In Season 2, Episode 7 of Sharkey's Place, the bar in Milbridge, Maine, transforms into an impromptu performance space. The episode explores themes of artistic ownership, the price of fame, and the power of storytelling.

The Coffee Revolution

The evening begins with Kirini and Sandra discussing their "fresh-faced" new helper, who has turned the bar's coffee service into a "cash machine".

• The Roaster: The new employee taught herself to use the coffee roaster via YouTube and now claims the machine is "saying, 'Feed me! Feed me beans!'".
• Profitability: Kirini notes that there is as much money in coffee as there is in beer, successfully selling to "the boys" in the morning.

Artistic Integrity and the "Sandras"

Neil Ruffin, an artist and poet, arrives smelling of turpentine and paint. He is finishing a series of paintings of Sandra, referred to as "the Sandras".

• The Burn Order: Sandra instructs Neil to burn four of the paintings.
• Ownership of Image: She refuses to sell them to a client named Alexi because she doesn't want nude images of herself "in every room" or shared among his friends. Neil agrees, stating that since it is her image, he must retract it if she objects to its use.

The Reality of the Best-Seller List

Boots Moran arrives to celebrate her latest book, Five Nickels, hitting the Times Best Sellers list.

• Speed vs. Volume: Boots explains that the list focuses on "speed" rather than total sales; a book is a hit if it sells 100,000 copies in 90 days, even if it drops off later.
• The "Murder-Industrial-Complex": She critiques James Patterson's "factory" that churns out formula mysteries for a "non-literary crowd," contrasting it with her own loyal fan base.

The "Open Mike" Night

Kirini debuts a new fold-down stage and spotlight, encouraging her regulars to perform.

• Neil’s Poetry: Neil reads a somber poem about "fasting, penitent hermits" and lonely memories, which Captain Gordon jokingly calls "gloomy".
• Boots’ Thriller: Boots reads a suspenseful excerpt from Five Nickels involving a woman named Lily hiding in a shower to escape a killer on a cruise ship.
• Gordon’s Sea Tale: Captain Gordon tells a gruesome story from 1994 about a crewman named Wally who was devoured by a "dark devil" mermaid off Fryingpan Shoals.

The episode concludes with the group celebrating a successful "quite a night" of local Maine talent.