Devious Maids - Another One Wipes the Dust - Review: "Blackmail Impasse"

4.02 - "Another One Wipes the Dust"

Directed by David Warren

Written by Curtis Kheel

Reviewed by Gavin Hetherington

Rosie finds herself entangled in the aftermath of the latest murder; Marisol makes a shocking discovery about Genevieve; Daniela begins to display a wild streak; a discovery makes Zoila uneasy; Evelyn reaches new lows.

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:

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  Season 3 Episode Guide
  3.01 - "Awakenings" (Advance Preview)
  3.02 - "From Here to Eternity" (Advance Preview)
  3.11 - "Terms of Endearment"
  3.12 - "Suspicion"
  3.13 - "Anatomy of a Murder"

'ANOTHER ONE WIPES THE DUST' REVIEW

"This means war!"

This had to be one of the funniest episodes of Devious Maids yet! I couldn't stop laughing for most of it, and overall, even though it was pure comedy, the episode was still relevant to the ongoing mystery of Peri's death at the end of the premiere. Marisol hears about this from Peter, who is swamped at the Office because he has ended up having to cancel the movie based on Marisol's book. It was very sweet of Peter to get Marisol dozens of flowers, but as soon as Genevieve saw him on TV, she just had to have him back. Who didn't love the whole Genevieve and Miguel dynamic in this episode? They were great and I could totally see Genevieve taking him under her wing - though she mainly treated him like a maid. "I'm still 10!" I thought she'd hate looking after him, but turns out she could use him to her advantage, and when he suggested desert, "I know you didn't mean that as innuendo but that is a good idea." I need more Genevieve and Miguel, stat.

"Oh my God, Genevieve, you're naked!"

Marisol has a bit of a hard time keeping up appearances with her new flame Peter too. Not only does she now have Genevieve on her back about it, but I had some doubts on Peter when he admitted he hadn't read her book. I felt a little crushed for Marisol. He managed to turn it around though. The best parts of Marisol's storyline here did happen to involve Genevieve, who truly shined here. I loved the little meeting they had at Marisol's about whether they were friends or not, and the sincere way Genevieve asked Marisol to back off from Peter, but the ice-cold subtext was still very much present for it. I had to laugh out loud when Marisol discussed her naked body and that she could still think about it. I am rather excited to see where this whole storyline will go, as I can imagine both ladies will throw petty battles in each other's way to sabotage the other. I'm expecting to laugh a lot this season.

"You can't mooch off the Powells forever, that's my gig."

We are totally getting closer and closer to Carmen revealing that she is Daniella's mother, and when Adrian knows a secret too, then it won't stay secret awfully long. A lot of the humour had to do with Carmen not doing much work, as usual, but Daniella also reveals she will be working for Adrian, and her allegiance with Evelyn to try and seduce him so she can meet a music producer was the icing on the cake. A few people noticed this from the promo, but how much does Daniella look like Valentina? I did a double-take during the seduction scene. I see Carmen sort of getting used to Daniella, and I especially loved it when Carmen told her it was the worst blackmail ever when discussing becoming a maid. To be fair, she has a great point, I would have went for the money. The blackmail impasse of Carmen and Adrian was great too, as both of them know each other's biggest secret and they can't say anything without their secrets being exposed. Unfortunately for Adrian, his secret quickly unravelled without Carmen's help...

"Evelyn is like carbon monoxide, you may not see her, but she can kill you."

Evelyn knows. It happened very fast and I thought they would milk this storyline for a little bit longer, but the cat is out of the bag. Evelyn's plan to set him up as a cheater instead led to his bigger infidelity - his ability to walk. I'd say she really lucked out there, and I do love that she found out. It was funny to see her incorporate Daniella into her plan, especially when Daniella tells her there is nothing going on between her and Adrian, and Evelyn responds: "Yes but would you be open to the possibility?" Evelyn's reaction by confronting him at the country club was extremely hasty and I thought she'd be a lot more tactical about her approach, but instead she just went for it. It was rather hilarious when she wouldn't stop using the word "cripple" and there just had to be somebody walking with crutches nearby - she usually puts her foot in her mouth. It appears that the power couple, for now, have ended things with Evelyn leaving Adrian after having enough, and doesn't care that she will be considered a monster. I'd say good for you Evelyn!

"It's time for Kyle's bath... gotcha."

I was very surprised by Zoila's storyline this week - and that's a good thing. I knew that it would turn out Kyle lives with his mother, but it was a bit more conflicting than that. I found it so awkward when Zoila was trying to not show how she really felt about how bizarre their relationship is. It creeped me out a lot, but that was before Kyle's mother revealed she had a number of miscarriages before she had Kyle - something that resonates with Zoila and gave it a bit more emotional depth. "Let's just say I understand." It really made me understand the mother/son dynamic that was going on, even if it was a little suffocating, but then wham-bam, when his mother tells him that she likes Zoila, but she's not for him, and that she has plans for him - I was taken back. Colour me surprised. Just like Peri's death in the premiere, this moment made me gasp a little. She made me think she was all sunshine and flowers, and occasional cookies, but what is she hiding?

"What's happening next Tuesday?"

But the highlights of the episode, for me, were Rosie's scenes. She has turned into quite the solo Mystery Gang and is determined to prove Spence's innocence. It's so quick how she and Spence want to be together (remember they have a very complicated love life), so I hope we see more development there, but for now Spence is in police custody while Rosie visited bars to find a witness. I found her scene with Cinnamon absolutely hilarious and one of the funniest moment of the show. Rosie is very reserved, so when she had to pay for a lap dance to get information, I knew it wouldn't disappoint, even from the moment she realised what Spence's "type" was. The motorboat was epic, and even the way they leave things: "I don't kiss, but for 50 you could spank me." "Maybe next time." I am getting more and more suspicious of Ben, and I hate his influence over Spence. He's so smug. And he's made Spence 'confess' to a crime he didn't commit? He's brainwashed, got to be.

PIECES OF THE PUZZLE

So Peri killed between 1am and 3am, and Spence left at 11pm. It turns out he was at a bar getting a lap dance during the murder, so we can rule him out as a suspect (even though we knew it wouldn't be that obvious). The person had to have had some access to keys to let themselves in - but the door could have just been unlocked if Peri was reckless enough after everyone left the party. Ben is rather high on the suspect list just for his sheer shadiness, but again, too obvious, though he knows more than he lets on. Jesse would have had access to the house too, and he's a rather sketchy guy nowadays in my opinion. Somebody commented on my review last week saying that maybe Gail could be the killer? Remember in the episode when Gail and Evelyn are having lunch, and she shows Evelyn a potential curtain design, and Evelyn tells her they look like prison bars - is that a hint that maybe Gail will end up behind bars by season's end?

EPISODE VERDICT

Season 4 is only 2 episodes old and I am already loving it so, so much. This episode had so much comedy gold that it was so hard to highlight just one comedic moment. But that didn't distract from the larger issues, and there were a few set-ups and moments that really propel the story forward. A fantastic episode of Devious Maids.

EPISODE AWARDS

Best Maid: Rosie, for turning into one good sleuth.

Best Rich Bitch: Genevieve - she was pure comedy gold in this episode.

Funniest Line: So many to choose from, but basically anything that came out of Genevieve's mouth!

Best Moment: Evelyn pulling Adrian to the floor to get him to walk.

Funniest Moment: Cinnamon giving Rosie a lap dance - that motorboat was amazing, and who knows, maybe she'll go back for that spank!

Shadiest Moment: Spence's confession with Ben watching.
Runner-up: Kyle's mother telling him she has plans for him.

Best Storyline: Peri's death and its aftershocks.

Biggest Reveal: That Kyle's mother is an absolute creep! "I have other plans for you Kyle."

What did you guys think about 'Another One Wipes the Dust'? 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 20th!

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 [email protected].

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