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Nothing like a good love triangle to keep things interesting. This week’s episode opens with Victory and Rodrigo on a romantic (albeit a tad bit touristy) date on the Circle Line Ferry, but the moment is spoiled when Joe calls about lighting for Victory’s new store. Could the unflappable Joe Bennett be jealous? He did look a bit green.

He regains his coloring—and attitude—when he brings Tatiana, a Russian designer, to visit Victory’s story. It seems that he is also investing in Tatiana’s clothing line and has plans to open stores in Europe. Really? This looks like the classic ploy to make Victory jealous. It works…a little.

But this stunt was all Victory needs to finally get over Joe. Later, Victory attends a restaurant opening Dahlia scheduled as a part of the full-throttle press offensive to sell the Victory Ford brand. Joe and Tatiana conveniently show up. Victory confronts him; the relationship is really over.

She leaves the event to find Rodrigo, who happens to be at the store lamenting over an erroneous shipment of tile. She tells him she is completely over Joe and only interested in him. They embrace and christen the store, but only after Victory covers the security camera with her dress.

Romance is also in the air for Nico and Kirby, although Nico is having a hard time. When they met, they were in a vacuum. Now they’re not. She’s a woman who plans everything, and it scares her that she has no idea where this relationship is going.

But Nico should also be concerned about the direction of her career. Big boss Hector has hired Griffin Bell (James Lesure) for the CEO position both Nico and Mike Harness wanted. Nico and Griffin immediately clash in the first staff meeting when he demands she write an apology over a fashion editorial that has caused controversy with advertisers and special interest groups.

While this goes against her journalist instincts, it leads to a plan to get Mike out of her way. Thinking the magazine is sinking and he’s going to get fired, Mike falls for her calculating maneuvers and finds a new job. Bye-bye Mike.

But the real drama unfolds when Noah Mason, star of Wendy’s current biographical film of John Lennon, dies on the set midway through production. The secret is out: Noah had cancer and someone doctored his medial paperwork clearing him to work. The studio’s insurance company is denying the claim since the documents were forged, and Griffin tells Wendy he has no choice but to go after Noah’s estate to recoup company loses.

Wendy comes clean and admits to signing the forms. Griffin admires her compassion and conviction. She has produced many great projects for the studio, but her lack of judgment has cost the company millions of dollars and he has to let her go. What? He can’t fire Wendy. Oh yes he can…and did. This is insurance fraud and she should be happy the studio isn’t pressing charges.

Whoa. Wendy leaves several messages for Hector, wanting to plead her case, but the time difference between NYC and Hong Kong keeps her from reaching him. Finally, while Wendy, Shane and Maddie are eating dinner at the local Chinese restaurant, the phone rings. It’s Hector. Wendy steps outside to take the call, only to find Hector’s assistant Marian on the line. Hector stands behind Griffin’s decision, and she’s out. Wendy’s world is spinning out of control around her as she stands helplessly on the street…

Ah, finally some strong power plays have been introduced into the storyline. I’ve mentioned previously there are many differences between Lipstick Jungle the television show and Lipstick Jungle the novel. In past episodes, it seems the on-screen characterizations of Wendy, Victory and Nico aren’t as ruthless as in the pages of the book. They are softer, nicer, perhaps even weaker, than their literary counterparts.

But we saw some of that fire this week with Nico expertly manipulating Mike Harness right out of his job at Bonfire. When he called her a bitch as the elevator doors closed, I admit there was a fist pump and a verbal “yeah!” escaped my lips at the victory.

Here’s where things are going to get interesting for the writers, as choices will have to be made with how much time is spent developing Nico’s love life story line vs. the career story line. If Nico was the primary character, both themes could be developed. But she must equally share the stage with Wendy and Victory, so something has to give. Kirby is a fan favorite, but the political maneuvering of moving up the career ladder has more potential for long-term drama. It will be captivating to see what direction is ultimately chosen.

But the real blow is to Wendy. Her career has always had top billing. And here’s where things get interesting with the plot differences in the novel and the TV show. In print, Wendy’s marriage fell apart but her career was strong. The opposite is happening here. With such a blow to her self-esteem, how will Wendy rebound? What toll will it take on her relationships with Shane and Maddie—will they become closer or pushed apart from the stress? There are so many directions the story can take. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

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