“Insecurity” and “envy” seem to be the central themes of the series “Welcome to Chippendales.” Steve Banerjee had never felt insecure about his position because it was his club, and he was the undisputed owner of it. But when flamboyance and showmanship obstructed Steve’s simplistic ways and means, he was pushed into a very uncomfortable space where he felt that all the credit for his hard work had been unduly given to somebody else. So, let’s see what the second episode of “Welcome to Chippendales” has to offer and what challenges Steve Banerjee has to face to keep his business up and running.
Spoilers Ahead
Nick Yearns For A Company
Nick was going through a divorce with her wife, Jennifer O’Neill. Nick lacked purpose in his life and also yearned for company, though he knew that it was a difficult task in a society where homosexuals were treated with disdain. Nick wanted to train the Chippendales troupe, but his ego was too big to ask Steve Banerjee for a job. He had proudly told Steve when he had first met him that he was a two-time Emmy award winner, and now he didn’t want to put himself in a position where people would undermine his authority. The tragic deaths of Dorothy Stratten and Paul Snider made Steve reflect on everything in life. Days after the catastrophe, he kept thinking if somehow his actions or words had provoked Paul. Steve wanted to move ahead with full force. Now that people knew about Chippendales, the big question was: how would he keep the charm of the place alive? Steve had started realizing that people wanted something new every time they came. He had realized that his dance troupe needed to learn more than one choreography. So, he approached Nick in the hope that he would once again come on board, though he was looking for only a temporary association. But Nick saw this as an opportunity. He knew that he had to make Steve realize that, in order to sustain, he would have to hire a full-time choreographer. Nick played it very smartly and portrayed as if he was least interested in joining Steve full-time. But that reluctance made Steve really desperate, and he became persistent, as he wanted to hire the best in the business. So, Nick De Noia, without compromising his self-respect, joined Chippendales as a full-time choreographer. The first thing he did was to fire the entire crew of dancers, as he wanted to have strict scrutiny process in place to select the cream of the crop.
Otis McCutcheon was an aspiring actor who also had some professional training in dancing too. He had also come for the audition, and seeing him groove and move, Nick was smitten by him. Otis had very different aims and ambitions in his life. He loved what he did, but he didn’t want to do that throughout his life. Otis had become the star performer for Chippendales, but he didn’t crave that sort of attention. Nick, on the other hand, didn’t know how to approach him. He had become very possessive of the handsome hunk. Nick had begun to despair of ever finding someone to love. The loneliness had become the root cause of all the discontent in his life. He was doing well for himself, but he was still not satisfied at all.
‘Welcome to Chippendales’ Episode 2: Ending Explained – What Was The Conflict Between Steve Banerjee And Nick De Noia?
Steve had called the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Los Angeles and informed them about how a strip club was promoting obscenity and spoiling their culture. It was a masterful move to get media coverage for free, for which otherwise he would have paid a hefty sum of money. Irene had joined Chippendales as an accountant. Steve had met her when she had come to the club with her friends. Irene didn’t have any interest in the performance, but she did notice that the bartender was pouring more alcohol than was required in the glasses. Steve was in awe of her and had also realized that she could be a good asset to his business. Irene had worked with Warner Bros. as an accountant, but after she was laid off, she couldn’t find any exciting ventures and worked just to pay her bills. Irene was passionate about her work, and she needed a space that would complement her enthusiasm and dedication.
Otis was quite impressed by what Steve had been able to accomplish in such a short period of time. Otis had always wanted to do something like Steve Banerjee, but the discriminatory society had not given him enough opportunities to elevate his status. He was impressed by how Steve had climbed the ladder and reached the top of the food chain even when he was an outsider, and the odds were not in his favor. Otis had been hustling for the last 15 years, yet he was still hand to mouth. He wanted to be Steve’s intern and learn the tricks of the trade. But Steve didn’t have the time to teach him anything and told him to concentrate on his dancing. Though Steve didn’t express it, he was also surprised to know that the star of his club would be interested in learning about accounting and other administrative stuff. Irene said that she could use a hand, and that is how Otis’ role in Chippendales was diversified. He was no longer just a dancer but now helped with actually running the business.
There were new ideas that were pitched in by the new employees, and Steve was quite willing to try out every possibility, as he knew that he could still achieve a lot more than what he already had. Irene came up with the idea to allow men inside the club when the performances ended so that the ladies didn’t leave and ended up staying for long. Steve realized that what Irene was proposing actually made sense. It has the potential of opening another channel of revenue. Nick had started feeling left out and he felt the same kind of insecurity that Paul had felt once, though their reasons were very different. Nick felt agitated when he realized that Steve had taken Otis under his wing and expressed his disappointment about it. Steve was not able to realize why Nick was being so finicky about such a small issue, as he had no clue about the fact that he was attracted to Otis. Nick met a woman named Denise Coughlan, who had been trying to contact him and talk to him for quite some time. Denise called herself a vision facilitator. She said that she was a fashion designer by profession, and she had some innovative ideas to revamp the outlook of the place. She found the reversal of male and female power dynamics to be very intriguing. Nick took her to Steve and asked him to hire her. Steve said no almost instantly, and as was evident from looking at Nick’s face, his ego was bruised at such ruthless disregard. Nick threatened Steve that he would leave if Denise wasn’t hired. Steve did hire her eventually, as Irene intervened and said that it would save a lot of money if things like costume alteration and cleaning were done in-house. Denise was elated and thanked Steve and Irene for hiring her, but the incident marked the beginning of a strained relationship between Steve and Nick. Though they shook hands, the hostility and enmity they held for each other were clearly visible in their eyes.
What Can We Expect in Episode 3 of ‘Welcome to Chippendales’?
The power tussle between Steve and Nick would get even more intense in the upcoming episodes. The post-credit scene showed us that Nick had started giving himself a lot of importance, and he believed that Chippendales was doing great business only because of him and what he brought to the mix. He felt that his choreography was what made it special. He had forgotten that the place was Steve’s idea, and he was the one who had hired Nick. Nick wanted to open a branch of Chippendales in New York and additionally wanted complete autonomy over it. He gave Steve two options: either to be by his side and reap the benefits or else go against the current and risk everything that he had accomplished. Irene wanted Steve to see the brighter side of things, and by the looks of it, he did pretend to be fine in front of her. But clearly, he was messed up in his head because of the betrayal. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” and clearly, things had started taking a toll on Steve. Nick had become the face of the organization, and somewhere Steve felt sidelined in his own company. In the upcoming episodes, we will get to know if Steve finds a way to tackle the situation or if the conflict gets the better of him and makes him do something that he will regret later.
