The Deuce episode 2 preview for “Show and Prove”

By Hector Cruz | Sep 14, 2017

Vinnie gets an offer from a mob boss, while Candy is introduced to the porn world in “The Deuce” episode 2, ‘Show and Prove.’

The pilot for The Deuce introduced viewers to the array of hookers, pimps, bar workers and police officers who populate the streets of Times Square at night circa 1970.

The characters who stood out the most were James Franco’s Vinnie, who comes into contact with shady characters due to his twin brother Frankie’s gambling debts after moving to the titular stretch of New York City, as well as self-made street-walker Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who will soon provide the audience’s introduction to the area’s emerging adult film industry.

The synopsis for season 1, episode 2, titled “Show and Prove,” is as follows:

"“Vincent moves into a seedy hotel and contemplates an offer from mob capo Rudy Pipilo; Bobby hopes to take advantage of Vincent’s new connections; filmmaking intrigues Candy; C.C. shows Lori the benefits of having a pimp; Larry feels unsettled.”"

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To recap who some of the characters mentioned above actually are, Larry Brown (Gbenga Akinnagbe) is the demanding pimp of young prostitute Darlene (Dominique Fishback), who had an overzealous client rough her up, while another regular just wanted to sit around and watch movies instead of having sex. Meanwhile, Bobby is Vinnie and Frankie’s brother-in-law, a family man and construction foreman who’s intrigued by their adventures surrounding “The Deuce.”

C.C. (Gary Carr) and Lori (Emily Meade) were also introduced early in the first episode after he picked her up at the Greyhound station fresh off a bus from Minnesota. They quickly became close, much to the chagrin of Ashley (Jamie Neumann), as she almost immediately became accustomed to working the corners. But following C.C.’s attack on Ashley after she refused to work in the rain, it makes sense that he would also assert control over his newest recruit.

The preview for the upcoming second episode lines up well with the provided description, as we see Candy, sporting a brown wig, being tempted to star in porn movies, though we know from the trailer for the full season that she’s more interested in a behind-the-scenes role.

Watch the teaser for episode 2 here:

Next: The Deuce series premiere recap – “Pilot”

We also get a glimpse of C.C. and Lori in bed where he promises to “be a warrior for my scratch” until he finds an exit from the pimp game. Additionally, Vinnie promises a mob capo that he’ll pay off all of his brother’s debts, NYPD patrolman Chris Alston (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.) and Danny Flanagan (Don Harvey) round up some of the hookers, and adventurous college student Abby (Margarita Levieva) moves into a seedy hotel to be close to (and work for) Vinnie after dropping out of school.

The Deuce episode 2 airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.