P-Valley said goodbye to one of its complex characters this week.
Unfortunately, on P-Valley Season 2 Episode 6, it wasn’t the character that fans wanted to see gone.
Sadly, Derrick lives on. Meanwhile, Big Teak, we hardly knew ye.
Lil Murda’s prison pal Teak disappeared from the show in just six episodes. And we only got to hear John Clarence Stewart (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist alumni) sing a few bars, despite the barber praising Teak’s voice.
But that wasn’t Teak’s purpose. First, Teak allowed Stewart to play a radically different character than the straight-laced Simon on Zoey.
Teak also illustrated that, unlike Murda, not every ex-con successfully could make the transition back to the real world.
A prime example of that was the scene at the gas station. Teak’s confusion over how to pay at the pump was quickly overshadowed by Murda’s delight when he heard his song being played on a car radio.
What was cruel was that Teak appeared happy early in the day. Murda threw a celebration for him and gave Teak his own car. Then Teak got a haircut, and they went out to eat.
But things went south from there. Teak realized Murda had moved on from him and remained hung up on Uncle Clifford.
Then Teak insisted on stopping by his former house, which tormented him with memories, including his 7-year-old self hiding in a closet.
Murda had always blamed himself that Teak had gotten thrown into solitary confinement after serving as Murda’s protector.
But Teak explained that that closet had been his first solitary, where he stayed after his mother had murdered his siblings, represented by the three tears tattooed on his cheek.
In the sorrowful end, Murda couldn’t convince Teak to keep living, but he stayed with Teak through his suicide.
The only upside of the tragedy was that it led the bloody Murda back into Clifford’s arms.
Poor Keyshawn remained Derrick’s prisoner. At least she could talk by phone with Murda, explaining what Rome had attempted to do to her and suggesting that his death was not the overdose it appeared to be.
Derrick thought he was doing Keyshawn a favor, inviting her along on his outing, until she pointed at her battered face to explain why that would be a bad idea.
Why was Keyshawn surprised that her great escape failed because Derrick had sabotaged her car? Had she learned nothing from their time together?
If only Keyshawn could have brought herself to use that little toy gun she kept hidden. No jury, even in the Deep South, would convict her abused self for shooting him in self-defense.
Mercedes, The Pynk’s other former headliner, also had her latest scheme fall apart.
Mercedes understood that being Coach’s personal whore would require a significant degree of exclusivity. She tried to beg off the threesome with Coach and cautioned Farrah not to let Coach know about their private girl time.
All Coach needed was his eyes to figure out that Mercedes was getting more of a rise out of his wife than he ever had. And he blamed her for turning Farrah lesbian.
That’s when Farrah piped up and informed Coach that she had had lots of female company while he was running around on her. That’s also when Mercedes’s stacks to keep her dance school afloat disappeared.
Mercedes also had to deal with her Terrika troubles. First, Shelle spurned her kind offer to take care of their mutual daughter Terrika while Shelle got sober. Shelle seemed to believe that gaining a job would cure her alcoholism.
Then, after the Memphis fiasco, Terrika showed up late at Mercedes’s house, in hysterics holding a positive pregnancy test. Like mother, like daughter.
With The Pynk still closed thanks to Health Department fines, its staffers past and present were having to get creative to make money.
While working for Big L’s special-events security staff, Diamond was getting close to Big Bone while working through his Keyshawn addiction. It’s excellent that Diamond’s back in whatever capacity.
Roulette and Whisper ended up performing at a spades tournament. I wouldn’t have thought that was their audience, but it appeared to be a lively crowd. Maybe The Pynk’s dance aficionados just moved there. Hopefully, Clifford got some cut.
It wasn’t hard to empathize with Roulette when one of her regular clients asked to be set up with Whisper. Fortunately, Duffy was there to continue his wooing of Roulette. He seems to have forgotten about Gidget, hasn’t he?
While Clifford and Big L were feuding with Autumn because she’s realistic about the only way to make money with The Pynk, she knew enough to keep an eye on her investment: Andre.
It took audacity to crash Andre’s mayoral fundraiser while posing as his wife, who couldn’t be bothered to attend a special event for her husband.
She also asked a crucial question, which got potential supporters/donors to reconsider Andre for mayor.
Most importantly, Autumn met Georgie Batson, the Promised Land executive who likely will be essential to her future wealth.
Also, as much as it would be better for him, Andre can’t kick out Autumn. She’s his obsession.
To remember the comet that was Big Teak, watch P-Valley online.
Will Murda get back together with Uncle Clifford?
Why can’t Keyshawn shake Derrick?
Will Autumn gain the financial bonanza she feels she deserves?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.