This article contains spoilers for Margo’s Got Money Troubles Episode 5.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles is easily the most interesting series airing currently. Its ensemble, comprised of Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, and Greg Kinnear, goes from strength to strength each week. This has never felt more apparent than in “Flamingoes,” streaming from April 29. Written by Boo Killebrew, the episode takes its characters to Las Vegas, forcing them to confront some of the uncomfortable truths they have long avoided. The result is one of the series’ most emotionally volatile instalments to date.
The premise alone is promising. Shyanne (Pfeiffer) and Kenny (Kinnear) are getting married in Las Vegas, with Jinx (Offerman) present as a “manny” to Bodhi. Everyone performs a role that does not quite fit, even if some (Kenny) remain blissfully unaware and others (Jinx) struggle to ignore the obvious. Vegas, in all its artificial excess, becomes the perfect location for this dissonance, particularly as, by the episode’s end, Margo (Fanning) and Jinx cannot wait to leave.
Killebrew’s script leans into that tension early. Shyanne continues to allow Kenny to create a version of her that aligns with his values. It’s an uneasy compromise, and the episode never lets us forget it. The pair, alongside Margo, attend a “perverse” magic show, where Shyanne and Kenny’s onstage participation leads to humiliation for the youth minister when the magician reveals what he claims to be Shyanne’s bra. Later, Kenny reveals to Margo that he is uncomfortable with such perceived degradation. His discomfort speaks volumes about his worldview and how mismatched he is to both women.
That mismatch manifests in smaller, almost absurd ways. Kenny forgets his tie for the wedding and cannot find another, worried about choosing something Shyanne might dislike. Shyanne cancels her manicure to compensate – she is clearly displeased – until Margo steps in and offers to go with him.
Though it begins comedically, the plotline soon reveals a sadder truth. Kenny cannot act independently because he has spent his life in service to others, first his parents, then the church. As he confesses this to Margo, Kinnear delivers the moment with a devastating vulnerability. His voice breaks as he describes walking into Bloomingdale’s and feeling his future crack open, a life suddenly filled with possibilities he thought he had missed. It’s a beautifully observed monologue, positioning Kenny as someone adrift rather than pathetic, as it has been easy to assume.
Margo’s role in this dynamic proves crucial. She accompanies Kenny to pick out a tie, selecting one she knows Shyanne will love, effectively mediating a relationship she does not entirely believe in. At dinner, Kenny emphasises his commitment not just to Shyanne, but to her family, promising Margo that he will be a dependable male figure – one without a second family. Margo bristles, and Shyanne defends Jinx, noting that he is present now, helping. As with Margo’s Got Money Troubles, nothing is black and white.
With Kenny asleep, Shyanne drags Margo and Jinx out for an impromptu bachelorette party, even suggesting they sneak Bodhi into a bar. The sequence is highly entertaining, further highlighting the disconnect between Shyanne and Kenny, while Pfeiffer and Offerman’s chemistry proves impossible to ignore. Their shared history – and his regret – is felt in every glance, leading Jinx to admit he blew it with her. Pfeiffer is magnetic when Shyanne agrees. It’s deliciously intoxicating.
The emotional centre of “Flamingoes,” however, lies in a confrontation between Margo and Shyanne. Margo questions whether Shyanne actually wants to get married. Her scepticism counteracts Shyanne’s insistence that no man has ever loved her as Kenny does. What follows is a devastating argument that the series has spent its first four episodes building up to. When Margo reveals that she supports herself and Bodhi through OnlyFans, Shyanne initially laughs, then recoils. She believes Margo has destroyed her life forever, equating sex work with an irreversible loss of dignity.
Fanning is at her best here, insisting she is not having sex and instead is building a brand. Shyanne refuses to accept that distinction, arguing that it invites people to decide she is a “piece of trash.” Above all, the exchange stresses that Shyanne’s biggest fear is Margo ending up as she has: a single mother, abandoned by the man she loved and had a child with, and viewed as something less for working at Hooters. That fear drives her towards the safety Kenny provides, even if it means she must hide parts of herself. Neither woman is entirely right nor wrong. Shyanne’s concern stems from lived experience, while Margo’s perspective reflects a more accepting, autonomous society.
By the time the wedding arrives, the ceremony is undeniably sweet, if lonely. The episode closes on a moment of uncertainty. Margo, frustrated by her mother’s inability to see her as anything other than a baby with a baby, decides to leave Las Vegas and immerse herself in something bigger – perhaps an art project, yet she remains unsure. Jinx reminds her that she and Shyanne battle all the time and come out the other side loving each other more, though it no longer seems enough.
“Flamingoes” exemplifies what makes Margo’s Got Money Troubles so compelling. It’s a nuanced series that embraces the messy, often contradictory nature of its characters. If Apple TV play their cards right, they have serious competition for shows such as Hacks, The Comeback, and Shrinking this awards season.
