And we’re back in the saddle again with Vinyl! Let’s see what’s happening in the 70s with our fave record company owner.

Last time Richie successfully sold his shell of a record company, even without notoriously racist fictional Led Zepplin, Jamie discovered the Sex Pistols Nasty Bitz, we learned a little bit about Devon’s past (Andy Warhol thought she was cool. Before) and oh yeah, Richie had a birthday then he and Joe Corso killed Buck Rogers, but kinda by accident. At first. All up to speed? And a building fell on Richie. NOW I think I got it all.

Richie is in a movie theatre, losing his mind to Kung Fu while people yell at him and his partners try to appease the Germans, who are wondering where he is; it’s contract signing time!

Zak is looking everywhere for Richie, he calls Devon, who fills him in on the den-trashing and whiskey bender. Two interesting things happen; Zak asks if Richie hit her and she’s appalled and when he asks if Richie is okay, she says “of course he is. It’s everyone around him whose fcuked” and that sounds about right. Zak medicates

Personally, I don’t think Richie wants to sell, I think that the bender is a breakdown from killing Buck Rogers, but also because the company is his identity and he doesn’t want to lose it. He loves music, too, and he wants to make GOOD music.

Woo hoo in he rolls! Covered in blood and plaster dust with a big smile, let’s sign some contracts! Coke must be a helluva drug, that’s all I have to say about that. And I called it, Richie doesn’t want to sell! He doesn’t care about their stinking binding verbal agreement, the Mercer building fell on him and he walked away! He’s a motherhumping Phoenix, yo! The Germans get shouty while Richie’s team hustles him away for a “conference.”

His partners are not happy. “Fcukheads” and “hacks” abound and then Richie tries out some of his new Kung Fu skills, it goes great! Blood everywhere and Skip calls it “like the lottery. In reverse.”

A shirtless Richie is laying out the path forward to Julie, who is confused about Richie’s coke use but not unwilling to jump in, yay! Enablers FTW!

Devon is feeding her hooligans at a restaurant and remembering a much more interesting time period where she and Richie just met. Ahhhhh, Ingrid from the last episode (Nemesis from Pitch Perfect) was Richie’s girlfriend when he and Devon met! That explains the awkwardness at Richie’s birthday party. Richie is instantly into our Devon and her shellacked blue eyeshadow, following her to the bathroom for a violent-looking counter bounce. You gotta love the seventies and all the humping. The diner bathroom is just not the same, is it, Devon?

There are little music vignettes done by impersonators; this Karen Carpenter one I could do without. It plays while Devon and Richie come back to the table with “WE JUST BANGED IN THE TURLET” written on their foreheads and Ingrid can sense it. Hell, she can probably smell it, if you wanna get gross.

Hahahahaha oh no! Devon daydreamed her way out of the diner and drove off WITHOUT HER HOOLIGANS. That is too funny! She races back to find a very disapproving restaurant manager about to call the police while she clucks about getting gas. I know, it’s probably symptomatic of her frustration and means she’ll be running away soon, but kids, they’re hard AF to raise and if you haven’t fantasized about doing that even once: you don’t have children.

A&R is playing some truly awful prog rock when Richie comes in and yay he breaks that over his leg and if you haven’t ever fantasized about doing THAT, you haven’t listened to any prog rock. It’s probably the type of music I hate most in this world, even after yodeling in the alps by people not named Maria or Jewel. At least that stuff ends eventually.

He’s firing the entire A&R department, but they have two weeks to earn their jobs back with a new act that the record company can market. Great speech: “It’s a privilege to do this job. To introduce this world to new music.To shape the culture” and that is so true.

He asks them to find memorable songs; something that made your hair stand up on the back of your neck, to fight, fcuk or hold the light. Music that DOES SOMETHING

Creedence clip! I love John Fogarty with the fire of one thousand suns.

Jamie is the only one who isn’t fired; she is in Richie’s office asking about Nasty Bitz, she wants to be the A&R rep on them. He laughs at her, she’s a secretary AND a girl. He knows that the tape was already in play, though, so she asks if he’s looking for extracurriculars, if that’s what he was talking about with Horatio Alger? He says he’d be lying if he said the thought didn’t cross his mind, HA, but no. He gives her a shot, yay! And she didn’t even need mouthwash after! He also knows she’s the connection, moar blow please!

There’s only one person who could have spilled about how she really met ol’ Kip, so she beelines right for reception, where she leans in nice and close, telling Allison that if she rats her out to Richie again, she’ll kick her fair in the jubblies.

It kinda seems as though Richie’s forgotten about the pressing matter of killing Buck Rogers, doesn’t it? How does that fit into this new life plan?

Meanwhile, Devon is documenting Richie’s damage when the phone rings, it’s the police, Richie’s car has been impounded and oh by the way, it was found right by the building that fell down. Eep, nobody has told her that Richie has turned up and he didn’t call either, the yerkoff. She’s gonna be so worried!

Not so worried is Zak’s family, they’re mad his face is messed up, but only because it’s gonna ruin graduation pictures. Hearing a grown man talk to his teenaged daughter in the third person is creepy Aas hayull. “Daddy’s fine”. Whet? Zak’s already worried about the cost, but no way are his wife and daughter going to settle.

Richie is having a great shower when Devon bursts in, awww, she was worried! I *may* have seen Cannavale peen.

The door buzzes as Devon hides the coke Richie was totally gonna quit again; it’s the homicide detective. Richie has ZERO poker face. The cop doesn’t wanna talk about Buck, though, he’s there about Morrie Gold, who is connected with those of the Bent Noses and Jim Porter. Jim Porter is a small-time bookie, Richie says he used to just bet on weekends, what have you. If he can help, for sure he will call!

The cop leaves and Richie breaks down crying, he really does not handle stress well. Of course, I can’t imagine what that situation would be like any how, but I kind of thought he’d be tougher, poor fella.

Flashback to the beginning of their relationship, Ingrid has moved on and Richie and Devon are experimenting with new drugs. It’s all very casual and over comes Andy Warhol. Devon reluctantly agrees to be filmed and in the middle, she looks over at Richie and the sexual tension is palpable.

Nasty Bitz is playing a kitchen? While Julie and Jamie look on; he doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand punk, and he gets tired of Jamie yapping in his ear really fast, sending her out for coffee. He tells the band to learn the song “All Day and All of the Night” by The Kinks for Richie and he is completely missing the point here.

Poor Zak FINALLY gets some sympathy from his wife, maybe the Paycheque’s snoring was bothering her too much? Oh and she’s racist, AWESOME! They fight about everything and nothing and marriage is tough, y’all. He walks into the garage and he’s not gonna Frank Underwood himself, is he?? Ah Zak, please don’t. I barely know ye! He starts the car, in a closed garage, and reaches for his valium, but it’s empty and ah thank goodness, turns the car off and goes and beats the shit out of the back end; he told his wife he was rear-ended after all. I bet that was cathartic!

Devon and Richie are canoodling and about to get to some life-affirming deep-Ricking, but he just wants to cuddle. He’s tahred. Devon flashes back to drinks with Ernest and Ingrid and Richie; there’s SUCH a foursome vibe with this group.

Devon can’t sleep and here she is, downtown with no kiddos nearby, while Richie has gone to find Lester Grimes. He walks into Lester’s apartment and just like that, we’re oot.

This hour went by in a blink, Imma guess because we didn’t have Martin Scorsese making it all “meaningful” and shite. Good show; starting to dig it. I like how we started to see some of the secondary characters’ stories, like Devon (ostensibly a lead, but really not) and Zak. Interesting. I’m wondering if Nasty Bitz will capitulate or rock out with their discordant socks out instead for Richie, only time will tell! Let’s see some more cool music! Until next time Script Kiddies.