In Laurence Leamer’s book we don’t really get the full insight into what Babe Paley’s reaction was to the release of the Esquire article. The author explains that by that time Babe was actively dying of cancer and it was assumed that while she was incredibly hurt she also had a lot more pressing matters to deal with. So when she was so gorgeous and virile looking in the first episode I thought perhaps we weren’t going to dive into her health at the time of Truman’s faux pas.

The start of the second episode very quickly tells us this will be a plot point. We begin with an IV going into a Chanel suit clad arm. These are the chemo drugs that Babe says are so cold. But there is a bright side to every cloud and given her diagnosis her husband is being attentive! He’s doing things for her, yay? The love and acknowledgement she wanted for so long was so cruelly delivered.

We then go to Ann Woodward’s funeral. All the ladies are in attendance, including Lee Radziwill (played by Calista Flockhart), the often maligned sister of Jackie. Ann’s son gives the eulogy with the hatred and vehemence of a conservative talking about DEI. (CZ quietly asking if no one vetted this speech is the perfect tone and no one could have delivered it quite like Chloe) Jimmy is not sparing anyone, he names Truman, he calls out those sitting in the audience who spread his lies. So obviously they are not going back to his house after the funeral for deli and a bagel.

The ladies go to La Cote Basque. Seemingly the only restaurant any of them go to. Babe is sick from the chemo, though we don’t know with certainty the other women know why she’s sick. They then kiki in earnest about Truman. CZ is the lone semi apologist for the pint size author. The rest of the women have had it. They suggest that misogyny is something that gay men are prone to. (They might have a bit of a point, especially in this case.) Slim is the most enraged; she feels that Happy’s menstrual blood was used in such a way as to say its presence was the utmost insult. Lee quips back, “As if women’s vaginas were hell gates.” If a drag queen does not somehow incoprorate this audio into her show I will be very disappointed. They call for a total ostrozizing of Truman.

We then get the credits which seem to be ridiculously long.

When we come back we see Truman in LA preparing his lines for Murder by Death in the hair and makeup chair. He is trying to get ahold of Babe, which is not successful. In no small part because he seems to think that Babe, one of most cultured women of her generation, doesn’t know the time difference between NYC and LA. He is drinking too much, he’s taking too many pills. His performance is awful and he begins to hallucinate his wronged swans. When he gets back to his apartment in New York he tries again to get ahold of Babe to no avail. He decides to throw out all the alcohol he has stashed around his house. He’s going to get back in to fighting shape, we’re led to believe.

We then have the most aspirational sight (minus the cancer) of Babe Paley in her bed surrounded by all the jewelry her husband bought her when he was cheating on her. The necklace she’s wearing around her neck is absolute goals. She throws out the iconic line “They love you when the clock is ticking.” Can’t wait to use that line the next time I’m escorted out of a Subway Sandwich shop. Slim comes to visit her and Babe tries to give her some of the jewels. She takes a beautiful ruby bracelet from Bill’s affair to Happy called the Verdura. I hope I live long enough for my jewelry to have known names, hopefully more meaningful names than their ones right now, “Made in China.” Bill comes in to try and help but alas, he is a man so he is told to go learn some recipes for when Babe is dead like Welsh Rabbit. The simplest meal. The WASPiest thing said thus yet. So far.

CZ has relented and is having lunch with Truman. What restaurant would you choose when you’re trying to fly under the radar and avoid your core group of friends? Obviously the only restaurant you all go to. It makes PERFECT SENSE. She’s of course spotted by one of the ladies but not before she relents and allows Truman to come to her house in Palm Beach for Thanksgiving.

We see CZ’s Polo Ralph Lauren showroom…I mean house. Slim comes to walk a horse around the estate with CZ (the rich lady version of going for coffee) and then really digs deep with a horse metaphor to show her displeasure at CZ’s lunch meeting with Truman. The horse looks very uncomfortable to be used this way. Slim laments how sick Babe is and gives CZ the ruby bracelet to show just how serious things are. Slim tells CZ she has to uninvite Truman for Thanksgiving. She eventually relents and delivers the bad news to Truman as he’s “cooking” otherwise known as asphyxiating himself by the smoke in the apartment. Key line in this scene for me: Truman to CZ “I dream of your crudete.” Truly white nonsense.

After what looks to be a really awkward dad night with the kids, John comes back to the apartment and kicks the crap out of Truman when he starts spewing hatred about John and his family circumstances. It’s really hart who to root for in a fight with this many unlikable people.

The next day Babe is returning to her home (rocking a scarf over her head, I always look like an extra from Fiddler on the Roof when I try and pull that off) when she’s approached by Truman’s ex Jack. Jack is trying to reconcile the two to no avail.

Truman and John go to LA (why you would want a man that beat you up in your presence I have no idea but from all accounts that’s what their relationship was like) to go to Thanksgiving at Joanne Carson’s house. The ex of Johnny Carson is perfectly cast as Molly Ringwald. This party is not really Truman’s scene. And to prove the point they have this poor featured extra dressed as Phyllis Diller looking bewildered at every given turn. An epic montage of the Palm Beach Thanksgiving mixed with the LA one goes on far too long and makes me very hungry. Though I may just be poor but I think Joanne’s meal looks better. John every the giver decides to try and murder the turkey again instead of carve it as Truman goes to refill his drink.

We then get an amazing scene with Jessica Lange chewing the scenery in all her Ryan Murphy glory as Lillie Mae, his social climbing drunk mother who recommends Truman simply kill himself. He rebukes her and we return to the present and to dinner. Where for some reason Phyllis Diller is sat between John and Truman like some sort of awkward, ostentatious Great Wall of China. However, unlike the wall she could not avert the two gay men from yelling at each other and John eventually beats Truman up again, this time even worse than the first.

Jack calls Babe to tell him that violence has happened again. Babe will still not relent in her cold treatment of Truman. And we see the episode again framed with the cold chemo going through her veins.

The title of the episode “Ice Water in Their Veins” here is such a good metaphor for behavior that may seem harsh and overly harmful but in the end is necessary for self preservation, much like chemo.