There will be blood-red lipstick.
Claire doesnt care what Mia thinks of her; this is notAmericas Next Top Best Friend.
She only cares what Paul thinks.
Credit: Starz
And people talking about baby birds.
But if Claire has baggage and she really, really does its heavy for good reason.
Its the emotional equivalent of her actual suitcase, full not of clothes but of books.
Her brother Bryan is possessive and abusive, and hes on his way to find her.
Claires body is everyones property but her own.
If she wants to take it back, it isnt going to be pretty.
Whats a little blood on the mirror to mark her turf?
(To be clear, the blood is still creepy.)
Step 1 in Claires quest for independence is to get a new phone.
Presumably her ringtone will not be Yankee Doodle this time.
They wont even let her talk about baby birds.
She tears up at the barre when no one is looking.
In a post-Lipstick Incident world, Claire cant even count on her roommate to have her back.
The only person even sort of on her side is Daphne.
Claire returns the favor by offering some pointers when Daphne cant stop falling out of her turns.
Mia gets her help elsewhere.
Its the only picture Ive got.
Even her solution is sane: Shes going to try harder.
Stop making backstabbing sound so rational, Kiira.
Paul shrugs off her concerns.
Shes getting paid in opportunities!
Nothing has been explicitly stated, he says, like his lawyers shoulder angel is whispering in his ear.
Anyway, whats wrong with a little adventure?
For anyone else this would be an adventure, she says as she pauses at her front gate.
Dont listen to that voice.
Listen to the friendly addict who lives beneath your stairs.
Romeo is the only person in this scenario who wants Claire to know that what she wants matters.
It always matters, he says.
No, yes: It matters.
Hes even writing a book.
As he helps Claire carry her mattress up the stairs, Romeo recites the opening paragraph from memory.
(It was a dark and stormy night.
Im just kidding.)
Its a solidly written passage about the coming of a storm: a feeling Claire knows well.
They bond over a mutual love of books, and Claire entrusts him with her copy ofThe Velveteen Rabbit.
In return, he offers her an unknown blue pill to help her get through the night with Brousseau.
And again: No, Claire.
Taking Romeos advice is one thing.
Taking his unidentified drugs is another.
(The famous yellow towel.
Brousseau objectifies Claire; the camera does not.
He pushes her onto the bed.
Claires rape seems inevitable, until she finds a suitably ugly way out: She makes herself throw up.
(Consider, as if this werent depressing enough, that she knows exactly how to do it.)
He calls for his car.
