It focuses on Richie Finestra, American Century Records founder and president, whose passion for music and discovering talent has gone by the wayside.
With his American Century Records on the verge of being sold, a life-altering event rekindles Finestra's professional fire, but it may leave his personal life in ruins.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.533 million household viewers and gained a 0.20 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Rival record exec Jackie Jervis (Ken Marino) gives a speech, in which he mocks the failed deal with PolyGram, something that Devon was not aware of.
In Connecticut, Devon asks Richie for money for one of her friend's fundraiser, which will renovate a Greenwich barn that could house a displaced Russian ballet company.
The Nasty Bits now perform cover songs under a different style, satisfying Julie (Max Casella) but disappointing Jamie (Juno Temple).
In February 2016, HBO announced that the third episode of the series would be titled "Whispered Secrets", and that it would be written by Jonathan Tropper, Debora Cahn, and Adam Rapp, and directed by Mark Romanek.
Club gave the episode a "C+" grade and wrote, "Vinyl has kept its real-life characters more on the periphery thus far, resigned to bit parts and the occasional recurring role.
"[6] Noel Murray of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Because of the frequency and obtrusiveness of those cameos, 'Whispered Secrets' may help viewers decide if they want to stick with Vinyl for the long haul.
"[7] Gavin Edwards of The New York Times wrote, "Vinyl isn't the first TV show to fill out its cast of characters with a parade of real-life music stars from the past.
Vinyl hasn't carved any pumpkins yet, but I worry that the show has a jumbo bag of fun-size Nestle Crunch stashed in the pantry.
I liked watching the Nasty Bits turn around a pitiful label tryout by abandoning their Kinks cover in place of a snarling original number.
And, as a writer, I loved the rueful comedy that went on between Richie and the head of his PR department as they tried to find a positive spin on his decision to renege on the deal with Polygram.