P-Valley: Season 2/ Episode 10 “Mississippi Rule” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

While, thankfully, no one dies in the season finale of “P-Valley,” that doesn’t mean everyone gets a happy ending.

Aired (Starz)	8/14/2022
Director(s)	Katori Hall
Writer(s)	Katori Hall

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

Recap

Let’s All Start A New Chapter Together Chucalissa – Patrice, Wayne, Andre, Brittany, Hailey, Terricka, Mercedes, Farrah

Ultimately, the mud-slinging between Wayne and Andre leads to Patrice winning the mayorship, to much shock. With this happening, Wayne reminds Patrice he is still on council, so this isn’t the last she has seen of him, but she never minds that for she has done the impossible. Which leads to her doing the same for Mercedes.

How? Well, thanks to Farrah sending Mercedes a royalty check worth $30,000, she gets to have her studio, and it seems, rather than focus on kids, she might be making an assembly line which could lead some to the Pynk. At least, when Patrice visits and sees a pole in the middle of the floor, that’s the impression given. But, confusion aside, what Patrice makes clear is Shelle is going to rehab and can’t take care of Terricka. She asked Patrice to raise her 14-year-old while away, but between her pulpit and mayorship, Patrice can’t do it. So she gives Mercedes the chance to raise her daughter, thus leading to Mercedes getting all she could wish for.

Which leaves Andre. While he has lost, it has pushed him to reconsider what he has gained and what his next chapter could be. He has gained a new appreciation for Chucalissa and decides to stay and open a law practice. But, as for Brittany and Hailey? That’s where things get complicated. Hailey is a wild card, but he loves her. However, he is still married to Brittany, and she wants to try to fall in love with the real Andre, not the representative she gave him. So, he seemingly wants to see if things could work, which even extends to his father, who he visits.

You Thought This Was Going To End Well For You? – Hailey, Georgie, Corbin, Uncle Clifford, Derrick, Keyshawn

Alongside Patrice winning, the casino also got the town’s approval, and with that, Hailey is ready to up her price to $15 million. However, Georgie lets her know she won’t get a red cent because a workaround has been made. Thanks to Uncle Clifford, Corbin realized he could build a canal for much cheaper than Hailey was asking for, and for their troubles, Uncle Clifford is given $250,000.

The idea originally was to give that to Hailey, to buy her out, and send her on her way. However, Hailey decides $250,000 isn’t enough. She wants interest. Originally, handling Montavious’ body was considered interest, but she takes more than $24,000 since it wasn’t given willingly, thus putting the Pynk right back where it was in season 1.

Sadly, it isn’t just Uncle Clifford back where they started. With all that money and a grand plan from Hailey, Keyshawn was going to make her way west to California until her mother ruined her plans. She told Derrick the kids were with her, he picked them up, and so went Keyshawn’s plan. Though to make matters worse, child protective services were called, and she is told for 6 months, she and the family will be monitored, thus trapping Keyshawn for half a year. This makes her snap, and while beating on Derrick for trapping her, she hits a cop and ends up in jail.

Gotta Be Careful With My Heart – Diamond, Keyshawn, Ernestine, Uncle Clifford, Lil Murda, Big Bone

With getting locked up, Keyshawn’s one phone call is to Diamond, but not for bail money or to be picked up. She wants Derrick dead. But on his way to do so, Big Bone reveals herself to be an op for Montavious’ crew and puts Diamond into his own trunk. Which ends up being one of the last unfortunate moments in the episode, at least for this recap.

Everything else is quite joyous. Ernestine is alive, well, and ready to party, Lil Murda and Uncle Clifford go public, and while he messed up his career by abandoning the Tina Snow tour, he still has a hit record. So while many may seem back to where they started in season 1, at the very least, now they got more options and a steady group of people to support them through their next storm.

Things To Note

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. With Hailey in a Chinatown somewhere, is she off the show while Uncle Clifford and the rest deal with the mess she left behind?
2. Considering Andre has shown himself to be a corporate lawyer, what kind of work is he going to find outside the casino? You know mad people are going to assume he can do criminal law.
3. How mad was Woddy when Lil Murda said he isn’t doing Tina Snow’s tour?
4. What was Andre’s conversation with his father like?
5. Hold up, did Beulah die from AIDS?
6. How Shelle going to feel when she gets out of rehab and learns Terricka was being raised by
7. Will we see Keyshawn in jail for most of next season? She did assault a cop.

What Could Happen Next

1. Uncle Clifford letting Big L sell drugs until The Pynk is back in the black
2. So much violence between Montavious’ people, as well as Lil Murda sticking around and Mane gunning for his head
3. Us seeing more of Chucalissa politics, maybe the county and state’s as well, in season 3
4. Getting to know Andre’s father
5. Maybe a time jump to when the casino is built, or seeing the effect of the casino on The Pynk in season 4

Collected Quote(s)

Fairy tales are horror movies with happy endings.
— Hailey

Sponsorships expire, but royalties last forever.
— Farrah

Rule 88: Don’t ever forget, just cause a bitch good at keepin’ the peace don’t mean she ain’t good at wagin’ war.
— Uncle Clifford

That ain’t no decision. That’s impulse, which is the sister of stupidity.
— Uncle Clifford

I sell fantasy for work, so in real life, I need real life.
— Uncle Clifford

Review

Highlights

Patrice Winning The Election & Giving Mercedes the Greatest Gift She Could

Throughout the season, Patrice was a haunting presence for Mercedes. Whether it was when she was helping Terricka get an abortion or just in times of doubt or insecurity, there Patrice was. So for her mother to truly show, while still a leaf, she can flip to the other side and give her daughter an unrepayable gift? That was the kind of moment that gives you hope. If Patrice, with her antics, can change her ways and be a holy roller, anyone can.

Hailey Potentially Gone

At this point, Hailey’s storyline is done, and she can go head-on. She isn’t going to make millions of dollars, has no friends in town but Andre, and honestly? From a viewer’s perspective, he might be better off with a different scene partner. Don’t get us wrong, there was a time when their relationship was hot and interesting, but like with everything dealing with Hailey, even her back and forth with Uncle Clifford, the luster wore off. So hopefully, they are having the character ride off into the sunset, leaving behind a mess to clean up.

Uncle Clifford Getting A, Mostly, Happy Ending

In multiple ways, Uncle Clifford ended this season on a happy note. While it was delayed, Mercedes ended up being the first graduate Uncle Clifford had in a long time. And since past graduates have always come in the clutch for the Pynk, how could she not be more proud? On top of that, Ernestine lives, they had a nice chat with their mom, and despite pushing Lil Murda away, he stayed, came out, and renewed Uncle Clifford’s faith in love.

Now, yes, the Pynk is back in debt, but between Lil Murda’s tour and music sales, maybe Mercedes throwing a stack or two, Patrice helping with a grant, or Corbin just paying to be whipped a few times, Uncle Clifford should be fine. After all, in the case of Corbin, Uncle Clifford saved him millions of dollars, so $24,000, maybe even $30,000 for an old friend, shouldn’t be an issue.

Low Points

All The Gangster S*** Coming To The Valley

Montavious’ people, Mane’s, the HVH, all that gangster s***, is not something we’re looking forward to. I’d submit that for “P-Valley,” it has thus far existed as a necessary evil. The show’s area has poverty, so to not expect gangs, violence, and drugs would be ignorant. However, we have more than enough shows focused on that, especially on STARZ.

So I worry that with Hailey potentially gone and an increase in prison scenes thanks to Andre getting reacquainted with his dad and Keyshawn being locked up, we should expect to see a lot more crime on “P-Valley.” Now, maybe for those in prison, we may see what the show has done for strippers, and we’ll see them get the kind of layers that remind us they’re still human? Heck, maybe we’ll find more Big Teak types who can be more than a gang banger as we meet individual members of HVH, CFC, and Montavious’ crew?

It’s all hard to say since all of Uncle Clifford’s stars at the Pynk are gone, and with Roulette building her roster of hoes, who knows if this show isn’t shifting away from strippers and wants to focus more on gangsters?

On The Fence

Characters Seemingly Trapped

Between Lil Murda and Keyshawn, them not getting out leads to mixed feelings. For Keyshawn, considering Mercedes graduated, it would have been nice to see her leave the Pynk with her head held high as well. Especially since Derrick’s storyline has gone on too long and has become more of a liability than an asset for the show. Never mind, she could have made a grand visit down the line in season 3, to give it a nice pop. Yet, instead, she got locked up, Derrick has all the power in the world now to get sole custody, and it seems we’ll be stuck with watching those two together for the rest of the show.

Then, for Lil Murda, it’s complicated. On the one hand, you appreciate him doubling down and coming out and all that can mean for his season 3 storyline. However, that is in relation to Uncle Clifford. In terms of Lil Murda, as an individual? With the CFC prepping for war and a new gang moving into both the CFC and HVH’s territory, it is easy to imagine Lil Murda getting sucked into that and becoming another rapper who could have made it if he just got out and stayed out, of the hood.

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