Well, mes amis, we’ve reached the end of Étoile Season 1! There’s not a lot in the way of resolution in this finale. Presumably, that’s because the initial order was for two seasons (although that’s been thrown into question in recent interviews). Nevertheless, we’ve got all the makings of a great (if slightly overstuffed) finale here: emotionally-fraught performances, conflicts we don’t know how to resolve, and, yes, plenty of romance. Here’s where Étoile Season 1, Episode 8 “The Offer” leaves our bicontinental ballet crew.
And here’s hoping we do get a second season after all. Perhaps it’s not a blockbuster kind of show, but does it have to be? These stories deserve to continue — it means more than ever to have stories about the costs and irreplaceable nature of art.
Ready to Wake Up
Nicholas is not doing well when Étoile Season 1, Episode 8 begins. It seems certain he won’t wake up, and Jack is stuck trying to keep it all together with the vultures circling. Jack is overwhelmed by underwhelming resumes for Nicholas’s would-be replacement. Plus, he can’t get Shamblee’s idea out of his head: hire Cheyenne.
Speaking of the Queen of the Dance, she flees to Paris after her stumble. She’s less than thrilled to meet Mishi there, and she’s angry to find that Bruna went to see Mishi dance – something she never did for Cheyenne.
Later, Bruna and Cheyenne spend a day searching for Cheyenne’s father’s headstone in an enormous cemetery. In their own odd way, they also come to an understanding. Despite both being prickly, blunt, and fiercely independent, there’s also a lot of love and admiration there.
And speaking of (surrogate) parental relationships – Nicholas wakes up! He and Jack are both crying as he fondly pats Jack’s head and realizes just how bad his scare really was. And again, I say: the purest relationship on the entire show!
Paris Holds the Key to Tobias’s Heart
Before we get into more emotionally rough stuff, let’s take a breather in Paris for the one truly triumphant, joyous resolution of the finale.
Tobias’s next piece is due to go up soon, and he’s (understandably) nervous, given the terrible reception of his last one. Then, Geneviève works her magic, gets Gabin’s charges dropped, and reinstates him. He’s not thrilled about having to claim he felt “scared” for self-defense, but he goes with it. He returns to rehearsal, contrite (or as contrite as he gets), and Tobias is very pleased.
On opening night, the dancers have barely begun when Tobias freaks out and calls the whole thing to a halt. It’s not right, he laments. And despite Geneviève’s abject panic, he sits down on the stage to re-choreograph then and there. Gabin very sweetly delivers a speech to the audience about how he has let people down, how brilliant Tobias is – and a few tips so that they can let Tobias do his thing.
Sensing a moment in the making, Geneviève gets the giant screen outside the theater to play the livestream from inside. Soon, it goes viral on social media, and before we know it, there’s a huge crowd outside, watching art get made. Finally, Tobias speaks. He admits that he likes being done with a piece so he can forget about it. He’s not used to caring, or being afraid, and he’s not sure if he likes it, but it’s there now anyway.
The performance goes off splendidly, including moments to feature Gabin. The second the applause begins, Tobias strides out onstage and sweeps Gabin into a kiss. Gabin eagerly reciprocates, before reminding Tobias that they’re in public. “Do you think they noticed?” Tobias asks, and the audience cheers them as they kiss again. Aww, I love these two egotistical ding-dongs who are only soft for each other!
Shamblee’s Revenge
We knew it was coming, but the urgency of Nicholas’s scare pushed it to the back of everyone’s minds. But, as always, Shamblee is a step ahead. By the time the curtain drops, he’s managed to wreck the relationships between our three protagonists – aka, the three people who openly mistrust him.
Let’s rewind to last week, when Shamblee “casually” suggested Cheyenne as Nicholas’s replacement. Jack is smart enough to know it’s a setup, but even he can’t help admitting she’d be good at the job. So he calls her and makes the pitch. Still reeling from her onstage stumble, she decides she just might take the offer.
At the start of the episode, Jack and Geneviève’s relationship seemed to be making some strides. She comforts him, helps him pick a potential casket for Nicholas, and then – in the big, scary step for her – suggests that, when this is all over, he should join her in Paris and stay with her for a while. When Cheyenne tells Geneviève she might leave, though, all hell breaks loose.
Geneviève calls Jack, irate, and tells him to rescind the offer. But he won’t, because he thinks Cheyenne really would be the right person. Geneviève tells him to forget what she said about them and Paris, and hangs up, leaving both her and Jack hurt. It all ends up being moot, though, when Nicholas wakes up. Now Cheyenne feels adrift, Geneviève feels betrayed, and Jack can’t take back his decisions. Shamblee has successfully driven wedges between all three of them, and oh I want him to pay!!
All Alone
Cheyenne finally performs her big solo in Étoile Season 1, Episode 8 “The Offer.” It’s lovely, and it’s painful. It’s the Étoile equivalent of Lenny Bruce’s “All Alone” routine. Over Sparks’s “I Married Myself,” Cheyenne dances a heartbreaking routine. She’s clearly reflecting not just on her future as a dancer, but on losing Geneviève’s support and on Gael’s rejection. He broke up with her, telling her that it’s clear she has no room for anything other than dance. Jack, along with the other company members, watches from the wings.
It’s an artistic triumph, but an emotional low point. Jack later finds Cheyenne in the practice studio, where she’s crying and ranting about all of it and how everyone is mad at her. Gael’s jab cut deep. Jack tries to point out that everyone hates him too, but it doesn’t help. Instead, he grabs her arms to tell her that Gael (and everyone) is wrong. She feels everything — that’s what makes her the way she is.
And here comes what everyone kind of suspected would happen eventually! Cheyenne doesn’t want to be cold and empty. Even though they both agree that this is an even worse idea than their previous hookup, the season cuts to black on a fraught, fierce kiss between Jack and Cheyenne. To quote Marie Kondo, I love mess! And to repeat myself: Season 2 when, please??
Curtain Call
- A huge end-of-season shout-out to Constance Devernay and Arcadian Broad, the dance doubles for Cheyenne and Gabin, as well as all the pro dancers throughout the season!
- During Jack’s symbolic ramble through NYC, he sees posters of Cheyenne everywhere. It’s the Shen Yun-style marketing campaign from way back in Episode 2!
- If “I Married Myself” is Étoile’s “All Alone” … does that make Jack and Cheyenne’s hookup the equivalent of Midge’s one-night stand with Joel pre-tour? Discuss (and I’m sorry)!
- And speaking of Maisel parallels: Nicholas’s health scare lifts heavily from Moishe Maisel’s, yes?
- Bruna and Cheyenne chew out Timeo for ghosting Mishi. But, twist! He just didn’t know if Mishi still liked him! He brings her flowers after a performance, and it’s all very sweet.
- “It’s hard without an actual person there.” “Well, so is sex, but life finds a way.” Tobias has such a way with words.
- Gael has moved on pretty quickly! He tells Jack that he and Quinn are pursuing something real, sooooo. I don’t really see the chemistry between Gael and Quinn — at least not enough to justify the lingering, one-that-got-away narrative the show seems to be implying.
- For those who track these kinds of things, the episode also clarifies Cheyenne’s age. She was born in 1991, making her around 33. With mid-30s serving as a common retirement age for ballet dancers, it’s no wonder she’s panicking over a crack in her perfection.
- Don’t skip the end credits! Trust me — there’s a mid-credits stinger you won’t want to miss.
What did you think of Étoile Season 1, Episode 8 “The Offer”? What are your hopes for a second season? Let us know in the comments!
