Tensions run high as Billy pressures the family to give him what he's owed. Craig has a surprise meeting that makes him reconsider his future. Smurf comes to the boys with a proposal and they struggle to hold onto the freedom they had when she was in jail.
The Cody boys all believe themselves to be smart and independent enough to handle their own problems in their lives. This season has certainly presented enough evidence of that as well. The family no longer needed Smurf or Baz in order to succeed as a criminal operation. They were sailing along perfectly until Smurf came back. She returned to the picture wanting to stir up trouble and get back into the good graces of her family. It's understandable why all of the boys want to keep their distance from her. But it's also just so tempting to fall back into familiar patterns with her because she has served as their emotional support for so many years. That's how she has broken her family. She wants them dependent on her. That may ultimately make all of them broken and unable to step up and truly replace her in this business. She has no problem outsourcing the job in Mexico to Pete and his gang. She is able to make more than enough progress in that regard trying to regain her money that Baz and Lucy took. Sure, it's absolutely brutal to see just how far she is willing to go to torture someone for information. She slabs peanut butter all over Marco's privates before letting a cage full of rats loose on him. That's absolutely horrifying and despicable. It speaks to how cruel and controlling she can be. She already has new allies in this world who are willing to do whatever she wants as long as she has the money to pay them. They helped her kill Baz. And now, they are helping her retrieve the money that was stolen from her. But family is still so important to Smurf. She expected all of the family to reunite around her once she got out. To her, it didn't matter that J was the only one who ever saw her in prison. She wanted to be a happy family again with the understanding that they would stay together for the rest of their lives. The boys were so reluctant to give into that temptation. But now, "Off the Tit" closes in such a devastating way where it seems like all four of the boys are once again caught under Smurf's spell and needing her for emotional support. Her family has come back to her. But that has also forced her to be more open and honest about her past as well as her willingness to continue planning her criminal activities in this world. It's a tenuous connection. And yet, it's still a significant change to the season.All of this is perfectly portrayed throughout Deran's storyline. Things with Billy were always going to end in an explosive way. The audience knew that and the characters probably knew it as well. The family quickly became aware that he was an addict who was so dependent on getting his next fix. That's all that he really cared about. Billy wanted to believe that he was forming a genuine connection. But that was mostly just a story he told Smurf and himself in order to believe that things were honestly better than what they were. Deran approached Billy with no expectations. He saw him for who he truly was. He wanted nothing from him. In fact, Billy admired all that Deran had. The two were able to team up with the weed heist. It was a solid idea that actually turned out well for the entire family. But now, the consequences of that job tear this relationship apart. Billy is so desperate to get his cut of the cash. He knows that Smurf is probably just playing mind games with him when it comes to teasing him that J will never hand over a single cent. But that fear still spreads throughout his mind until it is all-consuming for him. As such, he spirals even further into his addiction. He needs his drugs. That, in turn, only makes him a more volatile and destructive presence to the rest of the family. He gets into physical altercations with Pope and J just moments between each other. He attacks J to get his money. He fights Pope in an effort to establish dominance and power in the family. He losses in both as well. J still has financial and intellectual superiority over Billy while Pope is simply stronger. Yes, Billy gets in a couple of good hits. But it still all builds to him skipping town with all of the money in the vault at the bar. He is stealing from his own son while also lying about continuing to see him. As soon as Deran learns that, he is absolutely devastated.
All Deran really wants in life is to own a bar. That really is his one aspiration. He would love to have a life where no one around him was getting into illegal situations. He could simply have peace and happiness with a solid guy. He is trying to say that he never developed any true feelings towards Lincoln. But he was still betrayed when Craig corrupted him by bringing him into their criminal world. And now, there is no hope in restoring that relationship. Craig believes it can just be an easy fix but it can't. In fact, Craig keeps wanting to make things okay while remaining completely oblivious to how his immaturity continues to hurt the people around him. Yes, Frankie is encouraging him to be a father after learning that Ren is pregnant. But that's ultimately a decision up to him. It's not something else that Deran can take on right now. He doesn't want to remain the emotional support for his brother. It's a pattern that he has encouraged. And so, him walking away sends the message to Craig that he thinks it's a foolish idea to have a child. That's not what Deran is saying at all. He is saying that it's Craig's decision to make. He needs to take ownership over it and make it happen whatever he chooses. Meanwhile, Deran has to find peace with what he wants out of life. It is comforting for him to just go over to Adrian's place. He fully understands this life that Deran has always lived. Deran didn't believe he was getting too close to Billy. He understood that he was an addict. But he's still betrayed when he steals from the safe. That decision sends him right back to Smurf. She is able to tell him that this has always been a pattern of Billy's. He panics when things get too tough and ends up hurting those he claims to love the most. It's true that he did run away with Deran as a baby. But he ended up using him as leverage to get more money out of Smurf. That's devastating while also proving that things are going to remain just as complicated and personal for Deran moving forward.
Meanwhile, Pope is trying to get an update on what has happened to Lena now that she is in the foster care system. He wants to handle it by himself because he's the one person in the family who genuinely cares about her. He has been trying to step up and do right by her after Baz's death. He still doesn't know whether to believe Smurf was responsible for the murder. But he knows that he needs to be the one to protect Lena during this difficult time. He has been doing his best but she was still taken from him. And now, he can't seem to get any answers about her whereabouts. Instead, he is just creating more and more of a scene. That has the potential of turning this case against him. Everyone in that office can talk about how intimidating and demanding he was in that moment. He believes he is full of compassion. He wants Lena to know that she is loved and wanted. He is coming for her. It's the kind of clarity he always longed for in the moments when he was growing up in the system. He understands this ordeal that Lena is now going through. But he's experiencing it as a parent this time around. He believes he has more clarity and compassion than the typical parent who gets caught up in this drama. But he is still trying to tell these agents how to do their jobs. And in the end, he needs Smurf's support in order to get any answers whatsoever. She is able to drive him to the specific house where Lena is staying. She has the clarity on what the parents are like and if the neighborhood is safe. That's a gift she is able to give him. He can find peace with that even while continuing to mount this defense to win Lena back. But again, it's tragic that he has to retreat to Smurf's loving embrace for this to occur. It further sets him off with Billy. He is provoked into fighting with him. That's an ugly moment where he does suffer injuries. But again, the clarity it affords him is valuable to his mental health and determination as a member of this family.
Separate from all of this is J. He may be the one person in the family who is exempt from this destructive pattern. That could be attributed to him having a different upbringing than his uncles. Pope, Craig and Deran all grew up with Smurf as their mother. They always depended on that relationship. They never really pushed her away until they were adults. Meanwhile, J never really knew his family until Julia died. He got a crash course in who they were and what they were willing and capable of doing in this world. He is still learning the ins and the outs of the business as well. But he's a quick study. He is actually making the moves to ensure that the family no longer has to use Smurf's businesses in order to launder their money. Instead, he is hoping to get the job done thanks to a laundromat and bowling alley. Those are such random locations. And yet, it also points out that J has the smarts and awareness to know which properties are solid in the real estate market and can be used as fronts for the money laundering. So far, Mia is the only person he is letting in on the plan. The uncles know that things are happening to ensure they can make a clean break from Smurf eventually in the future. Right now, they are still relying on her to clean the money from the massive weed heist. But no one knows exactly what J is doing. He is choosing to be open with Mia. That too is bound to end unexpectedly for him because of the secrets she is keeping. There is still so much he and the audience don't know about her. She is the one who killed his father. J could have a huge reaction to that once it's revealed. Or he could still choose to continue moving forward with her because he never developed a paternal relationship with Baz. There are lots of options the show could explore for the end game of the season.
Some more thoughts:
- "Off the Tit" was written by Addison McQuigg and directed by Larry Teng.
- The audience gets the first suspicion that something is amiss in Mexico right away when Lucy decides to investigate one of her own supply trucks. It's late because the driver wanted to earn more money by helping people smuggle over the border. Lucy has no compassion for that. It's a notable sequence because Marco is no where to be found. She wants to know where her brother is. It doesn't take too much longer before Smurf gets him though.
- How smart is J in trusting Morgan to help him set up the financials for his new businesses? She is Smurf's lawyer. He understands that she is shifty and morally corruptible. He relied on her when Smurf was in jail. But there's no guarantee she won't just tell Smurf everything that he is doing. J hopes that she is smart and aware enough to know the benefits of working with both of them. But again, that leaves things up in the air at the moment.
- Should Craig and the audience take Ren at her word that the baby isn't his? That has been the most important relationship he has had over the course of the series. He sees it as valuable. He wanted to be more serious with her. But she also didn't tell him when she came back to town. He just happens to run into her outside the hospital. And yet, there's no reason for her to lie other than her being defensive and not wanting to let Craig in on the decision-making process.
- It's very interesting that Frankie is choosing to stay with the Cody family. She is given a choice to leave with Billy. She understands that that is what's going on with him. She sees how impulsive and reckless he is being. Instead, she has found a new connection with Craig. That could be exciting. But she's still a mysterious individual who could be working her own plan. Getting in with this family could just be the start of that.
- Is this going to be the last of Billy this season? It seems like a distinct possibility. It's a fitting farewell because it is so devastating to Deran while explosive for Smurf, J and Pope. Everyone had key interactions with him. But at the end of the day, he was still an addict looking to get high. He hurt the people close to him. He wants to believe he is a good guy for leaving a note behind. But that can't excuse his actions either.
