by Conan Simmons – November 23, 2020 – 6:28 am
Penultimate episode of season 4 brings things into place for the inevitable bloody climax while one character is conspicuously absent.
Briefly checking in on Satchel Cannon (Rodney Jones) as he walks his dog on the open road we see that he doesn’t hesitate to assert himself as a burgeoning leader and probable successor to Loy Cannon’s (Chris Rock) throne.
Back in Kansas City Odis Weff (Jack Huston) leads a police raid on the warring gangsters and rounds up Josto Fadda (Jason Schwartzman). Trying to clear himself from all of his double dealing Odis ignores the impending threat from the Fadda family.
Josto and Gaetano (Salvatore Esposito) are finally trusting each other and spend time bonding while waiting to get their revenge on Odis. An unfortunate and unforeseeable mishap occurs that leaves the Fadda family shorthanded for the ongoing war with the Cannon’s.
Oraetta Mayflower (Jessie Buckley) is busy plotting her revenge on the duplicitous Ethelrida Pearl Smutney (E’myri Crutchfield) while the consequences of the macaron continue to unfold.
Ethelrida is busy with her own plot designs figuring out how to neutralize both Mayflower’s threat to her and Loy Cannon’s hold over her family. Using what she has on Mayflower, Ethelrida is able to gain leverage on both Josto Fadda and Loy Cannon.
Finally, the identity of the ghost is revealed and its purpose made clear.
This is one of the more entertaining episodes of the season mostly because it moves quickly to set everything in place for the finale. The editing it the unsung star of the show making interesting visuals out of the opening gang war montage and montages of quieter moments as characters plot against each other.
All the actors play their parts to perfection. Jack Huston as the nervous Odis gives an excellent sense of pathos when he discovers the Fadda threat is real. Jessie Buckley is consistently fun to watch as the eccentric with a deadly secret in peril of being found out. E’myri Crutchfield confidently holds her own facing off against Chris Rock whose performance throughout the season is one of his best. Jason Schwartzman provides the humorous counterpoint to Salvatore Esposito’s charismatic menace.
The only real fault with the episode is the introduction of new character, Lionel ‘Happy’ Halloway (Edwin Lee Gibson). He is first seen negotiating with Loy Cannon who wants his alliance in the war with Josto. ‘Happy’ has his own eccentricity, his bodyguard stands behind him holding two pictures that I’m guessing are his family members, it’s never made clear. The reverence Loy gives to ‘Happy’ suggests he is a force to be reckoned with but he doesn’t do much of anything this episode.
There’s also the conspicuous absence of another dangerous character that may show up to get revenge on Loy Cannon in next week’s finale.