Some of y’all be complaining about I Love LA being too cringey, but this is Rachel Senott’s brand. I personally found the second episode absolutely hilarious, maybe because I already knew these characters were insufferable and removed myself from thinking of them as real people. Or maybe I’m just so obsessed with Josh Hutcherson that anything he touches becomes gold to me (yes, I liked Five Nights At Freddy’s despite not knowing a thing about it). The second episode brings in The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri as a British pop star named Mimi, whom Charlie dresses, but I think the whole point of this show is just for these fantastic actresses to have a good time, so I’m here for it. This episode is definitely more than a little bit over the top, but I think it’s setting the tone for the rest of the season and opening up many plot lines for us to think about as later episodes come out. I did miss Leighton Meester, though. With that said, let’s jump straight into episode 2.
Spoiler Alert
What Happens To Charlie?
Episode 2 of I Love LA begins with Tallulah basically taking over Maia’s life in every way possible. It all starts when a fellow influencer named Paulena shows up out of the blue and confronts Tallulah about stealing her Balenciaga bag. She proceeds to empty the bag right there and take it back, all while they’re screaming at each other in the middle of a cafe. Guess the NY influencers don’t have enough influence in LA for anyone to notice? Anyway, Dylan’s the most affected by this situation, because it’s like Tallulah and Maia are attached at the hip. Tallulah’s also got no boundaries, and it seems like Maia’s not as bothered by that as Dylan is, as she’s got her own idea of what Tallulah can and cannot do.
On the other hand, Charlie’s the stylist for a British pop star named Mimi Rush, and Mimi wants Zendaya to play her mom in a music video, but she’s been getting no responses. So to smooth things over, Charlie pretends he’s heard people say Zendaya’s actually a horrible person. Everybody knows she’s not, but now Mimi wants proof, and he’s not got any, so he decides to call Maia to dig up some gossip. She doesn’t pick up but calls back while he’s at the gym, in public. Their FaceTime becomes public news, and he ends up getting fired because Zendaya agrees to do Mimi’s video, and Mimi now calls her her best friend. But additionally, Charlie’s seeing a guy only for sex, and that guy is out on a date, so he’s feeling a little bit lonely while standing around alone in his red underwear after being fired (yikes). Confidence can’t buy you a free ticket out of loneliness.
Meanwhile, Alani goes to her dad’s office and shows everybody how the nepo babies do it. She’s there to pick up a package but accidentally walks into a meeting room, looking for a foot mirror. This leads to her announcing to the people who work for her dad that when she was in the 8th grade, she was dating a 28-year-old married man (what). I think this is going to be the next big show from this production house, eh?
What Happens With Paulena?
On the other hand, Tallulah scares Maia by telling her that Paulena’s going to get a warrant against her. Maia immediately calls up her dad to understand this, which is kind of cute. Back at home, she tells Tallulah that she can’t be so nonchalant about these things just because they’re friends. Tallulah tells her that she’s apologized to Paulena and invited her to dinner. Dylan loves to cook because he’s the greenest flag we know, so dinner’s taken care of anyway, but they need to make sure they have their best foot forward and appreciate the plastic necklaces she’s selling for hundreds of dollars.
Paulena arrives, and the decibel levels are immediately 10 times higher. The dinner goes well, and everything seems to be moving nicely, until Paulena brings out some coke. Ironic that this is right after she talks about Tallulah’s ketamine addiction. Tallulah told her she was an addict, which is why she stole the bag and acted like a weirdo. She even gets Dylan to join the party and then blackmails him, as if that is her job, but this leads the other two girls to realize the only way to get rid of her is by outcrazying the crazy. What this means is that they’re going to have to do something so bizarre that it’ll scare her and she’ll have to leave.
This is actually a smart plan, but Dylan has no idea what this means, and maybe that’s what makes it more believable. As soon as Paulena steps out of the restroom, Maia starts acting as if Dylan’s been looking her up and down and feeling attracted to her. She’s putting on the act of a jealous girlfriend on purpose, but x10 because she’s breaking plates and saying she’ll kill herself (on TikTok or Instagram). This leads to Paulena freaking out, and she finally makes the brave decision of leaving, all while Dylan’s telling Maia that his phone password is literally her birthdate (cute).
At the end of I Love LA episode 2, Paulena decides to drop the Balenciaga back at the front door as a little gift for Tallulah (the addict). It’s supposed to be an act of kindness, but she overhears Maia talk about how terrible her necklaces are and how she’s just not a likable person. This brings out the rage in her, and she decides to take it out on Tallulah by going online with some gossip. Now, we haven’t heard what this gossip is, but it’s definitely going to bring her down, which means a ton of trouble for Maia too. No more Erewhon and Lululemon for these girls, I guess.
