Always a Catch! ‒ Episode 10

Mimi’s right – it is not easy to be a delicate lady. Even setting aside such persistent cultural myths as widespread tight lacing (when a corset was tightened to the point of difficulty breathing; it happened, but it wasn’t the everyday norm for most women), it’s no simple task to walk like you’re on wheels, maintain proper forms of address and precedence, or perfectly execute dance steps and figures no matter who your partner is. And that’s not even getting into the forty pounds of clothing pre-hoop skirt, the degree of emotional masking to always appear gracious, and not clinking your spoon against your teacup when stirring. The details of 19th-century ladyhood in the time period Always a Catch! is a visual callback to were vast and varied. No wonder Mimi’s struggling!

At this particular moment, it’s the dancing that’s her major problem. We all remember when she danced with Placido at the school garden party (Aida sure does!) and how…creative her steps were. With the betrothal ball coming up, it’s imperative that Mimi not do that again, not because anyone wants to hide who she is – everyone adores her, even former rivals like Rosalia – but rather because foreign dignitaries who were perhaps hoping to form an alliance with Rubini via marriage, those not kindly disposed to the kingdom, and other judgmental folks are going to be in attendance. Once the wedding is done, Mimi can be her vivacious, madcap self. In this moment? She needs to conform a bit to cultural expectations.

While I love Aida’s attempts to whip Mimi into shape (the girl has the heart of a deceptively sweet drill instructor), it’s Rosalia’s contribution I’m most struck by. It’s not that Mimi has won her over that’s impressive, but instead how much care and thought Rosalia is now putting into their friendship. It’s clearly important to her, not because Mimi’s going to marry Renato, but because Mimi gave her a chance to redeem herself, and then even went out of her way to help Rosalia’s family by setting up the possibility of trade with Navarro. We’ve always known that Mimi is kind and thoughtful, but to Rosalia, she was just some upstart with no manners who swooped in and stole the best catch in the kingdom. This proof of Mimi’s goodness and kind heart truly touched Rosalia, and she’s ready to do her part and make up for her prior bad behavior. It’s an understated scene but an important one, because it shows that Mimi’s personality is what always shines through. She may need to play the proper lady at times, but her true strength is what makes her unabashedly Maria Annovazzi.

She’s also capable of changing her mind about someone, which is frankly a lot harder to do than most people admit. Ireneo, who has thankfully been absent for a lot of episodes, is back this week, and both Mimi and Aida are very firm in their rejection of any sort of physical contact with him. But when the queen tells Mimi about his past, how he was crown prince before Renato was born, she begins to realize that there’s more to him than just a walking ball of horny. Renato fills in the details of how he was used and abandoned by unscrupulous adults, which helps Mimi (and us) to put the pieces together: he’s acting in a way that gets him the most adoration in a safe form. If he loves and leaves ladies, he’s hurting them before they can hurt him. Essentially, Ireneo is doing as was done to him, and that makes him tragic, along with annoying. That Mimi can even consider this is a testament to her own strength.

She will, of course, need it not just for the ball, but because another rival appears to be on her way out of the woodwork. I’m curious to see if the revelation of Ireneo’s past will dovetail with this new villainess’ storyline, but either way, I have full confidence that Mimi can take care of her…just maybe not while being a perfect lady.

Rating:

Always a Catch! is currently streaming on
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