It’s really not surprising that someone as determined to present the perfectly fabricated outward appearance of a religiously devout, Elvis-loving, teetotaler as Shyanne Millet is would harbor the litany of insecurities she unleashes on her daughter on Margo’s Got Money Troubles Episode 5, “Flamingos.”
It’s a well-planned, whirlwind wedding wrapped up with awkward comedians and mistimed honesty. The superficial glitz and meaningless noise is a Shakespearean nod to the central turmoil.
The entire Vegas adventure is the Shyanne Show, after all.
Shyanne is the queen of faking it until she makes it. She has reinvented herself as everything Kenny could want in a wife, hiding nearly every genuine aspect of her personality behind a wash of modern farmhouse decor and virgin Piña Coladas.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles, “Flamingos”
Those who have read Rufi Thorpe’s novel are left feeling that Shyanne is the least sympathetic character, going as far as to deem her a “monster,” which the author thinks is a bit unfair.
Michelle Pfeiffer‘s portrayal here goes a long way towards humanizing Shyanne. She’s clearly struggling with her own identity. The dissonance between the person she is and who she thinks she wants to be is profound.
Perhaps the only thing that grounds her when the hurricane of chicanery is how well Margo, and apparently, Jinx, know her real self.
At the same time, they enable a lot of her self-deception, accommodating her to a nearly absurd degree.
For the Vegas trip alone, they drive in separate cars because she doesn’t want to travel with Bodhi; Jinx pays for a hotel room for him, Margo, and Bodhi, while Kenny booked two entire rooms so he and Shyanne can preserve their chaste pre-marital plans.
And then, unbeknownst to Kenny, they smuggle the baby into a bar so Shyanne can have her bachelorette party.
Ruined Her So Pretty
But things go south the minute Shyanne’s fantasy collides with reality. At first, it’s Margo’s genuine concern that her mother is forcing herself into a marriage for the wrong reasons.
Margo: Y’know, you don’t have to get married tomorrow if you don’t want to.
Shyanne: Kenny is a good man.
Margo: He’s such a good man.
Shyanne: He’s kind. He’s stable.
Margo: So kind. So stable.
Shyanne: And he wants me by his side till the day he dies. That… No man has ever loved me like he does. Can’t you even pretend to be happy for me? Hmm?
Margo: Mom, I am so happy for you.
Shyanne: I’m happy for me too.
Shyanne immediately begins reciting the mantra of Kenny’s attributes. Margo recognizes the script and echoes it back, ever the dutiful daughter, keeping her mother happy.
Margo’s relationship with Shyanne is full of contradictions. The usual parent-child dynamic is turned on its head when Margo is forced to play along with one of Shyanne’s real-life role-plays.
At Shyanne’s bridal shower at St. Augustine’s, Margo says nothing, smiling noncommittally as she watches her mother engage in “church lady drag.”
She stays silent when Kenny orders for Shyanne. And when Shyanne insists she can enjoy Vegas without gambling, Margo accepts that this is who her mother is. At that moment, at least.
But when Margo tries to connect on a mother-to-mother level, blurting out that she’s supporting Bodhi by doing OnlyFans, Shyanne has a complete meltdown.
Shyanne: This is about you giving people everything they need in order to decide that you are a piece of trash. That isn’t worth sh*t. It is about losing the respect of every single person who would ever help your sorry ass, even a little bit.
What Margo can’t see is how Shyanne sees herself in Margo, how Margo’s choices terrify her.
Every fiber of Shyanne is bent on achieving stability and acceptance among the “good” people of Kenny’s congregation. She wants people to admire and respect her. She wants to belong.
Hard Truths
But the hard truth is that although Shyanne accuses Margo of selling sex, she’s the one trading herself for a “better” life.
Shyanne: Maybe I wasn’t the perfect mother, but I did not raise you to do filthy things like this.
Margo: No, you raised me to be your friend because you don’t have any.
For all her protests that Kenny loves her like no man ever has, she’s never expressed the same affection for him.
And while she deems Margo’s refining her “brand” online as sex work, Shyanne’s the one trapped in a disingenuous persona designed to attract and ensnare her mark.
Shyanne repays Margo’s honesty with judgment and abandonment, but still expects Margo to stand up for her at the wedding. And because Margo has been Shyanne’s dependable wing-woman her entire adult life, she does.
Before God and Elvis, Margo witnesses her mother seal the deal she made with her own personal demons, then toasts Shyanne and Kenny in the sincerest of tones, wishing them a happy future founded on Shyanne’s bed of lies.
Is it any wonder she wanted to blow town as soon as she could? And that urge to dive into a big creative project? Clearly a palate-cleanser for the insincere machinations she’d been forced into under daughterly duress.
A Madness of Jinx
Full disclosure: I have never in my life regarded Nick Offerman as physically attractive, but — my god — I am deeply in love with every aspect of Jinx Millet.
His deep commitment to his recovery from addiction.
His eager willingness to be of service to Margo and, through transitive properties, Shyanne. Even the way he plans out the activities he and Bodhi will do in Vegas. It all plays across my heartstrings like a virtuoso harpist.
“Flamingos are monogamous, and mom and dad both help build the nest and incubate the egg. How about that?” — Jinx
And then there’s that strong, silent affection he exudes for Shyanne. He supports her choices, celebrates her successes, and lauds her beauty.
Their history is complex and intimate, but he sees a potential future too. Maybe as co-grandparents. Maybe as something else. And regrets? Yeah, he has a few of those too.
And let’s not forget that Margo’s Got Money Troubles Episode 4, “Buddies,” ended with him crushing Margo’s weenie baby daddy’s hand in a firm handshake to underscore his good character. Hell, yeah, my man.
Leaning In
Margo is very much a product of her parents and their individuality. She’s grown into Jinx’s constantly curious and forthright nature, and she’s learned resilience from her mother’s unorthodox way of nurturing.
As she begins to see a way forward and get her footing in this new normal, she’s also learning to let go. Shyanne’s life with Kenny will take her further and further down her rabbit hole of rose-colored lies, and Margo can only endanger that fragile deception.
I suspect that Shyanne will find the distance that grows as she digs in deeper to be a price she never expected to pay.
Conversely, instead of being scared off her new frontier by Shyanne’s reaction, Margo’s leaning in, ready to take control creatively and financially.
Feeling no shame in the work and excited by the possibilities, Margo’s fired up and hot to go.
Did this gamble pay off for you, Fanatics?
Was Jinx’s presence Margo’s ace in the hole or Shyanne’s snake eyes? Will what happened in Vegas stay there?
Spin your wheel and lay your money (and feedback) down in the comments below!
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