#mo beats

So Leery was our murderer after all! It turns out he was Sheilah’s troublesome stalker vaguely alluded to in the tapes, and he killed Fitzgerald in a fit of rage after poor ole’ Scott refused to leave his, erm, “lover.” But he was not our anonymous writer of threatening letters; that honor, as predicted, belongs to dear ole’ Mel. (Side note: Mel’s “oh, that was so smart of me” made me guffaw. Mel may be evil, but God I love a Lesli Margherita line delivery). I was also right about Mel intentionally sabotaging The Grapes of Wrath at every turn, but I hadn’t quite figured out her full connection to the murder—that she paid Mo Beats to cover up the crime in order to protect her number one star. So, shout out to Mel for being even more corrupt than I guessed! Though I must admit that I kinda’ feel her on the whole anti-adaption thing. While I have absolutely no issue with Hollywood’s lifelong addiction to adapting anything they can get their mitts on, sometimes it feels like we lean too far into one particular thing, such as Marvel comics. I am also tired of sequels that the original work simply didn’t ask for, and as an aspiring screenwriter I know all too well how depressingly hard it is to get anyone to listen to an idea that doesn’t boast the sacred letters “I.P.” (intellectual property. It’s an adaption term). Still, I don’t see myself writing death threats to Robert Downey Jr. anytime soon.

I do have a confession, though. I got so caught up in the joy of solving mysteries that I forgot that Greater Gatsby, despite Dash, the bunny suits, and general abiding silliness, is technically a noir. I did not for a second predict that Fig and Ford would be forced to let the murderer slip through their fingers with nary a helpless peep. But at least the epilogue offered some glimmer of hope as it nicely expanded on the fates of so many of the characters we’ve come to love, hate, or suspect. Mel may have escaped justice, but Bixby is back in his bar and former cop Mo Beats is now out in the LAPD cold. Though judging by his ominous goodbye, our favorite detective duo have yet to see the last of him…

But I suppose the real question is, have we seen the last of our favorite detective duo? While this certainly wouldn’t be the first time Shipwrecked has set up for a non-existent season two (Headless season 2, how I dream of you at night…), you cannot deny that there is, in fact, a good amount of set-up. Barnaby’s potential freedom is on the line. Mo Beats is perfectly placed to return as a dangerous rival PI or something worse. And Claudette’s life might be hanging in the balance…

Who do we think this mysterious voice is? First instinct suggests someone related to Mo Beats and his vows of revenge, but that’s a little too easy and straightforward, especially so soon after his threats. Judging by what the Fig and Ford cases are usually about, I’d say our intruder is more likely related to Ford’s and Claudette’s starry past. Could this be someone at the center of whatever final storm led them to quit Hollywood for good? Could he be related to Ford’s “big secret” (yeah, Shipwrecked, that’s right. I HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN)? A Hollywood connection could even lead Fig and Ford back to Mel and Leery, giving them a second chance to get things right (ssh, don’t tell me it’s a noir, thematically rooted in the unconquerable force of corruption and power. Let me live with my delusions). But whatever secrets lay behind Claudette’s attacker and his shadowy motivations, I very much hope we get to spend a whole season unravelling them one by one.

After nineteen episodes, we finally locate the eponymous Greater Gatsby… in Wilhelmina’s book club book? Who’d a thunk? The fact that the script showed up in there implies that whoever had the script had access to the Grapes set. And if the person who stole the script is the same as the murderer—a HUGE “if”—that clears both Vivian and Barnaby of the murder. It could also potentially clear Mo Beats, though Mel does let him onto the production lot.

But let’s put aside the “who” in favor of the “why.” Fig says that whoever gave Willy the script likely wanted to frame Wilhelmina, but I’m not sure I buy that theory. Anyone who’s ever met Willy would know that there’s absolutely no way she was involved with any of this. I think the real question is whether or not the person who gave the script to Willy actually wanted to pass it off to Fig. Giving a highly suspicious item to Fig’s air-head best friend would be a good way to make sure it ends up in her hands without risking direct contact. And everyone on the lot apparently knew about Wilhelmina’s bookclub, so it wouldn’t take a huge leap for someone to realize that Fig would be presentthe next time Wilhelmina pulled out The Beautiful and Damned. But if someone is trying to give the script to Fig, why? Is the script thief/keeper a different person than the murderer, and hoping to bring the true bad guy to justice? Or is it the murderer trying to send her down the wrong path? Was there more symbolism than the obvious behind putting the script inside The Beautiful and Damned?

And then there’s the question of timing Does the discovery of the script mean that Fig and Ford are getting close, so close that either the bad guys are panicking or a mysterious benefactor is willing to slip them a final clue? If so, how would the anonymous script-dealer know? The most recent suspects to interact with Fig and Ford are the Nightingales, who likely didn’t have access to the Grapes set, the Farnsworths, who I really can’t see having anything to do with anything, and the Hammermeisters. The Hammermeisters, or at least Mel, probably have the best sense that Ford is making progress, but either of them secretly holding the script simply doesn’t make any sense. And we can’t overlook TD’s reaction to Willy and Fig’s discovery—he certainly reacts the most out of everyone else in the room, so either he was overacting to compensate a lack of genuine surprise (unlikely), or he was truly shocked by this latest development. Is he just excited to tell Mel that the script has been found? Or is he afraid of what the script will reveal?

On the Ford sign of things, he gets to match wits with two very different sparring partners: Mo and Vivian. We don’t get too much from Vivian, but Mo has an interesting reaction to Ford’s various guesses about his relationship with Mel. He understandably laughs off Ford’s attempts at silly distractions, but then gets genuinely angry when Ford calls him Mel’s puppet. While this could be due to injured pride, may Ford also be right on the money? I mean, that’s more or less what I’ve been assuming this whole time.

And how about Vivian’s song? “Adapt Or Die,” the perfect sultry tune for a show deeply preoccupied with Hollywood’s adaption preoccupation (same, Persauds, same). It gives further insight into Vivian’s relationship with Barnaby, and a melodious look into her potential character motivation. But how and why is she adapting to survive? By framing Barnaby for murder to get around the pre-nup? Or does Mo perhaps have something on her? Did F. Scott’s death ruin some plan of Vivian’s for the future? On a less speculative note, Mary Kate Wiles genuinely has one of my favorite voices EVER, and I’m so so so happy every time she sings in this show. She always knocks it out of the fucking park. More numbers for Vivian, please! Please!! PLEASE!!!

And Fitzgerald was apparently strangled by two different items. What does this mean? Was the first item not doing the job, so the killer had to switch? Was he strangled unsuccessfully by one person, and then successfully by a second person mere minutes later? Did two people strangle him at the same time? Or was he strangled with an item that would look like two separate things (a necklace with two different types of chains latched together, for example)? I’ve been trying to think of a plot relevant item that would fit that description, but so far I’ve come up empty…