The Internet should be lit up for the next week and a half, with men freaking out over the full frontal scene that Olivia Wilde did in last night’s episode of Vinyl. Which is a shame, as she shows some true range for the first time in this series. I was cold on her storyline from the start, but I’m learning to really enjoy her journey of self-discovery and self-reliance, as she pushes away from her crazed home life and back into the art world that she left behind to raise a family. I’m also starting to appreciate the trials of the Nasty Bits, and the welcome thrill of the scene where Kip finds a new lead guitarist for the band. The rest of the episode? Not so great.
1. Imaginary Ernst
Vinyl has already proven to be susceptible to some of the most overplayed tropes in the storytelling world, so why not toss in a sleep-deprived hallucination while Richie spirals downward? It starts off bad and only gets worse, with every silly bit of dialogue and line readings that feel ported over from Casablanca.
2. “You are an artist when you say you are an artist.”
Since episode one, the music industry has been treated with the kind of pretentious reverie that it surely does not deserve. But that’s nothing compared to its portrayal of the modern art world of New York. These folks already get a bad rap throughout the universe, with everyone bemoaning their haughty attitudes and questionable taste. Did we really need nonsense like the heavy-lidded creep making odd portraits involving naked bodies (both real and rubberized), and pitiful, withering Andy Warhol?
3. David Bowie