Warning: This review of episode 4 of Margo’s Got Money Troubles will contain spoilers.

We’ve arrived at a strange cultural moment when it comes to on-screen representations of sex. On the one hand, there’s so many reports and studies of the younger generation’s aversion to sex scenes. On the other, romance and romantasy novels – of which Margo’s Got Money Troubles is adjacent to at least – are keeping book stores alive, and careers are made from influencers who traffic in the genre. Episode 4 of season 1 sees Margo (Elle Fanning) get her feet wetter in the OnlyFans community, and the further development of its lead trio’s characters.

The good news is that the show treats sex work and OnlyFans work with the nuance and depth that it needs. Never does it feel like Margo should be ashamed, or that the creators she meets are lesser people because of their chosen profession. This could very easily happen with the Hungry Ghost persona which Margo adopts, a kind of cosplayer who rates her tippers’ genitalia and compares them to Pokemon. She quickly gains a small following but needs the help of established veterans – who we got a brief glimpse of in episode 3 – for help.

There isn’t much in the way of plot development within episode 4, but we get introductions to KC (Rico Nasty) and Rose (Lindsey Normington), the aforementioned creators, and Nicole Kidman as Jinx’s (Nick Offerman) former wrestling buddy Lace. These characters will surely feature more prominently throughout the rest of Margo’s Got Money Troubles, but we’re already halfway through season 1, so part of me worries that the ever-expanding cast will get to be too much to handle. The good news is that this week’s episode confirmed its focus on its headline characters, leading to some sweet and funny moments between them.

I had wondered how long Margo would be able to keep her OnlyFans career a secret from her father/roommate, but thankfully the show again has the good sense to not drag it out for too long. At first, Jinx disapproves and scold’s Margo for her lifestyle choice, but the show’s creative team uses it as an opportunity for him to get to know her better after their prolonged absence. This leads them to a convention for wrestling fans, where we meet the aforementioned Lace. But before that, we get a sweet interaction between Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Jinx. Obviously Margo’s Got Money Troubles is teasing the inevitable choice which Shyanne must choose between Jinx and Kenny (Greg Kinnear) before their wedding, but this is one instance where I’m glad the show is taking its time and not forcing the matter.

The ending of episode 4 provides some obvious dramatic potential, as Jinx goes to visit professor Mark (Michael Angarano) and, presumably, injures him. But I see another avenue for contention, and a convergence of Margo’s Got Money Troubles‘ depiction of sex work with Margo’s character drama. It comes as Margo meets with KC and Rose – after signing another NDA – to discuss her approach to her platform, and the fact that Margo hasn’t appeared fully nude on her page yet. Obviously Margo’s no prude when it comes to sex or her identity, but I wonder if she’ll have some trepidation, or feel like she’s being pushed outside her comfort zone by her new compatriots.

Sometimes it’s nice to go in blind to an adaptation, and take each new plot and character revelation as a surprise. Sometimes reading the source material helps in the surprises of the creative team’s changes. I’m still glad I’m going into Margo’s Got Money Troubles season 1 cold, but it could possibly help with the pacing issues. Of course, these are just minor quibbles in what has otherwise been a solid season so far, and episode 4 is emblematic of what the show does best.