S03.E09: Libertad

[formerlyfreedom]

A decision from Deran's past comes back to haunt him; J works to get back into Smurf's good graces as she tries to take away his control over the family business; Billy uses his past with Smurf to his advantage.

 

[solea]

So…is J playing Smurf somehow? First he’s glaring then he’s giving her cash. I don’t think it’s just about getting back on her good side. 

Still wish Mia would go away. And at first I didn’t like Billy, but now I’m sure it’s because I can’t stand Dennis Leary. 

Would Smurf try to get Lena back? She always acted like she loves her but I thought that was about manipulating Baz/Cath. I think the show would be better off without Lena. A kid just drags it down.  

[mxc90]

4 hours ago, solea said:

A kid just drags it down.  

Her not smiling and looking depressed in any of her scenes adds to it.

Anyway, Lena consider yourself "lucky" and get away from this family!

[Chaos Theory]

The Pope/Lucy scene was a lot sadder then it should have been.  Lucy is probably better off away from the Codys but I like the scenes where Pope is trying to take care of her.  Plus it was really emotional when he realized he had to let her go at least for the moment.

I also liked the Billy/Smurf stuff.   They have interesting chemistry together. 

I hate Mia.  I am hoping she gets killed off pretty fast.

[Novel8]

So Deran is upset cause his Nurse friend was put into an awkward situation which he did not appreciate..now he is an accomplice. I liked the way Deran said to Craig about his Nurse friend, "He was the only one that put sense into my life", or something to that effect. Wow! I wonder how Adrain would appreciate that remark.

[OoogleEyes]

I could just see the thought bubble over Smurf's head while she was scrubbing the floors *goddamn sonofabitch slob pigs*

[Lila82]

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I liked the way Deran said to Craig about his Nurse friend, "He was the only one that put sense into my life", or something to that effect. Wow! I wonder how Adrain would appreciate that remark.

He actually said something along the lines of liking having someone in his life [Linc] that doesn't know about/isn't involved in the Cody drama.  Which I guess is his way of confirming that Linc's main appeal, besides his body(!), is that Deran doesn't have to be Deran Cody with him.  Which of course is an extension of "coming out", i.e., he'll never truly connect with someone if he isn't honest about who he is and what he does.  The Adrian element is what confuses me.  Deran clearly has real feelings for him, but is also pursuing more than "fun" with Linc, albeit something built on a lie.  He still feels guilt over how he treated Adrian in the past, and yet, he's the most comfortable with him because Adrian sees through him and wants him anyway.  I like Deran/Adrian scenes because it always brings out a beautiful vulnerability in Deran, but I'm also ready for it to move forward.  So in conclusion, Deran, listen to your brother.  Please learn from his mistakes.  Be selfish and take one thing for yourself, which is the last thing either Linc or Adrian needs, but would make this viewer happier.

Also: Lena!  She might have been the saddest of sad children, but she made Pope human.  I'll miss that part of his personality.  

[Chick2Chic]

Billy being entirely too comfortable handling Deran's used condom made me flinch. That was the weirdest frakking scene when Billy showed up right after Deran & Adrian had sex. TBH, I still haven't warmed up to Billy at all. I don't have an issue with Denis Leary but I feel like I have seen him play this type of character more than a few times so it's doing nothing for me. 

I need Smurf to come clean my place. She's thorough with anger cleaning. Heh. Also, Smurf and Billy hooking up happened. And now I will purposely forget it. 

The best thing for Lena would be away from Pope. He tried but it wasn't working. She needs therapy. Pope tried to provide her with some stability but he also was pushing her to be somewhere she didn't want to be with the new school. Lena just seemed more and more a shell of a child as this season went on. Actually, since Pope murdered Cath since Baz was a shitty parent.

I still can't figure out what J is up to cause he is so damn inscrutable. Mia... meh, but I still prefer her over Nicky as the lesser irritation between two characters I could honestly do without. 

12 minutes ago, Lila82 said:

He actually said something along the lines of liking having someone in his life [Linc] that doesn't know about/isn't involved in the Cody drama.  Which I guess is his way of confirming that Linc's main appeal, besides his body(!), is that Deran doesn't have to be Deran Cody with him.  Which of course is an extension of "coming out", i.e., he'll never truly connect with someone if he isn't honest about who he is and what he does.  The Adrian element is what confuses me.  Deran clearly has real feelings for him, but is also pursuing more than "fun" with Linc, albeit something built on a lie.  He still feels guilt over how he treated Adrian in the past, and yet, he's the most comfortable with him because Adrian sees through him and wants him anyway.  I like Deran/Adrian scenes because it always brings out a beautiful vulnerability in Deran, but I'm also ready for it to move forward.  So in conclusion, Deran, listen to your brother.  Please learn from his mistakes.  Be selfish and take one thing for yourself, which is the last thing either Linc or Adrian needs, but would make this viewer happier.

This is pretty much my take. The appeal of Linc besides the shallow factor of his looks and physique is that he's someone Deran can hang with and not be a Cody. It's a lie built on obfuscation and fantasy but I think Deran really needed that escape from family and to strike out on his own & Linc provided that along with the bar. RE: Adrian, I think Deran is totally in love with him and I think the reason they haven't settled down to something more than what they are now is as Adrian said before: timing. Before it was Deran being closeted and having self-hate issues that were the big problems with their relationship. That drove Adrian away until Deran could come to terms with his sexuality as well as tell Smurf since most of the family already knew he is gay. Now with Deran sponsoring Adrian on the tour, I think they both know it's not an ideal time to firmly commit to each other with Adrian traveling the globe.  But they both know how the other feels. The only thing I side-eyed Deran about with this situation is his being rude/cold to Linc instead of being honest about Adrian. I am sure Linc knows the deal but Deran still needs to grow in this area.  IA about the vulnerability in Deran that only comes out with Adrian is around... I like seeing that side of Deran and JW plays it well. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Hmm, maybe Pope could just sit back and let Lucy and her crew take care of Smurf.

OMG, Billy. "He got that from me." Gee, I figured he got it from Smurf. She's certainly got bigger balls than all of them.

And Billy is casing his own son's joint. Poor Deran. Tripped up by sentimentality for the sperm donor he's known for 15 minutes.

Or Smurf could sit back and let Lucy's gang take care of her disloyal boys. Only Pope and Deran seemed almost smart enough to avoid walking into her $7M trap. Almost.

Ew, Smurf. Come back lovin' with Billy? You don't know where it's been. She must've wanted Deran back in her clutches really, really bad.

Ditto comnents upthread, so why did J fold for Smurf? Couldn't stand not being her fair-haired boy for one day or is he trying to work her? Good luck that, J.

Poor Lena. From frying pan of the Cody family into the fire of foster care.

Ugh, there are no words for how toxic and manipulative Smurf is. The way she continually violates the guys' physical and emotional boundaries seems almost incestuous to me. AFAIC, any guilt is wasted on her.

That's some major mindfcukery right there, showing your disobedient boys their burial plots, right at the spot where you buried the one you (probably) had killed. That message was loud and clear: stay in line or you'll be next.

Edited July 25, 2018 by Joimiaroxeu

[Chick2Chic]

14 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

And Billy is casing his own son's joint. Poor Deran. Tripped up by sentimentality for the sperm donor he's known for 15 minutes.

I had a similar thought when Deran was counting out the money for the register in front of Billy. 

[LoveLeigh]

Billy being OK with his son's homosexuality for me did not have any ring of truth.  He was just way too "OK" with it for who he is and his character seems to be more of a hater. I am not saying his "type" all are of a certain mindset, but it just seems to me like Billy would not be so at ease with it and making glib remarks like "what are your intentions?" Is THAT who Billy is? It's who the writers are. 

I think the writers infused their own feelings into his reaction about it and scripted it to please the audience so we could come away from it feeling not triggered by how offensive it could have been. 

Edited July 25, 2018 by DakotaLavender

[lazylou]

J must have known Smurf would take back the POA...but she certainly wasted no time doing it, no doubt retribution for his last visit.  Now he knows the boys cannot possibly launder the money from their recent job without Smurf's help.  Good thing he comes clean about the amount, since Billy's lie had already led her to suspect the total.

J is trying to get back in her good graces, but only until he can come up with a way to buy a couple of businesses of his own to use to clean money.  He realized that she had Baz killed when he visited her in jail the morning after Baz's death and suspected the protection money was part of the payoff.  He knows he is expendable...her demand that he go to the desert to find Deek and the threats from her and her lawyer tell him that. He does not know that Lucy is a cartel boss.  Though he has heard the downside of trying to get the stash from the uncles, the appeal of going after that 7 mil is great...if Smurf actually shared, it would give him enough to declare his independence. 

Mia's appeal...unlike Nicki, she is not a clinging vine.  She does not appear to be an addict of any kind. She is a criminal and at the moment, her being a criminal is actually appealing to him. She understands his dilemma and seems to have a similar problem of her own.  Now that Pete is on board to help Smurf with Lucy, it is easy to imagine how Mia and J will be thrown together in the future.  I wonder if they will connive together against their families...

[Dowel Jones]

Why do the Cody's even think that the $7 million even exists anymore, assuming that figure is correct?  Jewelry is worthless to crooks unless you turn it into cash, which is what the cartel would have done immediately.  Why hold on to it?  Now, with that kind of cash lying around, problems will develop in any kind of crooked organization.  They've either spent it on firearms, bribes, toys, or maybe even quasi-legal purchases to further their own power base.  Nobody's getting anything by going to Mexico.  Except trouble, that is.

For all his skeeviness, Billy did get one good line last night.  "Young man, what are your intentions toward my son?"  Snark to the first degree.

[iMonrey]

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Poor Lena. From frying pan of the Cody family into the fire of foster care.

That's probably the saddest and most ironic part of it all. Lena is actually better off living with the man who killed her mother than going into the foster care system. What a sad life this kid has in front of her. 

You know you messed up bad when Craig is right. Deran was in this mess because he thought he could do "jobs" with these idiots and wouldn't have to do them with his family anymore. Unless he was willing to let that guy just bleed out and die, Craig made the best and only choice. 

I have no idea what's going on with J - lazylou is probably right, he just needs to stay on Smurf's good side until he can buy his own businesses. He's the only Cody savvy (and sane) enough to build his own Smurf-like property empire which explains his willingness to go after the 7 million. Although, like Dowel Jones, I can't help but wonder how much of it could be left at this point. Still . . . some twisted part of me wants Smurf to get that money back. It never sat right with me that Baz took it, and less so when Lucy and Marco took it.

The show is definitely 10x better with Smurf out of jail. 

[Raja]

2 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Why do the Cody's even think that the $7 million even exists anymore, assuming that figure is correct?  Jewelry is worthless to crooks unless you turn it into cash, which is what the cartel would have done immediately.  Why hold on to it?  Now, with that kind of cash lying around, problems will develop in any kind of crooked organization.  They've either spent it on firearms, bribes, toys, or maybe even quasi-legal purchases to further their own power base.  Nobody's getting anything by going to Mexico.  Except trouble, that is.

For all his skeeviness, Billy did get one good line last night.  "Young man, what are your intentions toward my son?"  Snark to the first degree.

I think she just put stars in front of J's stupid uncles to take the focus off of her.

 

I am betting that Dennis Leary adlibbed that line.

[lazylou]

3 hours ago, Raja said:

I think she just put stars in front of J's stupid uncles to take the focus off of her.

I don't understand the stars bit?

No doubt about it, the show comes alive with Smurf on the scene. J giving Smurf that envelope stuffed with $100s was a pretty major suck up on his part.  Wonder if it will pay off for him.

Does anyone remember last season something about Marco not being able to fence a ring...or maybe it was a bracelet...he had stolen from a tourist but that he had to have Baz fence it for him?  That is why I wonder if Lucy and friends may actually still have some of the watches, etc., etc ... Also, do none of the boys remember that Baz already gave them their share of the $1.6 million found in cash in Smurf's locker?  Or have they just not mentioned it lest Smurf find out. And why does Lucy keep coming around?  Does she really think Pope will kill Smurf for her? Or has she set up some sort of trap for the Codys in Mexico and is hoping to trick Pope into letting her know when they are coming. She has to know that Smurf will be coming for her.

Also, what was the point of the scene with the kid bleeding out at the bar?  Just to get rid of Linc?  Guess it does develop Deran's character a bit and gives Craig a chance to show he has some common sense when not high.  And the scene with the Brazilians?  Craig and Deran trashing  the apartment?  It seems the writers went to a bit of trouble to introduce Linc In the first place.  So now he is gone?  I do not remember many extraneous scenes or characters from the first two seasons, but this season has certainly seemed to wander.  Who knows, tho, maybe most of this will serve some future purpose.

Pete tells Mia not to disturb the goose with the golden egg... Yet another potential problem for Smurf.

[Raja]

1 hour ago, lazylou said:

I don't understand the stars bit?

N

The promise of $7 million

[Chaos Theory]

Deren has always had one foot out the door.  Remember even in the first season he is the one who runs off for periods of time and only comes back because Pope (I think it was Pope) asks him to.   He buys the bar and won't let Baz use it to run money through.    Yes he does criminal activities but in his mind there is always an end in sight.  So I can se him liking a guy for not being a criminal and not knowing he is one.   It must have been nice for him to have some think he is a good guy who just happens to own a bar and not know the rest of it.  

[iMonrey]

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Also, what was the point of the scene with the kid bleeding out at the bar?

I think the whole point of the arc, which began in the season premier with the car theft, is to show Deran trying to pull jobs off without his family and not really succeeding because this new crew he put together is made up of morons. This was kind of the nail in the coffin for that other crew. He told the guy he never wanted to see him again. So he's back to having to work with the other Codys if he wants extra cash from "jobs." 

It looked to me like Smurf handed over the entire amount J gave her from the plane theft to Pete. I have to think she has other slush funds out there nobody knows about. You'd think she needed that cash to cover her legal expenses at least. Plus the fact that she's willing to split the 7 million (or what's left of it) with her boys seems to show she's not really that hard up for money. 

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 And why does Lucy keep coming around?  Does she really think Pope will kill Smurf for her? Or has she set up some sort of trap for the Codys in Mexico and is hoping to trick Pope into letting her know when they are coming. She has to know that Smurf will be coming for her.

Both. She knows Smurf hired someone to kill Baz, but she also knows Smurf will be coming for her because she knows she and Marco took the money after Baz was shot.

Edited July 26, 2018 by iMonrey

[lazylou]

Based on iMonrey's comment above, I realize that Deran has become a much more important character this season than in past seasons.  For I believe the first time, we see him working with J.  He has been trying to separate himself from the family from the beginning, and certainly last season he declared independence with his bar and his coming out.  He basically planned the airplane heist.  Now he realizes that he is actually better off working with the family.  He has had the good sense to acquire an actual business through which money could be laundered eventually, and he recognizes that he needs some help with accounting practices which cannot be obtained through normal legal channels.  Definitely sets up a new dynamic that could be used for Season 4.

[SuzieQ]

So maybe i'm insane, but the scene where Smurf brought money to Mia's boss to go to Mexico to get the money, made me think she was behind killing Baz.  Did anyone else think that or am I misreading that scene?

[iMonrey]

At this point I'm relatively certain we're supposed to believe Smurf hired someone to kill Baz but was it Pete's crew? When we saw the revised flashback that revealed Mia as the shooter, whose car did she get into afterwards? Was it Pete driving? That's the part I'm not clear on.

I'm also not clear why she would hire someone to kill Baz after setting up Pope to do the deed. That's pretty much where we left off last season, with her telling Baz that Pope knew what happened to Catherine, and then phoning Pope to warn him Baz was coming for him. Unless she called someone else as a back-up plan in case Pope couldn't go through with it. 

Either that or it's a total misdirect and Lucy hired whoever paid Mia to kill Baz.

[MaggieG]

Smurf needs to come clean my house!

Billy made me laugh with his "relax, I've seen a dick before" after walking in on Deran and Adrian

[hookedontv]

I loved the banter at the beginning when Craig was giving Deran relationship advice. Deran pointing out that Craig once used the excuse of being deported so he didn’t have to eat breakfast with one of his hookups was priceless. 

[hookedontv]

The only times Smurf seemed genuinely happy being out of jail was when she felt the fresh air on her face during the car ride, and when she sat down with (what’s his name?) at the garage for a drink and to talk business. Smurf had a big, genuine, happy smile when she saw that guy. Other than that. She was scowling and cleaning lol.

But in reality I need to hire Smurf to come over in her slippers and furiously clean my house-it would be beyond spotless! 

[lazylou]

On 7/26/2018 at 5:48 PM, iMonrey said:

At this point I'm relatively certain we're supposed to believe Smurf hired someone to kill Baz but was it Pete's crew? When we saw the revised flashback that revealed Mia as the shooter, whose car did she get into afterwards? Was it Pete driving? That's the part I'm not clear on.

I'm also not clear why she would hire someone to kill Baz after setting up Pope to do the deed. That's pretty much where we left off last season, with her telling Baz that Pope knew what happened to Catherine, and then phoning Pope to warn him Baz was coming for him. Unless she called someone else as a back-up plan in case Pope couldn't go through with it. 

Either that or it's a total misdirect and Lucy hired whoever paid Mia to kill Baz.

I am 99% sure that was Pete driving.

I have been troubled too about the fact that Smurf first seemed to have tried to set up Pope to kill Baz and then that very evening had Baz shot by the Trujillos, before there was time for
Smurf to learn Plan A had failed.  I am suspicious that the writers actually changed their minds about Season 3!  While they left it possible for a multiplicity of people to be the shooter, the suggestion was that Lucy did not want to share the wealth with Baz's brothers and thus had Baz shot. I was troubled that last season no one except Baz and Lucy seemed to know where the jewels and gold were hidden, so why would anyone else shoot Baz?    Suddenly at the beginning of this season we see Pete and his gang trying to get Smurf's stuff...so how did Smurf know where to send them?  Well, maybe she heard it on the recording devices she hid at Baz's house.  Also it appears clear that they re-did the actually shooting scene, this time with Mia clearly as the shooter (and I don't know why they let us know this, except maybe no one would have believed she was the shooter without the scene appearing early on.)

It is certainly the writers right to change their minds!  But when and if they do, they do need to stick to the facts as they have previously represented them to us!

[iMonrey]

I agree the writers probably changed their minds somewhere between Season 2 and Season 3. I think we were originally going to get a longer "whodunnit' arc with J as one of the main suspects - he was right at the top of the list after Season 2's finale. Introducing some new rando like Mia and making her the killer is kind of a let-down.

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But in reality I need to hire Smurf to come over in her slippers and furiously clean my house-it would be beyond spotless! 

She probably wouldn't be interested in doing anyone else's house. That cleaning jag definitely read as Shakespearean "out, damn spot" to me. Trying to scrub off all the dirt of having killed Baz, of having been in jail, etc. I also noticed she got her hair cut somewhere between the last episode and this one.

[lazylou]

It is amazing how well she was able to keep up her fingernails in jail, too!  

[SuzieQ]

7 hours ago, lazylou said:

It is amazing how well she was able to keep up her fingernails in jail, too!  

YES!! And what was with the headband that disappeared as soon as she was walking out of jail? I thought she was covering her bad roots but then they were magically done as soon as she walked out.

[nilyank]

On 7/25/2018 at 11:28 AM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Poor Lena. From frying pan of the Cody family into the fire of foster care.

 

If she stays around the Codys, she will only end up like Julia or Mia. Smurf had her mother, father and grandparents (Catherine's parents) killed and used the only other person that seems to care about Lena to kill or try to kill those people.

On 7/26/2018 at 7:48 PM, iMonrey said:

At this point I'm relatively certain we're supposed to believe Smurf hired someone to kill Baz but was it Pete's crew? When we saw the revised flashback that revealed Mia as the shooter, whose car did she get into afterwards? Was it Pete driving? That's the part I'm not clear on.

I'm also not clear why she would hire someone to kill Baz after setting up Pope to do the deed. That's pretty much where we left off last season, with her telling Baz that Pope knew what happened to Catherine, and then phoning Pope to warn him Baz was coming for him. Unless she called someone else as a back-up plan in case Pope couldn't go through with it. 

Either that or it's a total misdirect and Lucy hired whoever paid Mia to kill Baz.

Mia shot Baz and Pete drove her away from the scene of the crime. I imagine that she hired Pete to kill Baz as he was the one that she sent to get her money after Baz was killed. I think she set up Pope to do the deed because she is not completely certain that he would kill Baz as he did Catherine. Best case scenario, Pope kills Baz. Next to best case scenario, Pope gets mindfucked and manipulated by Smurf. Worse case scenario: Baz kills Pope and Pope kills Baz, two less insubordinates in Smurf's ranks.

[Emily Thrace]

I still think it was Marco who hired Mia to kill Baz. Smurf had set up Baz to get taken out by Pope when she told him about what Pope did to his wife. 

[MV713]

On 7/31/2018 at 8:55 PM, SuzieQ said:

YES!! And what was with the headband that disappeared as soon as she was walking out of jail? I thought she was covering her bad roots but then they were magically done as soon as she walked out.

a little late here - but I wonder if that headband was covering some facelift scars until they healed.  She looked better out of jail.