I'm not the type to ever find myself at the center of a scandal - unless there's a select group of individuals who genuinely crave lukewarm takes on film and TV - but I've always imagined it to be akin to what's portrayed in Episode 3 of I Love LA. In other words, a bit frivolous, yet paramount to the lives it entwines. It's easy for those like me to dismiss the notion of an influencer being digitally hounded for one reason or another - simply turn off your phone, the popular refrain goes - but if being an influencer defines you, your circle of friends, and the places you frequent are populated by influencers, and all you do is influence, you can understand why it might be a big deal.
I can certainly see why it might be a big deal for Maia. Paulena's TikTok tell-all about Tallulah being a Balenciaga bag-stealer unleashes a storm of controversy in "Girl's Girl," and now that she's Tallulah's official manager, it's her job to fix it. However, this task is easier said than done, as Tallulah isn't the type to obey or keep a low profile. In fact, as soon as she learns about the video - amidst an IV infusion of vitamins with Alani - she goes wild, starts screaming, and tries to respond to every comment until Alani drops her phone in a vase full of water. This scene is particularly well-executed, with everyone in it, but especially Odessa A'zion, who I'm increasingly impressed by, delivering a compelling performance.
Much of this energy stems from the fact that there's technically nothing Tallulah can do about the situation. The responsibility falls to Maia, who immediately recognizes it as a make-or-break career crisis despite Alyssa trying to downplay it and leave the details to an experienced crisis management consultant who thinks a simple boilerplate apology will suffice. But there's no way Tallulah will go in for an apology, as doing so would be an admission of guilt, and Maia is all about protecting her client's - and her own! - reputation. Or so she thinks, anyway.
The ways in which Maia chews this over and eventually arrives at a conclusion are somewhat nonsensical, but I think that's the point. There's a whole bit about Maia learning from an unlikely source that backing down is a sign of weakness, and the fact she swallows it wholesale implies, at least to me, that she's not very good at her job. This seems to be confirmed when the solution kind of lands in her lap and she responds by letting Tallulah off the leash, which is more a stroke of good fortune than any kind of mastermind move. It also results in Tallulah losing a brand deal, though potentially gaining another; Alyssa's "are you sure you know what you're doing?" text is the bit we're supposed to be paying attention to, since I don't think Ma
