S04.E08: The Cousin of Death

[TexasGal]

Quote

Devastated by a tremendous loss, Ruth heads to Chicago to enact revenge as Marty tries to talk her out of doing something she may regret.

Airdate: 04.29.2022

[Armchair Critic]

Killer Mike (rapper) in the coffee shop.

Javi deserved that but I didn’t want that for Ruth.

 

Edited April 29, 2022 by Armchair Critic

[AZChristian]

We cheered!!!!!

[Artsda]

Good for Ruth! Shoot Wendy next.

[TiredMe]

Wendy is ice cold

[DoctorAtomic]

I can kind of get where Wendy is coming from because of all the chaos going on will lead to unforeseen risk, but I'm not sure Javi not knowing who Ruth is in the first place iirc is going to be bad for the Byrdes if she does whack him. I mean, Navarro would probably be relieved. I know Marty essentially considers Ruth family, but he's also consistently the most calculating, so I'm thinking letting Ruth loose might be a good option. Clearly, the Byrde's can't do him, so why not let her have a rip? Perfect motive; she's in a grievous rage over Wyatt, her only family.

Illmatic good murdering music tho. On the Pioneer system. I had the same. 

I thought Ruth was going to just get in the truck and do him at a stop light. I didn't think she was going to actually get out in the middle of the street. Wendy setting him up was way more awesome. What a great scene. Ruth didn't even hesitate. I'm really surprised they did him in the first episode back. 

That was way more earned than Darlene. Maybe earned isn't the right word. Darlene being around for so long was ridiculous, and then Javier just comes right in and takes care of it. So did Ruth. Marty and Wendy could have never done it. 

So great how Marty just went to work cleaning up. 

I didn't get 'cousin of death' until right before the end. 

Edited April 30, 2022 by DoctorAtomic

[WritinMan]

Great to have this show back. Looking forward to seeing how it wraps up. Javi was such an over-confident prick. Good riddance.

Hopefully the remaining episodes will have less rap.

[Mattipoo]

8 hours ago, AZChristian said:

We cheered!!!!!

Same here. That's one of the most satisfying kills on this show. Glad Ruth went through with it. Javi deserved it.

 

 

[Avabelle]

7 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Perfect motive; she's in a grievous rage over Wyatt, her only family.

What about poor Three

[Anela]

"Fuck off, Dr. Phil."

Agreed. 

She was also spot-on with what she told the woman at the office. 

Didn't Ruth already kill someone? Her uncle. It would have been nice to see her get free from all of that, and leave, the way Wyatt was supposed to. 

[DrSpaceman73]

I don't mind the end result but really dragged that out over an hour. 

[Anela]

I'm glad they didn't drag it out more.

[DoctorAtomic]

I liked the entire scene because arrogant Javier couldn't even fathom he'd be set up. It bookends Darlene good. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Hopefully the remaining episodes will have less rap.

God yes. I found this episode a real chore to get through because of the rap. I cannot stand it. It's like nails on a chalkboard to me. I think because of the monotonous repetitiveness of it, it's like Chinese water torture drip drip dripping on my head. 

I also agree there just wasn't a lot going on in this episode aside from Ruth's anguish. Felt like it was specially written as Julia Garner's Emmy submission.

[DrSpaceman73]

13 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

God yes. I found this episode a real chore to get through because of the rap. I cannot stand it. It's like nails on a chalkboard to me. I think because of the monotonous repetitiveness of it, it's like Chinese water torture drip drip dripping on my head. 

I also agree there just wasn't a lot going on in this episode aside from Ruth's anguish. Felt like it was specially written as Julia Garner's Emmy submission.

Yes exactly.  An hour of Ruth pouting and thinking in anguish. Too much. 

[Raja]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I liked the entire scene because arrogant Javier couldn't even fathom he'd be set up. It bookends Darlene good. 

That was what I got, with all the killing that is going on the lessor kingpins of this show just walk around blindly without security around them.

[gesundheit]

I have to say, this season being released in two parts with Inventing Anna being released in the middle did not help. I was so on board in part 1 and I think in this episode I've got a lingering visceral response to Julia Garner on Netflix or something, and I was just tired of looking at her or caring about her or thinking the hip hop made her more meaningful somehow.

 

All that said, delighted that Javi's dead, of course.

[Dobian]

I thought Ruth was doomed in this episode.  99% of the time, when you know a character is about to embark on something deadly, and they focus the whole episode solely on them, and then throw in a bunch of metaphorical stuff on top of it, the character is about to bite it.

Great scene in the coffee shop with the rapper.

Loved how she plugged Javi with no hesitation, that's how it's done.

Ruth still had bullets left in her magazine, she should have plugged the rest of them.  Especially Wendy.

 

[IslandGirl]

I absolutely love the rap music. For those who don’t, would it help if you turned on the subtitles & read the lyrics? And maybe turn down the sound?! It’s amazing how well the lyrics portray the scenes…

[DoctorAtomic]

I mean, it's Nas. I don't know if they could have picked a better record for the episode.

[Haleth]

Julia Garner was superb.  She plays white hot fury as well as Laura Linney plays ice cold fury.

[Racj82]

On 4/30/2022 at 11:54 AM, iMonrey said:

God yes. I found this episode a real chore to get through because of the rap. I cannot stand it. It's like nails on a chalkboard to me. I think because of the monotonous repetitiveness of it, it's like Chinese water torture drip drip dripping on my head. 

I also agree there just wasn't a lot going on in this episode aside from Ruth's anguish. Felt like it was specially written as Julia Garner's Emmy submission.

I love hip hop and illmatic is a bona-fide classic. I love it getting it's shine. You don't often get straight up hip hop like Nas getting played in mainstream unless it's a punchline in some way. Let it play I say. Nas was and always has been a great poet in his lyrics. You have listen and not tuning it out to catch it.

I'm glad Javier got it quick and brutal. He deserved nothing less.

I love whenever Wendy's plans crumble. She loves to push and push with her words. I know it's in contrast to Marty trying to talk his way out of everything but I can't stand her for it.

[hoodooznoodooz]

Ruth pretending to be Charlotte on the phone. Hee!

[millennium]

The killing of Javi reminded me of the killing of Leah in The Walking Dead.   It should have been more dramatic, it could have been more dramatic, but it just wasn't.   It felt anti-climactic and too convenient, like the writers no longer knew where to go with the character.

The rap was over the top, especially Ruth just happening to meet the rapper in the coffee shop.   It felt contrived.

 

Maybe if Ruth had shown an interest in rap in previous episodes it would have seemed more natural but if she did I don't recall it.

Edited May 3, 2022 by millennium

[Haleth]

I guess Ruth met the rapper because Sammy Davis Jr was not available?

[Raja]

10 hours ago, millennium said:

The killing of Javi reminded me of the killing of Leah in The Walking Dead.   It should have been more dramatic, it could have been more dramatic, but it just wasn't.   It felt anti-climactic and too convenient, like the writers no longer knew where to go with the character.

The rap was over the top, especially Ruth just happening to meet the rapper in the coffee shop.   It felt contrived.

 

Maybe if Ruth had shown an interest in rap in previous episodes it would have seemed more natural but if she did I don't recall it.

As I recall without going back Ruth was always listening to hip-hop. Using Nas in an operatic function did remind me of the seminal use of Phil Collins in the Miami Vice pilot episode and going back to 80s TV tried to replicate it in Magnum PI and Hunter also with an episode long usage and not just a scene as done on Miami Vice

Edited May 3, 2022 by Raja

[EllaWycliffe]

4 hours ago, millennium said:

Maybe if Ruth had shown an interest in rap in previous episodes it would have seemed more natural but if she did I don't recall it.

I'm no rap fan myself but Ruth was clearly established as a fan of rap back in season one

[DoctorAtomic]

She even mentioned Illmatic too.

[millennium]

4 hours ago, EllaWycliffe said:

I'm no rap fan myself but Ruth was clearly established as a fan of rap back in season one

I'll take your word for it.   Season 1 feels like a lifetime ago.

[IslandGirl]

Ruth also turned Tuck onto rap, & rap was a thing between Wyatt & Ruth too…

[CaptainE]

So what episode did I miss that brought up Java’s hatred for his old professor?  I didn’t understand that scene.  

[hoodooznoodooz]

Hmmm… In Manhattan, there would be at least one lobby security guard in an office building like that. You’d have to sign in or swipe in with your company ID. And there’d be many security cameras.

[mstar1125]

18 hours ago, CaptainE said:

So what episode did I miss that brought up Java’s hatred for his old professor?  I didn’t understand that scene.  

Right? What was the point of bringing up that storyline now, so close to Javi's end? It's not like we needed another reason to dislike him. I guess we are supposed to think "Oh boo hoo, now Javi won't get his name on a building". Unless that's somehow going to become a major plot point for the rest of the season.

On 5/3/2022 at 10:15 AM, EllaWycliffe said:

I'm no rap fan myself but Ruth was clearly established as a fan of rap back in season one

Agreed. They've used rap very strategically throughout all the seasons. And I'm here for it.

 

[Chaos Theory]

I absolutely love that the women in this story (Wendy and Ruth) are the ice cold and fire hot bitches.  Marty is standing there kinda just thinking he can talk a girl who had his entire family murdered down.  I mean the dude is good but not that good.   I was actually kinda surprised Javier dies so quick but then not so much.   The show has been good at quick and dirty killing and not dragged out soap opera death. 

[tennisgurl]

I did not seeing that coming at all, I thought for sure we would be dealing with Javi all season! He's was such a loose cannon with too much self confidence, I admit I cheered. Ruth and Wendy are such an interesting contrast, Ruth is all fiery fury while Wendy can be just as furious but its ice cold. I loved when Ruth accused Wendy of lying and Wendy just confirmed that she did lie, of course she did. Its what she does, what did you expect?

I've always thought that Ruth's connection to rap was really interesting. The issues that she faces as a poor rural teenager were probably quite similar than the issues featuring poor urban teenagers. The scene with her in the coffee shop with the rapper was great.  

Edited May 6, 2022 by tennisgurl

[AntFTW]

On 5/2/2022 at 12:30 PM, Racj82 said:

I love hip hop and illmatic is a bona-fide classic. I love it getting it's shine.

…and I love Killer Mike. That my highlight of the episode.

[SlovakPrincess]

Um, where did Baby Zeke go?  

I just want to slap the dumbass Byrde children for helping Ruth track down Javi.  I suppose Marty could've done a better job explaining to them that even if Ruth gets her revenge, it will likely end badly for her.  Or that they'll all be in danger again.  

But it's not like anything gets through to these idiots!  

I kind of loved Wendy's cold "I lied" to Ruth in the restaurant, and disdainful "she doesn't care" when Marty was trying to reason with Ruth.  Because even though I sympathized with Ruth's grief, this is ridiculous.  Wyatt got caught in a mob hit because he was doing crimes with and refused to get away from Darlene.  Ruth blaming the Byrdes and bitching about the Byrdes moving on with their lives is so disingenuous.  Ruth was fine with the drugs and the money laundering and even murder (hi Russ and Boyd!) until things started to affect people she cared about.  She was warned not to go against the cartel with Darlene, and she could've spent that $450k on a new life with Three somewhere (not that anyone is thinking about poor Three!) instead of buying the Lazy-O to money launder.  She herself could have been out of the criminal business and enjoyed her $$!  

What was the point of the business professor scenes?  To remind us Javi is dangerous ... right before he's easily dispatched?  I swear, at this point, there's no narrative tension anymore and it's galling to me.  Omar is toothless, the FBI doesn't care that the Byrdes are criminals, and the sheriff, Frank Sr., Darlene, and Javi die easily in almost the same exact manner in rapid succession.  The KC mob and Snell family compound don't actually do anything.  Who is the cartel at this point?  Javi's mom, who we just met?  

Edited May 21, 2022 by SlovakPrincess