'P-Valley' Episode 3 Review: Uncle Clifford gets his tea from Autumn and upsets Andre's gentrification deal
The stakes are raised in this episode as Autumn under pressure from Uncle Clifford betrays Andre. It is interesting to see Autumn's evolution on the show as she deals with both her PTSD as well as her new life as a stripper.
Again, we see flashbacks of her fleeing with her child from a domestic abuse situation. We also see her covered in blood -- which might mean that she accidentally killed her husband. Since Autumn no longer has her child with her and she hasn't made an attempt to find her either, chances are that her child died when the floods hit the car they were escaping in. This might explain her pain and why she is hiding under a false ID.
Coming from a middle-class background, adjusting to her life as a stripper is another hurdle. Her face falls when Gidget kits her out with a blond wig and tells her "every stripper has to have a look". In the club, she drinks copiously and smokes up with her customers. In her inebriated state, she crashes onto the stage during a beautifully choreographed number by Pynk's "Trinity" -- Mercedes, Miss Mississippi, and Gidget. She is promptly told off by Mercedes for being a "sloppy, drunk b**tch".
The girls see her as trouble and as Andre Watkins finds out, she can be. But the blame, technically, can be placed at Uncle Clifford's door, who has been an anxious cat ever since she found out about the casino. First, she pumps Corbin for information, using a combination of flattery, gentle bullying, and reminders about who keeps "all his secrets". Corbin caves, telling her about the casino coming to town. What he doesn't tell her is that the casino is also trying to acquire Pynk's waterfront property, with a little help from the crooked mayor who is angling for a huge kickback for "hooking" up the casino's "cowboys".
Andre is disgusted with how things work in the "Dirty Delta" but he is even more anxious to get the deal done before the "bible-thumpers" get wind of the casino. The only person he lets his guard down around is Autumn, who is acting as Uncle Clifford's spy. After getting Andre turned on in his hotel room, Autumn sends him out for condoms and asks if she can watch porn on his laptop to keep the "engine running".
Andre, with his blood rushing down rather than up to his brain, types in his password. Needless to say, Autumn gets everything, including the blueprints that show Pynk's land is going to be part of the casino property after its "Planned Acquisition". Right after that, she opens the gallery to see that Andre is saving her pictures -- which freaks her out since she doesn't want her photo floating around and she flees the scene. And that is what Andre gets back to, an open laptop and Autumn gone.
When Uncle Clifford finally gets his "tea" from Autumn -- she catfishes Andre (using Autumn's phone) to come to the club. There she intimidates the hell out of him, telling him he has a fight on his hand if he comes after her land and club. Andre scurries from the club, calling his bosses to tell them they have "a problem". In this episode, you see how gentrification works, especially in a rundown town like Chucalissa, where most businesses have downed their shutters and people are hungry for opportunities.
The mayor tells Andre that this is how things have always been done in the South -- he is okay with removing people from their land if it means he will get rich. Uncle Clifford's land is on a prime location and worth quite a sizeable chunk. But since she is in the red with the bank, the Pynk is in real danger. The mayor knows this and so does Andre. Autumn is merely a pawn in all of this and yet it will be her who will face the worst backlash -- especially with Andre. Despite being smitten by her, after her betrayal, all that love can quickly turn to hate.
'P-Valley' airs on Sundays at 8 PM ET on Starz.