4.03 - "War and Grease"
Directed by Mary Lou Belli
Written by Davah Avena
Reviewed by Gavin Hetherington
Genevieve continues her war against Marisol; Carmen tries to be friends with Daniela; Zoila's friendship with Frances continues to build; Adrian cuts off Evelyn's funding; Rosie and Jesse must deal with a new visitor.
EPISODE GUIDE
Season 4 Episode Guide
Click on an episode title to be taken to that review. Episodes 4-5 were reviewed by Lindsey Salazar.
4.01 - "
Once More Unto the Bleach" (June 6, 2016) -
Advance Preview
4.02 - "
Another One Wipes the Dust" (June 13, 2016)
4.03 - "
War and Grease" (June 20, 2016)
4.04 - "
Sweeping With the Enemy" (June 27, 2016)
4.05 - "
A Time to Spill" (July 4, 2016)
4.06 - "
The Maid Who Knew Too Much" (July 11, 2016)
4.07 - "
Blood, Sweat, and Smears" (July 18, 2016)
4.08 - "
I Saw the Shine" (July 25, 2016)
4.09 - "
Much Ado About Buffing" (August 1, 2016)
4.10 - "
Grime and Punishment" (August 8, 2016)
Check out my other
Devious Maids reviews:
'WAR AND GREASE' REVIEW
"Maybe it's time to fight fire with fire."
Just taking a second at the start of this review to say how much I'm loving these episode titles - another fitting and funny episode name for a funny episode. Perhaps not as outrageous as last week's, but so funny nonetheless. To begin with, we have the war between Marisol and Genevieve. It starts with petty things at first, like Genevieve black-listing Marisol from the restaurant and writing WHORE on her car, as well as giving Marisol to think about while getting waxed - which is child's play compared to what the feisty Marisol has in store. Please tell me I'm not the only person who laughed out loud when Marisol opened the door to Genevieve and revealed the new look Marisol gave her. I'm going to put the image below so everyone can relive it, but it was amazing. I'm rather sad the war between them is over though, it didn't last long enough. But I had a good chuckle in the meantime. The raw honesty of Genevieve about her missing Zoila was so touching and I'm so glad she addressed it. I miss those two together, so much, and I'm glad their relationship is still thought of. Poor Genevieve, how sweet of her to admit it. I hope they reconcile soon. Anyway, here is that photo I promised - the look says it all:
"Carmen you don't just miss a spot, you miss entire rooms."
Carmen also has a lot to deal with in a very reckless Daniella - not just for smoking weed in the Powell household, but other things too, like crashing Adrian's Bentley and bringing TWO guys back to hers after getting a tattoo - "no regerts". It's not surprising that Carmen wants to be seen as cool, so she lets Daniella basically get away with it all. She has a very big life lesson herself in responsibility and that being cool isn't exactly the best thing to do. In this light, she still defends Daniella at Zoila's party, which I will discuss in a minute as I thought it was a great moment, and one that certainly shifts balances and sheds some light on certain issues. But in the end, Carmen calls out Daniella on her bratty behaviour - which I commend her for - and phones her "mother". I'm waiting for the fireworks on this one, as it's only a matter of time before the truth comes out. And when it does, my, my, it will be wonderful.
"The new me gets to be happy."
"The old you was my friend."
I love, love, love Zoila's storyline - so freakin' much! To see a "maid" get to experience the rich lifestyle and see how they change as a person is wonderful. She is really getting into it, and it all came to a head at her party when Daniella spills a drink on Francis's clothes. Daniella totally should have apologised and made things so much worse, so I actually sided with Zoila during the Carmen/Zoila face-off. Totally out of line, but it was also a test of friendship, and it seemed like Zoila put her new lifestyle over her old one, which included Carmen. Zoila always supports the heavy, emotional storylines and while it was mostly fun here, the scene with Carmen at the end was very raw and explained a lot of her motives. Obviously Zoila is in a bad position, but she's getting to start fresh after what she's experienced, and it's something Carmen should have been a little more sympathetic of. While I don't fully agree with Zoila's choices, as well as the things Francis said, I have to give her props for turning this already fun storyline into a more real one, where she can explore what she could potentially be rather than who she always has been. It's always interesting to see how a maid would function if they were rich, and it's clear that Zoila loves (for the time being anyway) the newfound glory that comes with being rich. I hope it lasts a bit longer because she deserves to be happy.
"All I do is fight!"
Rosie is doing some great work in this episode too, although she slipped up majorly by revealing the name of Spence's alibi in jail - but then again, how was she supposed to know one of the cops is working for Ben? Still, if
Orange is the New Black has taught me anything, it's to never name names. Hopefully Rosie will find another way to save Spence, but it seems she has some kind of plan in motion. It was great to see Peri's sister Shannen, and as Spence puts it, "Peri was the nice sister." I can't wait to see more of her, especially with how things ended in the episode. Back to Rosie though, she had a marvellous scene when speaking with Spence about fighting, telling him that he needs to trust her, whether he trusts himself or not. It's clear all this fighting is really taking its toll on Rosie, but I'm more than sure she will come out the other side a winner. She's a tough cookie. I love how she kind of played Shannen too by telling her she calls the shots now, not Peri, and with Jesse, she managed to get back into the house to take care of Tucker. As Ben and Shannen put it in the end, keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but they underestimate our Rosie - she is going to take them down, I know she can do it.
"Could you please refrain from playing with your balls?"
Evelyn slays every game just every single time. I honestly thought she was going to just go back to Adrian just because he has her backed into a corner, but oh no, she did exactly as I hoped and didn't fall into his trap. I honestly respect Evelyn so much more now. I love that she said she wasn't familiar with the concept of her card being declined (always making light of a bad situation), but the scene with Adrian at the country club, where he paints her a picture of her life without him, was utterly hilarious. She was so shocked and appalled, which is why I thought she'd just suck it up and go back to him for the money. "I don't even eat peanut butter." "You do now." What Evelyn gains, instead, is total integrity. She's not one to let others play her, especially not Adrian. I salute her. The best part is where Evelyn is going to end up - in Marisol's house. Already it's an absolute riot, since she told Peter to not expect a tip for bringing in her 17 bags. This new living arrangement is going to be INCREDIBLE, and Evelyn living a life of, well, what she would consider poverty, is going to be the highlight of the season I bet.
PIECES OF THE PUZZLE
Not an awful deal of murder mystery in this episode other than the general shadiness from Ben, but we do get the reveal that Ben and Shannen, Peri's sister, are sleeping together, so there is something way off here. Maybe Shannen killed Peri because she was jealous of her lifestyle? Maybe too obvious, but something is going on, and Rosie needs to figure it out fast because I'm dying to know.
EPISODE VERDICT
Not one bad episode of season 4 yet, which is a great feat so far. I am loving every ladies' storyline and they just keep getting better and better. The exploration of identities is proving to be very nicely handled by the writers, and I really feel like Marisol, Rosie, Zoila and Carmen have been given great purposes that furthers their storylines. Not one bad moment, which is exactly how I like my
Devious Maids to be. 7 seasons and movie, yah?
EPISODE AWARDS
Best Maid: Marisol - she really fought fire with fire and ended the war before it got truly ugly. Kudos to her.
Best Rich Bitch: Zoila! Even though she's not really a "rich bitch", she certainly acted the part! And I LOVE it!
Funniest Line: "Evelyn has resting murder face" - Adrian.
Best Moment: Zoila's and Carmen's face-off at the cocktail party. Tense!
Funniest Moment: Evelyn's and Adrian's talk, where Adrian laid down what would happen to Evelyn without him.
Shadiest Moment: Shannen and Ben at the end! My God!
Runner-up: Zoila not picking Carmen's side at the party.
Best Storyline: Marisol's and Genevieve's war.
Runner-up: Zoila has to throw a cocktail party.
Biggest Reveal: Shannen is Peri's "nice sister" and she's working with Ben!
What did you guys think about 'War and Grease'? Let me know your thoughts of the episode in the comments and be sure to watch the next episode when it airs on Lifetime, 9pm on Monday June 27th!
About the Author - Gavin Hetherington
Award-winning author of the 'Abyssal Sanctuary' series. As Senior Staff, Gavin joined SpoilerTV in August 2014 and reviews Dead of Summer, Devious Maids, Mistresses, Pretty Little Liars and Salem. Gavin will write previews for Empire and Shadowhunters, and backs-up Once Upon a Time, Reign and Scandal. Gavin also writes special anniversary articles, most recently Charmed. You can contact him at gavin@spoilertv.com.
