S05.E08: Blanket

[Bort]

Quote

Roy’s campaign continues, Indira takes a stand and Witt tries to help.

Airdate: January 2, 2024

[AimingforYoko]

Danish was a much better fixer than Sy, but he totally misread Roy. The clue was he kidnapped a woman who left him a decade ago.

Reality finally hit Dot at the end, and it packed a punch harder than Roy.

I guess it's going to be up to Indira and Lorraine now. Maybe Munch, but I think his beef is with Gator.

[Spartan Girl]

Creepiest cover of “Toxic” ever.

Roy is more dangerous than ever now. I was so hoping Dot was going to follow in Princess Leia’s footsteps with that Jabba the Hutt strangling, but alas, there are two episodes left and there’s no way it’d be that easy.

Wait, does Dot really believe seeing Linda was real? She really isn’t all there, is she? Understandable, but still.

Good for Indira for finally throwing that asshole out. Too bad it took catching him cheating on her to finally get the gumption to do it.

Edited January 3 by Spartan Girl

[AimingforYoko]

4 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Wait, does Dot really believe seeing Linda was real?

She did, until Roy confirmed what we all knew.

[Blakeston]

Roy punching the moderator looked like a callback to how Dot tased the cop in the season premiere.

My biggest complaint about this season is that Roy simply isn't interesting. We knew everything we needed to know about his personality in the first episode. It got very boring watching Varga be repulsive episode after episode in season three, and it's boring watching Roy be repulsive in each episode now.

[DMK]

To Roy’s flunkies:

I really don’t think that bag of lye you dumped on Danish’s corpse is going to do much if you leave his clothes on. 

Dot, you need to pay attention to the windmill your subconscious had brought up. Linda is next to that windmill, along with who knows how many other people who’ve crossed Roy and disappeared. Bodies probably fairly intact due to incompetent flunkies and the perpetually cold weather. 

[Starchild]

My read is that she didn't think her vision of Linda was real, she realized she'd just been dreaming in the diner, but she did get the idea to use it to try to convince Gator to help her.

However, it seems she really did believe that Linda had succeeded in getting away.

That is, until she saw the windmill, and started connecting it to her daydream. That the windmill she thought she saw out on the highway was actually in Roy's back yard.

And then when she saw what happened to Danish, that sealed it.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Why is it the case that Roy is doomed to lose the election due to the fake Roys?  They will each cannibalize the other's votes and I am fairly certain the original would have little trouble letting the voters know which one on the ballot is the current sheriff.  He won constant re-election due to the fear of the electorate who were not gung ho about the militia and/or a crazily strict faith stance.  No way could support coalesce around one of the opponents to take away a winning plurality from the original Roy in just two weeks.

So, a valiant State Trooper is performing a major investigation and making great progress about a local LE leader.  What are the chances his superiors would bury his efforts and not send bigtime back-up?  

The Munch in the backseat reveal was fun.  I hope his murder of Gator methodology involves a vaping pipe.

[possibilities]

I think the humiliation at the "debate" was the issue-- not that people couldn't tell which was the real Roy, but that the prank punctured his aura of invincibility and showed that he absolutely cannot keep his cool. 

I don't know if it would have really meant he couldn't win the election (Danish clearly didn't know how to read a room), but his loss of control in the face of even silly opposition might undermine the intimidation factor, at least a little bit.

I was surprised they asked him questions about his militia spending. That shows there are actually people who are willing to challenge him if they think they can get away with it. I don't know if Danish paid them to ask that, or whether there was already a plan to ask him to account for himself, but I think even Roy himself saw that his bullying only works when people buy into it. 

Bullies do win a lot, though. So I don't know if his downfall was as certain as Danish thought. 

I like that they aren't trying to make him sympathetic in any way. There's a tendency these days to try to make everybody's point of view poignant. But IRL, some people are just evil motherfuckers and their behavior is not so easily handwaved as so often happens in a script made for entertainment.

[TheOtherOne]

In case anyone else was looking for it.

 

[Starchild]

I liked it. I like dark versions of pop songs.

[thuganomics85]

I see this episode was partially an audition real for Jon Hamm to maybe net a few more villain roles going forward.  He can certainly be menacing when the time calls for it! 

Dot is definitely in a rough situation right now (of course, all of the viewer discretion warnings made it easy to prepare for what was likely going down), but if anyone can manage to make it out in one piece still, it would be her.  I'm 50/50 on wherever her declaration that she will kill Roy will be true or not.  I obviously think he's doomed no matter what and I can see them going down the clear route of her getting revenge, but I can also easily seem them flipping the script and having his downfall be at someone else's (some outside bets I have is either Gator or Karen/his new wife.)

Go figure that right when I realize that I haven't given Dave Foley enough appreciation so far, Danish ends up getting himself killed.  Excuse the pun considering his eyepatch, but he really should have saw that coming.

Roy is probably evil personified, but Lars has the most punchable face here.  Of course he was actually cheating this entire time, when he was being a lazy mooch who wanted his wife to take care of his every needs.  Yuck.  At least Indira now knows to cut bait for good.  Not sure if we were suppose to place the other woman or not.  Indira acted like she knew her, but it could have just been a case of her knowing everyone in this town.

Didn't realize there was two episodes left.  Really gave off a penultimate episode vibe at the end.  Can't wait to see how this all plays out! 

[aghst]

Well Danish underestimated Roy but he may have saved Dot's life, at least for the time being.

He was whipping that chain.  One of those would eventually have hit and Dot wouldn't be able to escape the subsequent blows.

He was in a homicidal rage as he took that long walk to where Dot was.  Not only the public humiliation but what the wife said to him probably increased the rage.

So we get to see Roy's full on rage for the first time.  He was controlled up to this point.  But his end game appears to be to call on militias to go to war with whichever law enforcement tried to apprehend him for his rampage of murders.

And he has a tank.

 

Indira didn't get mad but the expression on her face as she stepped just outside her front door showed sadness, until she realized her car was being repossessed.

Still kept her cool, went to Lorraine's because she realizes Dot doesn't have much time.

 

[seacliffsal]

I was surprised that Danish thought the fiasco of the debate would be enough to keep Ray from winning the election.  It would be fairly easy to spread the idea that Ray is such a great sheriff that his opposition would go to great lengths to keep him from winning re-election.  It seemed like a 'fun' idea but not effective in the long run.  I'm surprised that Lorraine and Danish thought that would be enough.  Then, to basically admit to Ray that he was behind his humiliation?  Just shows that Danish and Lorraine believe that they are infallible and untouchable which they aren't...

Dot's ordeal (and life) is horrible.  But, the truth finally dawned on her when she saw the windmill and the dumping of Danish's body, so I think that she will now really formulate a workable plan.  So, if Gator was first born boy number 5, does that mean that Linda was Ray's 5th wife instead of 4th?  If so, and he has killed all of his wives, it says something about Dot still being alive-the fact Ray couldn't "break" her (his words from an earlier episode, not mine)?

Things should really start moving.

[LadyintheLoop]

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I think the humiliation at the "debate" was the issue-- not that people couldn't tell which was the real Roy, but that the prank punctured his aura of invincibility and showed that he absolutely cannot keep his cool. 

Which makes it all the more amazing that Danish would meet Roy alone, on his own turf. At least the eyepatch is explained; Witt Farr had to recognize him instantly, out of the corner of his eye, as he drove past the gas station.

Karen knows Roy's just not that into her because he's so obsessed with Nadine. No wonder she wants her dead.

Quote

So, if Gator was first born boy number 5, does that mean that Linda was Ray's 5th wife instead of 4th?

Dot was talking about generations; she was saying that Roy was Roy Tillman IV, and judged Gator unworthy to become Roy Tillman V. Gator may have been telling the truth, though, when he said she'd always been a liar. It's one of her several survival skills. Dot clearly got under Gator's skin, though, when she told him that Linda hadn't chosen to abandon him.

I want happy endings for all three woman but that may be too much to expect. My guess: Dot is rescued and teams up with Lorraine and Indira's husband brains her with a golf club for affronting his vanity. That other woman wasn't going to take him in.

[iMonrey]

12 hours ago, DMK said:

I really don’t think that bag of lye you dumped on Danish’s corpse is going to do much if you leave his clothes on. 

Was it lye, or was it lime? I seem to recall from myriad true crime shows that murderers pour lime on bodies to disintegrate them. If it dissolves flesh and bone it ought to dissolve fabric.

3 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

So, if Gator was first born boy number 5, does that mean that Linda was Ray's 5th wife instead of 4th?

No, there are only three wives, at least so far as Dot knows. She referred to Karen as "third time's the charm."

9 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

At least Indira now knows to cut bait for good. 

That felt a little too easy to me. Like all it took was her saying "I want you gone by the time I get home" and his reply being "Where am I supposed to go?" like he's going to leave. He doesn't strike me as someone who would acquiesce to an order like that, especially from her. If that's the last we see of him, then they tied that up in a neat little bow.

Why was this episode called "Blanket?"

[Starchild]

1 hour ago, LadyintheLoop said:

Karen knows Roy's just not that into her because he's so obsessed with Nadine. No wonder she wants her dead.

That was self-preservation, plain and simple. She knew Roy's mood meant that someone was getting a serious beating. Focusing him on Nadine meant that hopefully it wasn't going to be her this time.

 

38 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Why was this episode called "Blanket?"

I was wondering the same thing. Dot hid her escape tools under a blanket on the cot several times, though it didn't help in the end. Lars was under a blanket when he was caught cheating.

But the literal meaning doesn't feel right. I think something more obscure is intended. Can't quite figure out what, though.

[peeayebee]

I wondered about Blanket, too. Was it the blanket underneath which Dot/Nadine hid the broken chain? (as Starchild said)

ETA: The blanket of snow covering the hole where the bodies are buried?

10 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

I see this episode was partially an audition real for Jon Hamm to maybe net a few more villain roles going forward.  He can certainly be menacing when the time calls for it! 

That was an amazing, long walk. His expression kept subtly changing, all culminating in rage.

Quote

Not sure if we were suppose to place the other woman or not.  Indira acted like she knew her, but it could have just been a case of her knowing everyone in this town.

Yeah, I thought she looked familiar. I'm pretty sure she must have appeared earlier in this season.

So I was wrong that in the previous ep Dot/Nadine really knew that Linda was dead. Honestly, I was stunned when she told Gator Linda was still alive. It seems apparent now that in the last ep she was actually wanting to get Linda to come back with her, but where did she think Linda was? I wonder if this is a plot hole.

Anyway, I hope she realizes now that Linda is dead and under the windmill, though there's probably no trace of her. Does lime dissolve everything? Jewelry as well? 

I loved the reveal that Danish had changed the three men's names to Roy Tillman. Making a politician look like a fool is a good way to get people to vote against them. And seeing that fool punch a woman in the face is another way.

I don't think Dutch was a fool for not thinking Roy would shoot him. He didn't know how truly evil and immoral Roy is. Perhaps if Dutch had taken Lorraine's calls she would have told him not to confront him, at least not privately.

I'm glad Indira threw Lars' ass out to the curb, but I still don't see any reason why she didn't do that sooner. I don't buy his screwing a woman in their bed as the straw that broke the camel's back. If anything, his speech to Indira about wanting a cheerleader as a wife should have been the last straw.

Loved seeing Munch rise up in the backseat. Did he kill Gator or did he have other plans?

When did that version of 'Toxic' play?

This probably sounds naive, but it looks like it's simply going to take violence to rid the world of Roy. Police or lawyers aren't going to do the job. Only Munch? It takes a sin eater to get rid of sin.

Edited January 3 by peeayebee

[DMK]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Was it lye, or was it lime? I seem to recall from myriad true crime shows that murderers pour lime on bodies to disintegrate them. If it dissolves flesh and bone it ought to dissolve fabric.

They didn’t say, we just saw them emptying a bag of white powder. And it’s lye that disintegrates bodies but it needs contact with the tissue, which you’re not going to get if the body is wearing full winter clothes. It also needs water and heat, which you’re also not going to get in a North Dakota winter. 

 

48 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

I was wrong that in the previous ep Dot/Nadine really knew that Linda was dead. Honestly, I was stunned when she told Gator Linda was still alive. It seems apparent now that in the last ep she was actually wanting to get Linda to come back with her, but where did she think Linda was? I wonder if this is a plot hole.

Dot’s daydream wasn’t real but it was good for illustrating her state of mind re: Linda. Roy said she left. Dot thinks Linda groomed her to take her place so she could escape Roy. Dot thought this is what happened. It just hadn't occurred to her that it was bullshit and Linda hadn’t escaped at all. 

 

51 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

When did that version of 'Toxic' play?

When Roy got out of the car and did that long stalk across the ranch to go beat on Dot. 

[Raja]

With no real candidate against Sheriff Roy introduced the 3 just comes off  as a practical joke.

[peeayebee]

56 minutes ago, DMK said:

Dot’s daydream wasn’t real but it was good for illustrating her state of mind re: Linda. Roy said she left. Dot thinks Linda groomed her to take her place so she could escape Roy. Dot thought this is what happened. It just hadn't occurred to her that it was bullshit and Linda hadn’t escaped at all. 

Yes, that's clear now, but I had made my assumption after the last ep for two reasons. One was that I couldn't figure out (and still can't) what Dot's plan was when she drove out. If she really thought Linda was still alive, how would she find her? Linda probably would have changed her name (as Dot did), so there's that hurdle. And wouldn't Linda have gone far away from the town? So where would Dot start? Also, Linda didn't send that postcard, so that was completely in Dot's imagination. 

The other thing was that I thought it would have been clever for the writer to have Dot create this dream when she really knew that Linda was dead.

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When Roy got out of the car and did that long stalk across the ranch to go beat on Dot. 

Thanks. I was so focused on Jon Hamm during that long take that I wasn't paying attention to the music.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I caught a bit of fear in Dutch's demeanor from the moment he realized he had to go to chez Tillman.  It's partly why he came up with the Spicoli, "I can fix it!" declaration, imo.  What I do not understand is why he chose to refuse communication with Lorraine after reporting election success.  I think part of his reasoning was that Lorraine had come to a new understanding about Dot.  If nothing else, she was good for her Wayne's recovery.  So, Dutch went.   

Indira's conviction that it was time to move on felt as congruent as can be to  me.  Lorraine's offer was hanging over her head.  She comes home, only to witness her car going bye-bye and then her trash spouse cheating.  This is also following her conversation with Witt in which she appeared to be experiencing more than frustration.  I sensed resignation.  This was her mindset before she walked into the bedroom.  C ya.

The Hamm walk was near-excruciating for me.  It was mostly about giving Hamm his "Emmy reel" scene.  The discordant Toxic added to my impatience.  pleeeeease, let this end!!!!  There was basically zero chance anything more than a severe beating was coming.  Dot was already feeling massive dread.  It was way too early for the character to be taken out because there are too many loose ends that only she can close.  More Hawley indulgence.  Boo!

[DMK]

37 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Yes, that's clear now, but I had made my assumption after the last ep for two reasons. One was that I couldn't figure out (and still can't) what Dot's plan was when she drove out. If she really thought Linda was still alive, how would she find her? Linda probably would have changed her name (as Dot did), so there's that hurdle. And wouldn't Linda have gone far away from the town? So where would Dot start? Also, Linda didn't send that postcard, so that was completely in Dot's imagination. 

The other thing was that I thought it would have been clever for the writer to have Dot create this dream when she really knew that Linda was dead.

That Dot thought Linda had escaped, that’s what I got out of the daydream. I agree that I don’t know how Dot thought she would find her, Linda would be just as hard to find as Dot was. It took ten years for Roy to find her and that was only because of the fingerprints. 

[Blakeston]

My best guess is that Dot delusionally believed that Linda had left a clue for her near a windmill.

If the truck accident hadn’t happened, she may have driven around indefinitely, looking for a windmill that probably doesn’t exist.

And my best guess is that Indira’s husband was cheating with his physical therapist (or some similar professional). He mentioned having an appointment last week, and sprayed on some sort of cologne/body spray in anticipation, which suggested an affair.

[Starchild]

26 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

My best guess is that Dot delusionally believed that Linda had left a clue for her near a windmill.

I had mentioned earlier that it seemed Dot truly believed Linda was still alive, but thinking more about the windmill, I believe now that it had to have been wishful thinking on Dot's part.

In her dream, she found a message from Linda buried under a windmill. A windmill that she had to have seen before from having lived on Roy's ranch.

In her dream, whatever was left of Linda was under that windmill. She had to have always suspected that Linda was under that windmill. She just didn't want to believe it. After Danish, the memory was brought to the surface and she couldn't deny it anymore.

IMO.

[possibilities]

4 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Perhaps if Dutch had taken Lorraine's calls she would have told him not to confront him, at least not privately.

I thought it was very noticeable that he ignored multiple calls from Lorraine. They showed us at least twice that he checked his phone, saw it was her, and continued to ignore even though she had called many times. I guess that's what happens when you think you know more than the ladies and you go off on your own.

Likewise, I've been very disappointed that Lamorne Morris has been essentially sidelined and ineffectual. He seems to respect women, but the show is marginalizing him and maybe it's another way they are trying to give the women a victory without male heroics, but it's kind of weird how his character is basically helpless, both in his first encounter with Dot during the shootout, and then when she saves him at the hospital, and later when he tries and fails to help after, and just keeps having to (?) pass the issue off to others. I still think it made no sense that he just shrugged it off when he saw the evidence being stolen in the police station. 

I also don['t get why Indira put up with her useless husband so long, but maybe it's learned helplessness. They just didn't set that up with enough background on her character.

Munch is the only male on the show who's not helpless, and he wears a skirt.

[aghst]

Was it unanswered calls?

I thought it was different listings of Lorraine at different places, like Lorraine office, Lorraine home, etc.

I wouldn't imagine that Lorraine would tolerate him ignoring her calls.

 

 

[Spartan Girl]

3 hours ago, DMK said:

Dot’s daydream wasn’t real but it was good for illustrating her state of mind re: Linda. Roy said she left. Dot thinks Linda groomed her to take her place so she could escape Roy. Dot thought this is what happened. It just hadn't occurred to her that it was bullshit and Linda hadn’t escaped at all. 

She still could have groomed her. Just saying.

 

6 hours ago, LadyintheLoop said:

I want happy endings for all three woman but that may be too much to expect. My guess: Dot is rescued and teams up with Lorraine and Indira's husband brains her with a golf club for affronting his vanity. That other woman wasn't going to take him in

If that’s how it turns out, I will be PISSED. I don’t want the POC heroine to be killed off while the white woman victim gets a happy ending.

[DMK]

16 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

She still could have groomed her. Just saying.

And she could’ve not groomed her and been horribly murdered by her husband to clear the way for him to marry the helpless underage girl. 

[SoMuchTV]

3 hours ago, Raja said:

With no real candidate against Sheriff Roy introduced the 3 just comes off  as a practical joke.

I thought there was an actual other candidate on the debate stage, in addition to Roy and the three Roy-alikes.  Or was that the moderator? No, the moderator was the woman asking about the tank et al, right?

[tennisgurl]

The multiple Roy's joke was pretty hilarious, I think that the point of it was to break through his whole "untouchable tough guy lawman" act and not only make him look ridiculous (which can be even worse than looking corrupt) but wait for him to totally freak out the second anyone doesn't immediately worship or fear him, which he did. Not a great look for a supposed badass to flip out and throw a temper tantrum at a bit of ribbing. 

Poor Dot, of course she'll survive this but its not going to be a fun time for her, especially now that Roy is extra pissed off. You could just see his face contorting to more and more rage as he walked towards Dot, he's a pathetic loser who hates nothing more than being called out as a pathetic loser. I cant really decide how I feel about Roy as a villain. Jon Hamm is doing a great job, he's certainly a real threat, and I sure as hell want him defeated, but he's also sort of boring, especially with all of the screen time he gets. Almost all of his scenes are sort of the same, he says evil stuff, does evil stuff, quotes the bible in ways to prove his "points", etc. On the other hand, not every bad guy has to be complex or even likable, some bad guys just suck, especially ones that are also domestic abusers,  and we just want to cheer when they get their comeuppance, so I guess we will have to see how it all plays out. 

Its too bad it took her loser husband cheating on her to finally get Indira to drop him, god knows why she put up with him for so long or even what ever made him appealing to her in the first place. My guess is that she ends up saving the day? Or being the backup that Dot is going to need?

I am assuming that Gator has no idea his father killed his mom, its sure going to be interesting if/when he finds out. he has to have a least a tiny bit of resentment towards a dad who named him Gator. I think that Dot made up the whole Linda thing in her head, she never saw Linda and while she always told herself that Linda ran off, a part of her might have known the truth. 

This season is clearly trying to deal with issues of gender and misogyny, but I am not sure what the point will end up being. So far we have a theme of women being victimized or underestimated by men, women who are way smarter and tougher than they are given credit for, and mostly men who either are misogynistic assholes or are nice but ineffectual. 

[Johnny Dollar]

When Roy finally gets his comeuppance, I hope it’s slow and painful. The use of a wood chipper would be a nice callback. 

[Jodithgrace]

I had assumed that Gator was a nickname, and for all I knew he could have been named Roy. I guess not, if Dot is to be believed. 

There was at least one other candidate besides the 4 Roys. I think the reason the debate went so bad is that Roy totally lost it and threw a tantrum and punched the moderator. If he had laughed, the whole thing might have even worked in his favor, but Danish knew he would respond the way he did. However, Danish miscalculated Roy’s anger and didn’t think that Roy would murder him in cold blood. Oops. 

I think that if Dot had dreamed about Linda and the ranch while asleep at night, she would have known it was a dream. But she was so exhausted that she had a waking dream in the diner, almost a hallucination, and so was a bit fuzzy about what was real and what was not. I think the penny dropped when she saw Roy dumping Danish’s body next to the windmill. 
 

When Dot does escape, or is rescued, she will literally know where the bodies are buried. I think murdering Roy would be too easy a punishment (for him) I’d rather see him locked up for good, though I suppose he could still do harm from prison, so I guess he has to go. 

[The Wild Sow]

7 hours ago, DMK said:

8 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I was wrong that in the previous ep Dot/Nadine really knew that Linda was dead. Honestly, I was stunned when she told Gator Linda was still alive. It seems apparent now that in the last ep she was actually wanting to get Linda to come back with her, but where did she think Linda was? I wonder if this is a plot hole.

Dot’s daydream wasn’t real but it was good for illustrating her state of mind re: Linda. Roy said she left. Dot thinks Linda groomed her to take her place so she could escape Roy. Dot thought this is what happened. It just hadn't occurred to her that it was bullshit and Linda hadn’t escaped at all. 

 

Don't forget, Dot was hit by the SUV right after the dream or daydream, and ended up unconscious in the hospital with a head injury for we don't know how long.  She might believe herself that it really happened.

[Bannon]

Really disagree that the tracking shot of Hamm walking to the shed was a writer/director indulgence without utility, or that Hamm's character is tedious due to being repulsive all the time. Yes, know Dot can't die in the third to last episode, but we also know she might take a horrible beating. Yes, Tillman is consistently repulsive, but as an illustration of the totalitarian personality, the writing and Hamm's performance is wonderful. People like this exist; it's not enough to prevail, they must control every uttered thought they hear from other human beings. I think this is the best work Hamm has ever done.

Danish was so used to money and the law working in his favor that he didn't pick up on the fact that Roy's playing in another league, even if it is a very small league in a lightly populated rural North Dakota county. He really thought he could steamroll Tillman like a lightweight banker scared of regulators from the Federal Reserve.

Thoroughly enjoyed the episode, if "enjoyed" is the right word for such disturbing stuff. I've met some Tillmans and the episode conjured some bad memories.

[peeayebee]

7 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

What I do not understand is why he chose to refuse communication with Lorraine after reporting election success. 

I need to rewatch that part (and the whole ep) to see what exactly is on that phone screen. I thought it was unanswered calls from her, but I read a review that said it was multiple numbers FOR her. (And the last name on the list was Wink, who was a character from S1.) It didn't look like a contact list, so I'm thinking it was, as you said, missed/ignored calls. In any case, I don't know why he would be avoiding her call. 

However, she didn't take the call from him after the debate, right? He left a message with someone, presumably her secretary. Could he have been avoiding her calls because he was hurt she didn't take his call personally? Just spitballing here. 

ETA: I rewatched that bit. When Danish looks at his phone, it's a list of Favorites. Lorraine is listed four times -- She must have 4 different numbers. So he wasn't ignoring her calls. He apparently decided not to call her about this. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.

Also, I wondered why Witt told Danish about Dot being at the ranch, suggesting that Danish do something about it. Witt knows how dangerous Roy and his men are, so why throw Danish into the lion's den? Did Witt simply think that a lawyer would have more power than a lawman like himself? I thought Witt was pretty smart, but this doesn't seem very smart.

 

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

Likewise, I've been very disappointed that Lamorne Morris has been essentially sidelined and ineffectual. He seems to respect women, but the show is marginalizing him and maybe it's another way they are trying to give the women a victory without male heroics, but it's kind of weird how his character is basically helpless, both in his first encounter with Dot during the shootout, and then when she saves him at the hospital, and later when he tries and fails to help after, and just keeps having to (?) pass the issue off to others. I still think it made no sense that he just shrugged it off when he saw the evidence being stolen in the police station. 

I find his character interesting. I don't see him doing anything wrong. He's not ineffectual. If he pushed any harder than we've seen him push, he would get killed. He seems to know that. The issue is that the law is powerless against someone like Roy. 

I'm hoping that we see Witt be heroic in a conventional sense once push comes to shove. 

Quote

Munch is the only male on the show who's not helpless, and he wears a skirt.

:D 

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

The multiple Roy's joke was pretty hilarious, I think that the point of it was to break through his whole "untouchable tough guy lawman" act and not only make him look ridiculous (which can be even worse than looking corrupt) but wait for him to totally freak out the second anyone doesn't immediately worship or fear him, which he did. Not a great look for a supposed badass to flip out and throw a temper tantrum at a bit of ribbing. 

Yeah, as Jodithgrace said, if he had laughed along with the prank, it wouldn't have been so bad for him, and he would even have gained points with voters. But of course Roy couldn't do that. It's not in his nature.

 

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I am assuming that Gator has no idea his father killed his mom, its sure going to be interesting if/when he finds out. he has to have a least a tiny bit of resentment towards a dad who named him Gator.

It seemed like Gator knew Linda was dead, which made me think that he knew that Roy had killed her, but that doesn't make sense. Before this ep, I thought Gator believed that she had simply left, and I was anticipating him learning that his father had killed his mother. But now I'm unsure what his knowledge is.

Edited January 4 by peeayebee

[Bannon]

I don't think it's any more complicated that Danish now knew where Dot was, knew that Lorraine wanted her recovered from Tillman's kidnapping, and thinks he can walk into Tillman's office, insult and threaten him, then offer to let him win the election without further interference, as long as Danish walks out with Dot. Danish simply hadn't grasped that the stuff Danish does, to force others to submit to Lorraine"s will, was not going to provoke the submission from Tillman that Lotraine/Danish get from other targets of their legal bullying.

Edited January 4 by Bannon

[Tatum]

Wow, Danish could not have miscalculated worse and I have to echo Roy here- that was not the play of an intelligent person. His one prior meeting with Roy should have clued him in that Roy is never going to agree to a position where he has to seek help from a woman or feel beholden to her. He is also grossly arrogant in thinking he can work his way out of anything. There was no incentive for him to even consider Danish’s proposal and Roy would prob rather lose the election than admit he needed a woman to save him, especially if it cost him something he’s been trying to get for weeks. 
 

Also agree with those who say Roy was his own worst enemy at the debate. It was a juvenile prank that was mildly irritating and Roy screwed himself getting so agitated. I do have a hard time believing any candidate in current times would win after being filmed sucker punching a woman but that’s entirely on Roy. 
 

I do wonder if Gator knows his mother is dead. I think it really could go either way- he could not believe Dot because Dot is a liar, or he could not believe her because he knows for a fact Linda is  dead. 
 

[Tatum]

37 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

need to rewatch that part (and the whole ep) to see what exactly is on that phone screen. I thought it was unanswered calls from her, but I read a review that said it was multiple numbers FOR her. (And the last name on the list was Wink, who was a character from S1.) It didn't look like a contact list, so I'm thinking it was, as you said, missed/ignored calls. In any case, I don't know why he would be avoiding her call. 

It was his favorites list on his phone:

 

1. Lorraine Cell, 2. Lorraine Home, 3. Lorraine Office, 4. Lorraine’s Secretary, 5. Wink. Presumably he was going to call her and ask what they should do, and decided to handle it himself. He’d also just gotten off the phone with her when the trooper pulled up. Later she did call him as he was going to Roy’s and he declined the call so I believe he only intentionally ignored her one time. Incredibly stupid though. 

[rur]

Quote

ETA: I rewatched that bit. When Danish looks at his phone, it's a list of Favorites. Lorraine is listed four times -- She must have 4 different numbers. So he wasn't ignoring her calls. He apparently decided not to call her about this. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.

Also, I wondered why Witt told Danish about Dot being at the ranch, suggesting that Danish do something about it. Witt knows how dangerous Roy and his men are, so why throw Danish into the lion's den? Did Witt simply think that a lawyer would have more power than a lawman like himself? I thought Witt was pretty smart, but this doesn't seem very smart.

IMO, I don't think Danish originally had any intention of confronting Roy after the debate -- he was at the gas station, getting ready to leave town. Then the state trooper told him that A) Dot was at the compound, and B) Something needed to be done . . . quickly. He did get his phone out, them he made kind of a face, and I interpreted that as deciding, if things were as dire as the state trooper said, that he should forget his original plan to leave and go out to the ranch instead. 

However, I don't know what he could have done that would have prevented his being killed. Any mention of Dot/Nadine would have signed his death warrant. 

[DMK]

 

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

It seemed like Gator knew Linda was dead, which made me think that he knew that Roy had killed her, but that doesn't make sense. Before this ep, I thought Gator believed that she had simply left, and I was anticipating him learning that his father had killed his mother. But now I'm unsure what his knowledge is.

I think Gator was fed the same story Dot was about Linda (don’t forget, he was only about ten when she “left”). He looked thrown by Dot bringing Linda up, probably because he hadn’t even thought about her in years. 

[lizzbert]

I had assumed that Gator was a nickname, and for all I knew he could have been named Roy. I guess not, if Dot is to be believed.

 

I thought Linda and Dot referred to him as Peter in the previous episode.

[peeayebee]

10 hours ago, Bannon said:

I don't think it's any more complicated that Danish now knew where Dot was, knew that Lorraine wanted her recovered from Tillman's kidnapping, and thinks he can walk into Tillman's office, insult and threaten him, then offer to let him win the election without further interference, as long as Danish walks out with Dot. 

Yes, and another thing is when Witt told him, Danish obviously didn't know what he was supposed to do. He's clearly nervous about confronting Roy. He considers calling Lorraine but decides not to. I suppose he didn't want to show Lorraine his weakness or indecisiveness. So maybe when he went out on his own he was planning on impressing her?

Also, can someone remind me: When he's at the gas station and sees the Witt's car, he hurries up, plainly not wanting to talk to him. Why is that?

Edited January 4 by peeayebee

[Puffaroo]

16 hours ago, possibilities said:

Munch is the only male on the show who's not helpless, and he wears a skirt.

Just to clarify, that's a utility kilt. ;)

15 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

When Roy finally gets his comeuppance, I hope it’s slow and painful. The use of a wood chipper would be a nice callback. 

I'm guessing it'll be death by cops.

[Tatum]

10 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Yes, and another thing is when Witt told him, Danish clearly didn't know what he was supposed to do. He's clearly nervous about confronting Roy. He considers calling Lorraine but decides not to. I suppose he didn't want to show Lorraine his weakness or indecisiveness. So maybe when he went out on his own he was planning on impressing her?

Also, can someone remind me: When he's at the gas station and sees the Witt's car, he hurries up, clearly not wanting to talk to him. Why is that?

I do think he wanted to be the one bring Dot back without any prodding from Lorraine, and get his gold star from Mama, but even if his plan had worked, I don't think Lorraine would appreciate him making promises on her behalf, especially promises they really have no way to deliver. Danish sounded a bit desperate and not confident at all during his pitch to Roy. And as Roy has no respect for women, he would have even less respect for someone who was basically a subordinate of a woman (I understand he's her lawyer, not her employee, but that probably seems interchangeable to someone like Roy).

 

I also noticed Danish hustling to get away from Witt, but I don't think he knew who he was. Maybe he just wanted to avoid any local law enforcement?

[ALenore]

I think the reason Danish underestimated Roy is that he had no idea how truly horrible he was. We, as the audience, have seen him kill multiple people in cold blood. Danish has just seen him talk tough and threaten others. I don't think he would have confronted him alone if he'd known what he was really like.

[Bannon]

10 hours ago, rur said:

IMO, I don't think Danish originally had any intention of confronting Roy after the debate -- he was at the gas station, getting ready to leave town. Then the state trooper told him that A) Dot was at the compound, and B) Something needed to be done . . . quickly. He did get his phone out, them he made kind of a face, and I interpreted that as deciding, if things were as dire as the state trooper said, that he should forget his original plan to leave and go out to the ranch instead. 

However, I don't know what he could have done that would have prevented his being killed. Any mention of Dot/Nadine would have signed his death warrant. 

Lorraine's a billionaire is an adjoining state, who has influence stretching to Washington D.C.  If Danish had fully comprehended what he was dealing with in Roy, a billionaire's daughter-in-law, kidnapped and in mortal danger by a whack job county sheriff, Danish could have had serious state and even federal level tactical muscle at the Tillman ranch within hours. He wanted to be faster than that, and more importantly, he thought Tillman was just another bug he could squash with the usual tactics. He didn't really understand Tillman's nature on a basic level.

[Tatum]

34 minutes ago, ALenore said:

I think the reason Danish underestimated Roy is that he had no idea how truly horrible he was. We, as the audience, have seen him kill multiple people in cold blood. Danish has just seen him talk tough and threaten others. I don't think he would have confronted him alone if he'd known what he was really like.

 

28 minutes ago, Bannon said:

Lorraine's a billionaire is an adjoining state, who has influence stretching to Washington D.C.  If Danish had fully comprehended what he was dealing with in Roy, a billionaire's daughter-in-law, kidnapped and in mortal danger by a whack job county sheriff, Danish could have had serious state and even federal level tactical muscle at the Tillman ranch within hours. He wanted to be faster than that, and more importantly, he thought Tillman was just another bug he could squash with the usual tactics. He didn't really understand Tillman's nature on a basic level.

Yeah, I think Danish can be excused for not thinking he would get murdered- even if he knew Roy had killed someone in cold blood before, he would probably be correct in assuming that any semi intelligent person isn't going to kill a prominent, well connected attorney whose disappearance will surely be investigated (and for all Roy knows, a lot of people knew where Danish was headed, and can verify via cellular tracking that Danish was indeed at the compound the night he disappeared). And honestly, it was a stupid thing for Roy to do, one that will surely have consequences. I think there is a good chance that if Roy was not so rattled by the events of the day, he would have just thrown Danish out, perhaps in a violent and humiliating way.

 

But I still think Danish should have realized Roy was never going to negotiate with him, and that the meeting was ill advised and would undermine any advantage they had over Roy, vs waiting for additional backup from Lorraine.

 

ETA: I missed something with the setup with Munch and the loser son. Did Munch know he was being tracked by Gator? If so, keeping the tracker on the car and using the loser son as a decoy seems kind of dumb. Why not just drop the tracker and dispose of the son? The elaborate set up seemed kind of wasteful. And why leave the duffel bag full of money in the car? If it was all a trap for Gator, why not sneak up on him right away when Gator started breaking into the car?

[cmfran]

Man, this was a rough episode. Who knows how many people Roy has killed and disappeared. If the FBI searches his property, he's screwed. But I hope Dot gets to deliver his coup de grace.

[Bannon]

30 minutes ago, Tatum said:

And honestly, it was a stupid thing for Roy to do, one that will surely have consequences.

Oh, Roy's doomed himself with his pathetic, egotistic, lack of self control, while ironically being obsessed with controlling every last detail of the lives of everyone around him . It's just a matter of how many more lives, some wholly innocent, get destroyed on the way to that inevitability.