[For Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll‘s “Hard Out There For a Pimp” or any other recaps on Fetchland, assume the presence of possible spoilers.]
FX Summary:
Hard Out There For a Pimp Johnny sets Gigi up with a boy her own age; Bam and Rehab come up with a new music genre.
Rehab and Bam, The Assassins bassist and drummer, open the episode by asking for a more even split of profits for the band – just like in U2, where each of the five members get 25%. Never even mind the math, nobody likes the idea based on the mere thought of all things being equal. Johnny challenges them to name the bass player and drummer of U2 and when they can’t the whole topic gets permanently dropped.
Then Gigi, Ava, and Johnny walk home late night dancing and Gigi’s complaining that Flash never goes out with them – he’s such a fossil who’s always tired after gigs. Johnny agrees. He wants her with a younger boyfriend. Also, he doesn’t want to hear blowjob stories about her and Flash either. She’s his daughter, remember?
Later the band’s talking to their manager before a gig and they see Jim, singer in a Normcore duo. Normcore means they dress like they’re headed to a mall in Ohio. Then in a bit while Gigi’s performing with The Assassins onstage Johnny tells the Jim he should ask Gigi out. For the sake of reverse psychology he then tells Gigi that Jim seems like a douche and his band sucks. Voila! His machinations are like rock n’ roll sorcery, just call him Johnny Machiavelli.
Meanwhile Rehab and Bam are inspired by the Normcore duo and decide to form their own band of two members. Why not? They’re not getting their fair share, they don’t even get to have real names, and nobody knows who they are. Looks like a clear case of nothing to lose. Rehab’s big idea for their duo it to just make noises with no lyrics – John Lee hooker meets Marlee Matlin. They’re inventing Beast Core music: driving bass, drums, gutteral grunts and groans, roars, camels, whales – a whole new genre of sound – a movement.
Flash then confronts Johnny accusing that he hooked Gigi up with that Normcore guy – he’s aware of the dastardly plan. Then he calls her for the 47th time and it turns out she is with Jim and they’re buying boring clothes together. They montage dating activities together, including blow which Jim snorts and Gigi ignores in lieu of looking in the line mirror. The next morning their manager warns them that Jim is a lot like Johnny. His Normcore band used to have four members but he slept with the other two’s girlfriends, he does too many drugs and drinks heavily, etc. Nobody believes how much they’re alike until Jim comes out of Gigi’s bedroom and reenacts the exact morning routine Johnny just did. Then everyone’s grossed out that Gigi just basically slept with a younger version of her Dad. Ew.
The miracle transition has finally happened for Johnny and he’s suddenly completely OK with Gigi and Flash as a couple – banging and all. It’s a happy ending for Rehab and Bam as well, their new duo got a standing ovation performing their brand new Beast Core music at the club – musta been those lemur mating calls in the second song.
This episode represents groundbreaking change for Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll because it’s a major emotional shift for Johnny into acceptance of Gigi’s relationship with Flash. Sure, he’s made changes before, even tattooing his asscheeks for the girl, but this one’s particularly deep and meaningful. It means the band’s not only even more a family now, but all the more screwed up too. If only they can get Bam and Rehab back to complete their dysfunctional circle of music… But it’s gonna be tough convincing them to return now that they’re finding some success on their own with Beast Core making animal sounds all over town.
–Katherine Recap
