Episode 3: "The Rip Off Stick"
Credits :: Screen Captures :: Video Clips
Vinnie adapts to his new role in Shakala as part of a team, seeking out new acts. Isaac's wife Amber, a shrewd businesswoman who picks up the slack of her easygoing husband, points out that Diana's contract is up for renewal. Vinnie is unconcerned that Diana will renew, but Amber insists it needs to be in writing.
Vinnie gets a call from Monroe Blue, a songwriter whose drunk driving and juke box sabotage has landed him in jail. He bails Monroe out and finds out that Monroe has his own axe to grind with Newquay. Monroe agrees to write some new songs for Diana, who is having writer's block. (Side note: Monroe references Sea Cruise - wonder if it was a nod to Glenn's cover or just coincidence?)
Later, Vinnie throws out a reporter who asks Diana impertinent questions about "sleeping her way to the top." Bobby is aghast - they need to deal with the music press if they want to sell records. When Vinnie complains that the questions were inappropriate, Bobby sneers, "Mr. Sensitivity runs a record company... into the ground."
Then Vinnie gets called in to see Isaac. Isaac takes Vinnie to a high-stakes poker game with Winston. It seems that this is a regular deal and that Isaac has won and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars of Shakala's money. It is now apparent that Isaac gambles recklessly and compulsively on everything from Argentinean soccer to surfing contests, and this kind of poker game is trouble waiting to happen. This time, however, the two come out on top.
Meanwhile, Johnny Medley tries to convince Diana to finish her record. She's worried about not having enough original material, but after a pep talk, agrees to try.
Shakala throws a party for radio executives and DJs to show off Diana, but Winston crashes it to show off his newest solo act, Eddie Tempest. Eddie Tempest is a young, sullen, rebel-type rocker, and we can see there is tension between him and Winston. When Diana is late to her own party, people start wondering if she's going to show at all, and Winston shamelessly offers to have Eddie play in Diana's place.
Turns out that she's back at the record offices playing the piano and stressing over not being able to handle the spotlight again. Vinnie reassures her that Monroe will help her with the songs and that when it comes to fame, it's the price she has to pay to get her music heard. She finally consents.
Back at the party, we discover Claudia and Amber have a history together. They used to live together and both decided to "marry up" with mixed results. Claudia seems to have come out on the worse end of the deal. She's jealous of Diana and worried that her husband doesn't love her... for good reason.
Diana arrives just in time to distract from an altercation between Eddie Tempest and Johnny Medley over Tanya. She performs "Looking on the Bright Side" live and the audience eats it up.
Afterwards, Winston convinces Diana to get into his limo. Despite everything he's done to her, she climbs into the limo... and eventually, into his bed. Weak-willed and blinded by love, she actually agrees to sign with him.
Back at the record company, Vinnie discovers that they are being scammed by MusicBlitz for fake record returns to the tune of $57,000. He wonders what other scams are being run, and if Isaac is in on any of them.
The next morning, Diana admits to sleeping with Winston and promising him she'll sign with him. She says she has to get out of the country or she won't be able to resist him - they have a long history together, and she still loves him. Bobby encourages Vinnie to give her money to leave, and she packs off to Jamaica for six months. Once Winston discovers she's left the country, he's infuriated, but there's little he can do because no one will tell him where she went.
Over at the OCB, they worry that Vinnie is getting too caught up in the music industry and forgetting it's just a cover. Vinnie admits he's allowing it to become personal, but they tell him to just think like a cop and go after Newquay.