the baggage of our past often impedes our ability to
live in the present." Or "even if the State Senator claims to be into European
girls, give him a few Scotches and he'll be all over Miss Venezuela." Either way.
The Miss 1959 pageant that Ike fought
so hard for last week is in full swing at the Miramar Hotel, and maybe everyone
could enjoy it if former paramours would stop screwing everything up and/or
people involved in missing persons cases stopped winding up dead.
But hey, that's
Miami Beach for you.
Ike, as usual, is spinning multiple plates. First, he's
trying to convince a state senator to support a gambling referendum, but the
supposedly moral politician will have nothing of it. He prods Ike, telling him
that "you people are always after more money," and we don't need a master class
in anti-Semitism to tell us that "you people" isn't referring to Ike being a
hotel mogul. It's referring to Ike being a Jew. To compound matters for Ike,
Vera calls him in hysterics. Someone cancelled lunch!
Getting ditched at mealtime may not seem that terrible in
comparison to, oh, your husband being presumably dead or trying to get your
family out of Cuba or your lover's husband being a psychopath or literally
every problem of every other character on this show. But kudos for developing Vera's
character, which in the first two episodes had merely been "new wife who takes
a surprisingly long time to read the book Exodus." (It's not the hardest book
to grasp. Spoiler: The Jews go on an exodus). But turns out an old flame of
Vera's is directing the pageant for NBC. Sounds like an excellent networking
opportunity!
Speaking of networking, the older blonde lady Ike was
chatting up last week is his dead wife's sister, and Ike wants to discuss business. But when they get together, you get the vibe it ought to be pleasure. Sexual pleasure. Ike wants
her to buy out the Butcher's hotel shares. Good for Ike! Muscling out the dude
who's a bit trigger happy certainly won't have any negative ramifications and
we're sure becoming business partners with a woman your wife clearly finds threatening will be healthy for your marriage.
In this week's scenes with the Butcher, he hints to his wife that he knows
she's screwing around on him. He also implies that he will drown her if she
continues. Hey, we don't remember that being one of Think Like A Man's tips for
a healthier relationship. The wife is so shaken up at this threat that she
immediately goes and sleeps with Stevie, who has to go talk to the Butcher at
his poker game, which is awkward. At the very least the butcher could have
asked him to play a hand.
After a long evening on the dance floor Vera's old partner
tries to get her to come with him to New York, where he would cast her in a new
show on NBC. You can tell that this is a period piece, because the characters
treat getting to be on NBC as something respectable. Nowadays, the dude would
probably offer her the chance to be on a reality show with LMFAO. Vera
declines, sacrificing her dreams to stay with Ike. Oh, also Ike's father goes
to the hospital after fainting but it's no big deal because it's never
mentioned again. Where's Ike's daughter, too? Did she get to go on vacation
after her Bat Mitzvah? We're pulling for Disneyland.
If all this seems like a lot to handle for Ike, don't worry,
everything is going great with the missing person's investigation. Except that
a dead body just floated to the surface of the water. And the guy's wife wants
a job at the Miramar. And the gay kid who's supposed to testify decides to kill
himself as opposed to talking to the jury or getting outed. But hey, the beauty
pageant goes great and one lucky girl will have her dreams come true!
Also Ike
eats a pastry! What's significant about the pastry? Is it sweet on the outside
but surprisingly tart on the inside, thus serving as a metaphor for the hotel
and the city at large? Hopefully, this will be answered next week, right after we
learn all about Ike's daughter's vacation.
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