S01.E09: Coffee, Black

[biakbiak]

Quote

 Russ learns Agent Petty's true identity and makes plans to murder, steal and flee. Wendy stumbles on an ideal business to add to the Byrde portfolio.

[hincandenza]

I've binged the show, and didn't take it too seriously, but one thing I didn't get is how loose they played with the money.  It sounded like Marty had it all planned out to the last dime (we were urged to notice that even the $20K they had fallen short and made up with the minivan "sale" was of significance to del Rio), yet they also just randomly buy a funeral parlor to mask other money issues.

It kind of reminds me of Nucky in "Boardwalk Empire", where the bribes and payoffs varied wildly in value over the seasons (including some to the point they'd be like a $5M bribe in today's dollars), yet there's never really any cash flow issue or sense that anyone in the writer's room was bothering to even try keeping score.  I mean, $8M in even 3 months is $90K a day to be laundered, which is absurd through what I think is like three and a half business: the Blue Cat, the strip club, some construction stuff, and now the funeral home on the last day of their "trial run".  Even Uncle Sam asleep at the wheel will wonder how a struggling Missouri lakeside motel and a seedy strip club suddenly had an extra $1M+ of income each month.

 

Also- and I can say this having been an American citizen who reads the news these last few months- if there is one thing I know about money laundering, is that it's best to translate it into concrete assets, like real estate.  And to buy those businesses would take a chunk but would be perfectly legal for Marty to do outright in cash since after all his money was already clean... after which he could do some off-shore shell corp magic and have transferred ownership to del Rio.

[EtheltoTillie]

I agree with this .  It made no sense to choose this sleepy little town to be the money laundering center of the U.S.

[veronicalodge44]

the ruth-marty scene at the end of this episode got me.  i think what i'm digging the most about this show is that all the characters are given enough dimension that the story points make sense.  i didn't foresee what ruth was gonna do, but her upset at hearing the news from wyatt was real and later it all made sense.  

 

and i need to modify my early-season reservation, when after an episode or two i was concerned about the flat and 'redneck-y' portrayal of the locals.  while there are still times they are used for dark humor - and i have no problem with that, they have been fleshed out over time.  russ's shock, hurt, and then anger in the motel room had an impact because we've gotten to know him somewhat and have seen the bond develop between him and FBI guy and know what it meant to him.

 

and i'm still anxiously waiting for chekov's/jonah's gun(s?) to come into play...

Edited July 28, 2017 by veronicalodge44
verb tense

[hincandenza]

On 7/27/2017 at 5:43 PM, veronicalodge44 said:

and i'm still anxiously waiting for chekov's/jonah's gun(s?) to come into play...

Given that this is the thread for the 9th of 10 episodes which were released all at once on Netflix, I don't feel too bad in being mildly spoilery and saying yeah, I totally expected that one gun stashed in the garage to have come into play this season.

[Captanne]

Spoiler

 

I finished the show this weekend and, upon reflection, my biggest complaints were a) the untied loose ends and b) the stereotypical characters.  The suburban white guy is the smartest guy in the room, the Mexican Drug Cartel guru is mean and ruthless, the hillbillies live in the hills, the rednecks live in trailer camps and has one golden boy (who looks redneck but reads Shakespeare), the "hooker with a heart" is played by a young madam with daddy issues, the "strong but flawed" wife, the dodgy sheriff, the FBI partnership white/black, crazy*/sane, are there more?  I'm sure there are.

 

*I consider the FBI agent crazy because he's willing to have an affair in order to get what he wants professionally.  That's nuts.  And that's arguably rape.  He may or may not have fallen in love (I think he did) but that wasn't his original goal.  (Plus it just didn't play convincingly for me.)

 

 

I spoiler tagged my comments only because they are from the perspective of having seen the entire show.  I haven't spoiled anything but I don't want to even run the risk.

[funkopop]

Holy shit! Now I did not see that electrocution coming. 

[PsychoDrone]

The cluelessness of the gay redneck was pretty evident when he was being turned by his FBI lover.   I'm pretty sure undercover agents can't go around sleeping with their informants and expect the case to hold up.  Although, it was really about the redneck not wanting anyone to know he was gay.  Wanting to keep that hidden is what did him in.  Also, did they not know what Marty was doing with the money?  I got the impression Ruth knew he was laundering it and it was steadily disappearing.  To hear them talk, they thought the full $8 million was still available for the taking.  Too bad, the brothers went out the way they did.

FBI agent's name should be Captain Ahab.  His pursuit of Marty is causing him to make some terrible choices and it is not going to end well for him.  Even if Marty is caught, there is high potential for him to walk based on the FBI agent's misdeeds.

I can buy that Marty's son was able to get Tuck(sp?) to buy the guns for him.  But, the one Marty's son fired was an automatic.  Automatics can't be bought in gun stores or do I have that wrong?  Or, if they can, isn't an extensive (approx 6 months) background check required to buy them?  Show dropped the ball on that one.

Daughter's character has gotten better as time has progressed.  At first, intolerable, but she is more nuanced and show toned her down quite a bit.

[apollonia666]

On 8/1/2017 at 9:54 PM, PsychoDrone said:

I can buy that Marty's son was able to get Tuck(sp?) to buy the guns for him.  But, the one Marty's son fired was an automatic.  Automatics can't be bought in gun stores or do I have that wrong?  Or, if they can, isn't an extensive (approx 6 months) background check required to buy them?  Show dropped the ball on that one.

I don't know diddly about automatic weapons, but there is no waiting period required to buy guns in Missouri, nor does the state require background checks. Only 10 states plus D.C. require waiting periods, and only nine states plus D.C. require background checks.

[PsychoDrone]

Semi-automatic (one pull, one-shot) guns are readily available in gun stores.  Automatic (one pull, multiple shots) guns are not.  My issue isn't with the waiting period or background check.  It's with the show depicting that a person can just walk into a store and buy automatic weapons, which isn't true.  Now, a person can modify a semi-auto to be auto, but that's after the purchase.

[Guest]

On 7/26/2017 at 9:05 PM, hincandenza said:

I've binged the show, and didn't take it too seriously, but one thing I didn't get is how loose they played with the money.  It sounded like Marty had it all planned out to the last dime (we were urged to notice that even the $20K they had fallen short and made up with the minivan "sale" was of significance to del Rio), yet they also just randomly buy a funeral parlor to mask other money issues.

I assumed the funeral parlor purchase wasn't so much an outlay of money now as an accepted deal for them to 'invest' in it later, for control.  I thought the minivan thing was just something Del used to further humiliate Marty.

On 7/26/2017 at 9:17 PM, GussieK said:

I agree with this .  It made no sense to choose this sleepy little town to be the money laundering center of the U.S.

I agree though I think that's supposed to be part of the absurd situation Marty is stuck in, that he got himself into by suggesting that location because he was frantic.  And how they probably expect us to see them as super clever for even getting close, if they do.  

On 8/1/2017 at 6:54 PM, PsychoDrone said:

The cluelessness of the gay redneck was pretty evident when he was being turned by his FBI lover.   I'm pretty sure undercover agents can't go around sleeping with their informants and expect the case to hold up.  

I can buy that Marty's son was able to get Tuck(sp?) to buy the guns for him.  But, the one Marty's son fired was an automatic.  Automatics can't be bought in gun stores or do I have that wrong?  Or, if they can, isn't an extensive (approx 6 months) background check required to buy them?  Show dropped the ball on that one.

I thought that, too, about the sex making Petty's case junk.  

22 hours ago, PsychoDrone said:

Semi-automatic (one pull, one-shot) guns are readily available in gun stores.  Automatic (one pull, multiple shots) guns are not.  My issue isn't with the waiting period or background check.  It's with the show depicting that a person can just walk into a store and buy automatic weapons, which isn't true.  Now, a person can modify a semi-auto to be auto, but that's after the purchase.

Maybe they figured they were close enough.

https://www.thenation.com/article/five-assault-rifles-you-can-pick-walmart-photos/

I did love their depiction of Wal-Mart.  A clearly mentally disabled kid walks in and buys an assault rifle with no issues, with the clerk even advising on the part he had to lie about.

Then the clerk selling Russ cord, duct tape a ski mask and whatever else fishy stuff without even a glance at it.  

[KaleyFirefly]

It does seem scary how easily someone can buy a rifle, if it really is as depicted in the show. 

I like how Wendy told off the black FBI agent (sorry, I don't remember his name).

Buddy screwed with Jonah's hidden gun! You know that is going to be a problem. I suspected that Jonah was going to have to use that gun to save his family. Now, who knows? I love the plot twists on this show!

The scene with Ruth & Marty at the end was nice. She liked Marty because he was one of the few people in her life to trust her and believe in her (we saw that her father was pretty much the opposite). 

I actually felt a little sorry for Russ finding out about his boyfriend, until I remembered how he had smacked Ruth in the face. Bye, Russ.

That giant money wall scene reminded me of Breaking Bad. 

[ganesh]

On 7/26/2017 at 10:05 PM, hincandenza said:

yet they also just randomly buy a funeral parlor to mask other money issues.

The way Wendy was talking to the funeral director was that for the cost of the renovations and taking it off his hands, they would assume ownership. I didn't get the indication she actually bought it with cash.

19 hours ago, KaleyFirefly said:

That giant money wall scene reminded me of Breaking Bad. 

One better. Sklyer just stashed it in the storage house and sprayed it from time to time. Here, Marty talked about how easy it was for money to rot. I can kind of stretch myself that they were able to clean $8M because they did say how busy the tourist season is, but $50M is going to be a tall order there. Marty's going to have to buy half the state at this point. That's not so smart on Del's part. Marty did clean 8 million. I'd spread it out around these small areas in the country where you only have to clean smaller amounts. 

Although, I can't see why he can't own businesses here and then set up in St. Louis. 

Cekov's ladder amirite?!

[Buck Farack]

"I don't know diddly about automatic weapons, but there is no waiting period required to buy guns in Missouri, nor does the state require background checks. Only 10 states plus D.C. require waiting periods, and only nine states plus D.C. require background checks."

 

You clearly know nothing about firearms period. Every single retail purchase of a firearm - handgun, rifle or shotgun, everywhere in the United States, requires a background check. If you go to a gun store to buy a gun, you will undergo a background check. The only time a background check is not required is if it's a private party transfer and that's only in some states. Missouri requires background checks on all retail gun sales, which the one in the show clearly was. 

[ZoloftBlob]

Admittedly it was in AZ, at a gun show, but all I had to do for the background check for a semi automatic handgun was show my drivers license and wait ten minutes while they checked if I had a record.

if Tucker was eighteen, had cash, and had no record, I think it's pretty plausible that he could walk out of the store with a long gun.

No Walmart is selling a full auto rifle tho, but you can pull the trigger pretty fast.

[stillshimpy]

On 7/26/2017 at 9:17 PM, GussieK said:

I agree with this .  It made no sense to choose this sleepy little town to be the money laundering center of the U.S.

For whatever it is or isn't worth, this is supposed to be set at the Lake of the Ozarks (it's actually filmed in Georgia) and I've been there as I lived in Missouri for 4 years.  It's not a sleepy little town and people flock there for close to three seasons with summer being the height.  They even have their own TV station affiliates there.  Don't get me wrong, it's far from a metropolis but it's also pretty hopping and known as a party destination.   

I can't speak to gun sale procedures within MO but it is very much a gun culture there and they have open carry laws in place.   That's not meant to be a Walmart, I think it might be based on a Meynards but again, no clue if they actually sell guns as I can't stand guns and avoid those departments in any store.  I think the point of the scene was that the store was very obviously NOT complying with the law by choice between the clerk accurately assessing that Tuck is special needs and then correcting him about buying it for someone else.   

The young actor playing Marty's son is a rare find, wow, that kid has the chops. 

Also, turns out Ruth/Kimmie from the Americans has the chops for days.  That last scene with her was gut wrenching.  I know she would have followed through on killing Marty earlier in the season and I like that the show adhered to "Show, don't tell" storytelling rules by showing us that Marty and Wendy are the only people in her life, other than her cousin, who have ever treated her with anything resembling decency and kindness, so that when Ruth said she couldn't let her uncle him Marty, it was entirely believable.  

However, oh my god, her face when she said that.  She looked as if her life was being snacked away by some painful entity within.   They are always using a very punishing filter on this show -- and props to everyone for giving vanity free performances in the face of that cold blue filter -- and on Ruth in that scene, wow, she looked like she had been through hell, died, been buried and dug back up again. 

It somehow managed to emphasize the fact that in reality, she's little better than a kid, living in a world that's been constantly unkind to her because of an accident of birth. 

On 8/1/2017 at 6:54 PM, PsychoDrone said:

FBI agent's name should be Captain Ahab.  His pursuit of Marty is causing him to make some terrible choices and it is not going to end well for him.  Even if Marty is caught, there is high potential for him to walk based on the FBI agent's misdeeds.

I can buy that Marty's son was able to get Tuck(sp?) to buy the guns for him.  But, the one Marty's son fired was an automatic.  Automatics can't be bought in gun stores or do I have that wrong?  Or, if they can, isn't an extensive (approx 6 months) background check required to buy them?  Show dropped the ball on that one.

Daughter's character has gotten better as time has progressed.  At first, intolerable, but she is more nuanced and show toned her down quite a bit.

2

 

Yeah, the FBI Agent is not necessarily the strongest character for me.  It isn't that he has some tunnel vision on bringing down the Cartel (although you're right, he absolutely does) , I think the story did a fair amount to earn that kind of cold-blooded response to someone he actually seemed to struggle with caring about (as in he did care about him, it just didn't change anything).   

It's actually that his rageful veneer extends towards everyone in his life now.  That was the part that didn't make a ton of sense.  He went from being a loving partner and son to being a Full Metal Rageoholic in ways that are a little perplexing.   He wouldn't last as an undercover agent, either, he's drawing too much attention to himself. 

Although, wow, was that ever on-the-nose for Missouri when the guys at the bar were decked out in Mizzou regalia and all that mattered was the Mizzou game.  It really resonated but what didn't was that agent Crazy Pants bashing a kid in the head with a bottle wouldn't have ended with a call to the local police department.   

That's one thing that the show has been kind of gilding the lily on and that's okay.  It's not meant to be a Missouri documentary but one thing that Missourians love is a robust law enforcement presence.  Wherever the money goes, so do the police departments and there are a ton of them thanks to the municipality treatment within Missouri.  I lived in Clarkson Valley and Ellisville while I was there.   I've never seen police presence like I saw in Missouri.  They are also a little bit famous for having issues of corruption within the different departments. 

So in reality the Lake of the Ozarks would be stuffed stupid with over zealous cops but like I said, it's not a Missouri documentary.  

Also, on the one hand, I was so relieved when the Dying Guy Downstairs (no clue on his name) removed the ammunition but as I haven't seen the finale yet, I'm nervous as hell for what kind of predicament it will put them all in.  Still, I'm glad he saved a ten year old boy from wielding an automatic weapon under duress. Or, you know, at all. 

Edited August 28, 2017 by stillshimpy

[viamber]

On 8/28/2017 at 7:25 AM, stillshimpy said:

For whatever it is or isn't worth, this is supposed to be set at the Lake of the Ozarks (it's actually filmed in Georgia) and I've been there as I lived in Missouri for 4 years.  It's not a sleepy little town and people flock there for close to three seasons with summer being the height.  They even have their own TV station affiliates there.  Don't get me wrong, it's far from a metropolis but it's also pretty hopping and known as a party destination.   

I can't speak to gun sale procedures within MO but it is very much a gun culture there and they have open carry laws in place.   That's not meant to be a Walmart, I think it might be based on a Meynards but again, no clue if they actually sell guns as I can't stand guns and avoid those departments in any store.  I think the point of the scene was that the store was very obviously NOT complying with the law by choice between the clerk accurately assessing that Tuck is special needs and then correcting him about buying it for someone else.   

The young actor playing Marty's son is a rare find, wow, that kid has the chops. 

Also, turns out Ruth/Kimmie from the Americans has the chops for days.  That last scene with her was gut wrenching.  I know she would have followed through on killing Marty earlier in the season and I like that the show adhered to "Show, don't tell" storytelling rules by showing us that Marty and Wendy are the only people in her life, other than her cousin, who have ever treated her with anything resembling decency and kindness, so that when Ruth said she couldn't let her uncle him Marty, it was entirely believable.  

However, oh my god, her face when she said that.  She looked as if her life was being snacked away by some painful entity within.   They are always using a very punishing filter on this show -- and props to everyone for giving vanity free performances in the face of that cold blue filter -- and on Ruth in that scene, wow, she looked like she had been through hell, died, been buried and dug back up again. 

It somehow managed to emphasize the fact that in reality, she's little better than a kid, living in a world that's been constantly unkind to her because of an accident of birth. 

 

Yeah, the FBI Agent is not necessarily the strongest character for me.  It isn't that he has some tunnel vision on bringing down the Cartel (although you're right, he absolutely does) , I think the story did a fair amount to earn that kind of cold-blooded response to someone he actually seemed to struggle with caring about (as in he did care about him, it just didn't change anything).   

It's actually that his rageful veneer extends towards everyone in his life now.  That was the part that didn't make a ton of sense.  He went from being a loving partner and son to being a Full Metal Rageoholic in ways that are a little perplexing.   He wouldn't last as an undercover agent, either, he's drawing too much attention to himself. 

Although, wow, was that ever on-the-nose for Missouri when the guys at the bar were decked out in Mizzou regalia and all that mattered was the Mizzou game.  It really resonated but what didn't was that agent Crazy Pants bashing a kid in the head with a bottle wouldn't have ended with a call to the local police department.   

That's one thing that the show has been kind of gilding the lily on and that's okay.  It's not meant to be a Missouri documentary but one thing that Missourians love is a robust law enforcement presence.  Wherever the money goes, so do the police departments and there are a ton of them thanks to the municipality treatment within Missouri.  I lived in Clarkson Valley and Ellisville while I was there.   I've never seen police presence like I saw in Missouri.  They are also a little bit famous for having issues of corruption within the different departments. 

So in reality the Lake of the Ozarks would be stuffed stupid with over zealous cops but like I said, it's not a Missouri documentary.  

Also, on the one hand, I was so relieved when the Dying Guy Downstairs (no clue on his name) removed the ammunition but as I haven't seen the finale yet, I'm nervous as hell for what kind of predicament it will put them all in.  Still, I'm glad he saved a ten year old boy from wielding an automatic weapon under duress. Or, you know, at all. 

Also, on the one hand, I was so relieved when the Dying Guy Downstairs (no clue on his name) removed the ammunition but as I haven't seen the finale yet, I'm nervous as hell for what kind of predicament it will put them all in.  His name is BUDDY.

[gondomarks]

On 8/6/2017 at 8:02 PM, apollonia666 said:

I don't know diddly about automatic weapons, but there is no waiting period required to buy guns in Missouri, nor does the state require background checks. Only 10 states plus D.C. require waiting periods, and only nine states plus D.C. require background checks.

 

On 9/30/2017 at 3:27 AM, viamber said:

Also, on the one hand, I was so relieved when the Dying Guy Downstairs (no clue on his name) removed the ammunition but as I haven't seen the finale yet, I'm nervous as hell for what kind of predicament it will put them all in.  His name is BUDDY.

You're right Apollonia666, you don't know anything about firearms because every  firearm purchase from a FFL dealer requires a federal background check in every state of the United States.

[Paloma]

I was confused about where they were putting the money in the wall. My husband thought it was the Blue Cat cabin where Marty and Wendy had been rolling up carpet, but why would they put it there when Rachel was only allowing Marty to continue taking care of the books until the end of the week--after that presumably he could not come back to the Blue Cat. I guess he could sneak in when he needed to get some of the cash, but it would have made more sense for him to put it where he could more easily access it--maybe the funeral home now that they own it? (Though I can't remember if Wendy told him about the funeral home before or after the money wall scene.)

The whole money laundering plot is confusing to me because I don't understand how it works or how he could launder $8 million, much less $50 million, in that area in a short time.

[ganesh]

1 hour ago, Paloma said:

The whole money laundering plot is confusing to me because I don't understand how it works or how he could launder $8 million, much less $50 million, in that area in a short time.

That's kind of the point of the show. Marty had a gun to his head and had to come up with something fast. It's actually not that bad of an idea; the area is under the radar, and being a resort area, there's lots of cash flow. I think he could have actually pulled it off had he not run into the crime families, etc., there. Which is why we have a show. 

[Ottis]

THIS may have been my favorite episode so far. So many funny lines... “hey, no hit man parked out front!” Wendy turning around the funeral home situation and now owning the business. Ruth and her smarts, and her emotion (I think she is still playing Marty, BTW).  And the drama was well done, without being over the top. 

The only thing I didn’t like was Del promptly sending the 50 million to laundry. You’ve got a guy who is successfully laundering your money in almost impossible circumstances. Why not let him keep building the operation, and work up to the big numbers? What good does forcing him to fail and then killing him do? Del is a hot head and I think it costs him, eventually. 

Edited October 9, 2018 by Ottis

[qtpye]

On 10/9/2018 at 9:36 AM, Ottis said:

THIS may have been my favorite episode so far. So many funny lines... “hey, no hit man parked out front!” Wendy turning around the funeral home situation and now owning the business. Ruth and her smarts, and her emotion (I think she is still playing Marty, BTW).  And the drama was well done, without being over the top. 

The only thing I didn’t like was Del promptly sending the 50 million to laundry. You’ve got a guy who is successfully laundering your money in almost impossible circumstances. Why not let him keep building the operation, and work up to the big numbers? What good does forcing him to fail and then killing him do? Del is a hot head and I think it costs him, eventually. 

Del is no Gustavo Fring...that man had patience.

[hoodooznoodooz]

I loved this episode!

The first time we saw Russ and his family, all I saw was lots of unruly facial hair and violent country folk with poor impulse control. 

Now I only see Russ’s kind, sweet, gentle eyes. Very nice job, Actor Portraying Russ.

The Ruth actor has been soooooo intriguing throughout the series. This episode she slayed me. I’m so happy that she is genuinely bonding with Marty and Wendy. I want them to adopt her.