Since P-Valley premiered in 2020, fans have flocked to the Starz series for a devastatingly glamorous and genuine view of life in the deep, deep South of Mississippi and up, up at the cold steel of the pole. But did the extended wait for season two match the excitement behind season one?

At the end of season one, Autumn Night aka Lakeisha Savage aka Hailey (the enigmatic Elarica Johnson) made it rain at the auction house and bought the Pynk up from right under the nose of Promised Land, the company eager to buy the plot of land the club sits on to build a gaming casino. This, of course, destroyed the Mayor’s ploy to buy the Pynk for nothing and then sell the land for millions, cruelly razing a club that has withstood the World Wars, Jim Crow, and now, Covid-19. This set-up alone was ripe for drama, especially when Uncle Clifford (Nicco Annan) realizes that Autumn Night is more of a Fall Nightmare and must figure out how he will deal with one of his most amateur dancers suddenly becoming his new boss. What should have taken two or three episodes to conclude has dragged across most of the season, and the final episode lets Uncle Clifford play catch up to Miss Hell Bent on World Domination, aka Hailey.

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In a world where Uncle Clifford rules every inch (rule number whatever number: ain’t no P-Valley without Uncle Clifford), it was underwhelming to watch a character and performance as rich and lush as Uncle Clifford’s play too much defense against Ms. Night, who makes up for whatever she lacks in subtly with smarts. Savage smarts. It took almost eight episodes for the writers to weave Clifford’s story and bring him center stage so he could reclaim the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent that makes this show so wonderful to watch.

Benching Clifford’s storyline to junior varsity meant being forced to watch Uncle Clifford quarantined with Lil’ Murder, which, as cute as it was, felt more unexpected, like an iceberg in the sea on a cold April night. Adorable, yes, but enough to care about? It depends on who you ask. Frankly, so many different story threads and characters were added this season that there are so many more important questions left to answer that it seems impossible the finale will satisfy all the Chuca-fans.

P-Valley’s Season 2 Finale Must Resolve Multiple Storylines

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Who will be the new mayor of Chucalissa? Will Promised Land snatch up the prettiest piece of land in the poorest county of the poorest state in America? Does Mercedes’s (Brandee Evans) shoulder get better? Will Keyshawn (Shannon Thornton) finally leave her abusive husband? How many ghosts haunt the Pynk? Will Earnestine Sayles (the incomparable Loretta Devine) make it out of the Covid-19 unit? Will Monkeypox replace Covid-19 as the newest virus on the rainbow block?

Speaking of Covid, the coronavirus took a prominent place in this season’s narrative with allergies, health department shutdowns, masks, and conspiracy taking up much of the airwaves. It’s understandable. The world changed drastically between the production of season one and season two. Clearly, Hall and the other writers were mystified about how to weave the epidemic into the narrative. For as progressive as the show is and how important the current political cycle is to its narrative, they stumbled trying to marry real life and the make-believe world, which led to a tonal unbalance that haunts the season, for better or for worse.

The only time Covid-19 benefits the series is when it came down to the “corona couture" that costume designers Alita McGhee Bailey and Tiffany Hasbourne so brilliantly designed. The duo outdoes themselves episode after episode with their impeccable taste. From Birkins to Chitlin suits, gomesi, to sequined floss and chic face masks, the fashion slays the competition out of the water.

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Whatever the outcome, it’s time for the viewers to know if there is a new casino coming to Chucalissa or if Lakeisha Savage’s grand plans for world domination will pan out, or if Autumnn Night is going to have to get back on the pole to make ends meet. The odds are that Autumn Night will more than likely get the stacks she is after, especially if the Reverend Patrice Woodbine (Harriett D. Foy) wins the race and is crowned the next mayor of Chucalissa. Perhaps the Television Academy will finally tune in to give Foy a much-deserved Emmy.

P-Valley Deserves Emmy Attention

Despite a rocky season, the show deserves Emmy love, with Katori Hall, who steers the ship into uncharted territories. In a world where shows like The L-Word and Queer as Folk broke ground twenty years ago, it’s refreshing to watch a show like P-Valley continue to burst through the barriers of television and deliver the top-of-the-line queer content everyone deserves. Hall manages to use that to her advantage and saves it in the end, thanks to her steady grip on the overall vision of the show. Kudos should also go out to Starz for being brave enough to let Hall work her craft without barriers, and that’s beautiful.

That’s what the future of television looks like. Purse first!