As Mistress Mira’s class proceeds, through ball gags, corsets, strapons, floggers, and straight jackets, the rift between Tiff the teacher’s pet and Pete the class clown grows.
Mira decides Tiff/May has come far enough to handle a scene with her personal submissive, a wealthy man known as MJP who is a masochist and finsub. Tiff explains financial submission to Pete and says “we” will take it.
At some kind of classy adult boutique, Tiff does her temptress act of buying fancy clothes while Pete plays up the camp gay act. Tiff has to feed him lines, like, “Ask me how much it is.”
MJP watches them, while on the phone with Mira.
Mira: (on phone with MJP) “You see how careless they’re being? You’re going to be fucking broke when they’re done with you. Everything you’ve worked so hard for, wiped out by some careless, greedy children.”
Building on the “adult in the room” principle from the last episode, Tiff understands that while she is threatening to rip MJP off, her buying will stay within limits. Pete wants to run wild with his credit card, for real. Out of view from MJP, Tiff tries to reign in Pete, who gripes that he’s not having any fun. Tiff compromises and puts a leather mask Pete wanted on MJP’s card.
They still argue, and Tiff lies to Pete about the class being cancelled.
Pete goes back home, where he’s taken on Rolph as a sub. His roommate Frank also comes in, and has an emotional breakdown over his failure to find a job now that his girlfriend is pregnant. He asks Pete “May I hold the German?”
Pete looks to Rolph, who mouths “No”, but lets Frank hug him like a teddy bear. Rolph puts up with it. Frank sobs about feeling inadequate. Pete hooks him up with a job as a gogo dancer at a gay bar.
Back at the dungeon, Tiff as the dutiful student (even dressed like a dominatrix schoolgirl) meets with Mira, who calls her “responsible, professional and sexy as hell”, and that she can hang on to MJP’s credit card, though not use it. Then she brings up “your minion”, i.e. Pete, whom Tiff describes as “my best friend”. Mira lays it out that Pete is getting in the way of her being a good dominatrix.
Tiff is coming to understand the reciprocal nature of the dom/sub, top/bottom relationship, one that requires at least some empathy. This was what was noticeably lacking in the first season, which presented her clients as one-dimensional weirdos.
Pete is still at the level of, “Some guy wants to be my valet, and will pay me for the privilege? Great!” He doesn’t understand the emotional nature of the relationship, and that’s why he allows Frank to go over Rolph’s limits.
Finally, Doug gets called out by his group for pitting Tiff and Gina against each other. He visits Tiff at the dungeon (which she told him never to do) and gives her a painting of his hand, representing his freely given love, without ownership.
It’s still an open question whether Pete or Tiff would be doing BDSM if money wasn’t an issue.
