[Header Image: Christina Hendricks as Beth Boland and Matthew Lillard as Dean Boland | NBC]
Throughout this episode, the net closes in on Beth and Dean as Dave, who we met properly last week, finds a way to get closer to them and push forward with his insistence of Dean’s guilt. This might only be the second episode of season four but considering this content would have made it into season three (if it hadn’t been cut short), things are already heating up pretty fast.
While Dean may not be the correct person to go after, it still creates some big problems for Beth. While being arrested increases the chances of him spilling everything he knows, he’s also not going to be happy once he does eventually get out. Through the scene at the bar with Dave (and past moments on the show), Dean has already shown that he doesn’t like taking orders from Beth and the fact she lied to him about their business isn’t going to sit well especially with Rio’s involvement in the whole thing.
Although this could be a problem for Rio on top of being questioned about Lucy’s murder, I don’t see him rushing to help Beth out or at least, I don’t see him making it easy for her, so it’s really going to add to that pressure she’s already feeling. And, speaking of, that interrogation was not how I expected the episode to open up. While in the previous episode, Rio did mention needing to go in and talk to the cops, I was mostly expecting it to be something that happened off-camera so it was a nice surprise when that wasn’t the case. It made a good point of telling us that the cops actually have a reason to talk to Rio and that it’s serious, so much so that he wants to use the business account to move funds around.
Hopefully, all of this creates a plus in Rio and Beth having to push through that divide between them so they can properly work together. With Phoebe sneaking around trying to find evidence, they’re not completely free. It’s bound to come to light that Dean really isn’t the mastermind behind it all and something as simple as finding Turner’s case notes could reveal the connection between Beth and Rio, therefore, putting the attention on them instead. Even if Dean’s arrest doesn’t motivate Rio to help right now and Beth still feels the hit will make her life easier, the more attention that shifts onto them, the more likely they’ll need to work together.
And even begrudgingly, it’s going to be fun! Those two have such wonderful chemistry that it doesn’t matter if they like each other or hate each other. There’s likely to be new things and subtle differences in their dynamic compared to past seasons but regardless of the particulars, it’s bound to be an interesting watch.
With the added stress of Rio wanting to move funds around and using the business account to do it, Beth agrees to have dinner with Fitzpatrick. While we did learn a couple of things about him in season three, we get a little more insight into him this episode. It’s not much but it’s enough to know that when becoming a hitman, he crossed a line he never intended to, something he feels Beth should be able to relate to and from the look on her face as he speaks, it seems she does. We — and Beth — also get to see a more violent side to him and while, yes, being a hitman does give that away, it’s a little more personal this time around with his bandaged fist and the chef’s bloodied face. It does feel like a little more was needed, particularly, was Fitzpatrick outwardly angry or more reserved when he talked to and punched the chef?
It doesn’t matter either way but the difference could say a lot about how he might handle things moving forward in regards to Beth. Between wanting to go to dinner with Beth and this moment of violence, it already raises the stakes for how badly things can go. What will he do if she turns down future advances? What if she tries to call off the hit? What happens if the hit goes ahead but he sticks around? It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be so simple for Beth to remove Fitzpatrick into her life and no doubt there’s a very real possibility that his capability of violence may turn on her.
All of that aside though, I do have to say what a joy it is to see these two sharing more scenes! Christina Hendricks and Andrew McCarthy are both incredibly talented so getting to see them on screen together is a delight and regardless of how this whole thing turns out, I’m confident their scenes will continue to be great to watch.
This episode brings back the donor family but a new twist is presented this time. Upon hearing that they would make another appearance, I wasn’t too surprised but I am appreciative of the fact that they aren’t trying to get more money or anything like that from Ruby and Stan. I will say though, I’m still holding my breath. Good Girls does have a habit of hitting hard when things seem to be going well and I’m curious to see where things go now that we know Sara’s kidney didn’t come from the daughter of that particular family. At the very least, even if it amounts to nothing, I’m interested to know if Sara did make a mistake or, upon failing to find the real donor family, did she pick another one to give back to?
Either way, like with so many things on this show it could be nothing or it could be something huge and I’m intrigued to see how things go from here in regards to the donor family but just with the Hills personal lives in general. I loved the added touch that Harry is going to a new school that is just as expensive as predicted but already it seems like it’s going to not only cause a bit of stress on the Hill family finances but perhaps shift dynamics slightly now that a lot of Ruby and Stan’s attention could shift to Harry more than it has in the past.
At the end of the day, I just want the Hills to find peace and happiness instead of things constantly working against them.
Now, while there’s a possibility of things changing for the Hills, things have already shifted between Ben and Annie. The two of them have by far one of the best relationships on the whole show but it really felt inevitable that a rift would come between them. There have been a lot of changes in Ben’s life and while all of that’s happening, Annie has been incredibly busy. It’s been well-established before how much they love each other so hopefully, no matter how much that rift grows, the two of them will come back together stronger than ever because their argument this episode really was a painful stab to the heart.
It does, however, make me wonder just how much things are going to break before they get better. While not only does Annie feel left out of Ben’s life (particularly in regards to school) but in this episode, she was also judged for bringing Kevin to the fundraiser and she had to deal with Greg making assumptions about her finances. There’s also the moment where she assumes Ben doesn’t tell her things or want her to be more involved because she’s broke and it’s presented this idea that while he’s adapted pretty well and begun to fit into his new life, Annie hasn’t so much, in fact, she probably didn’t think she would need to. With that being said, I’m intrigued to see if she continues to try and fit into Ben’s new world and how that’ll go. Already in this episode, we’ve seen that pressure and upset lead to some pretty self-sabotaging behaviour so I, for one, am preparing myself for more heartache.
Overall this episode shifted storylines and relationships. While Beth, Annie, and Ruby’s personal lives are being disrupted in some way or another there are also significant changes in the investigation in the girls’ counterfeit money as well as Lucy’s murder and it definitely seems like something explosive is bound to happen very soon.
Also, one last quick little note, I do have to mention the wonderful return of JT! His continued involvement in the girls’ crimes is still a fantastic addition to the show and his dynamic with the three of them is glorious to watch. Speaking of dynamics, I loved Annie, Beth, and Ruby talking about the latter’s dinner with Fitzpatrick both before and after it happened. From day one, they’ve been established as such a wonderful trio and I doubt I’ll ever get bored of any scenes like the ones we saw in this episode.
wonderoes 