Episode 1: The Western Book of the Dead

Episode 2: Night Finds You

Episode 3: Maybe Tomorrow

Episode 4: Down Will Come

Episode 5: Other Lives

Episode 6: Church in Ruins

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Texas forever! Unless you get freakin shot.  Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t forget to clear your corners Tim. So…Texas until you get shot in the back. God damnit.

I felt incredibly overwhelmed by BMAMR. The season as a whole has been pretty back-loaded in terms of a) each episode basically being 50 minutes of embellished dialogue followed by a cliffhanger and b) most of the pertinent info we’ve learned has come in the last couple weeks, but last night felt like when you’re taking a test and realize you have fifteen minutes left to answer 75 questions. Don’t get me wrong, I was still glued to the TV for the duration, but exchanges like our three heroes had in the motel before Paul met his match (who played Paul…..Raines in “24”. Nic P FTW) felt like a not-so-nuanced attempt at hyper-speed plot development. How’s that for a sentence.

Questions/Tidbits:

• What a Tim Riggins-like performance Taylor Kitsch put on this season though. Nothing fancy or over the top, just good quality acting. Fullback dive, on one on one. I think that scene in his mom’s trailer where he realizes she took his money was the only time you even heard him raise his voice. Compare that to the emotion shown at various points by the other three. A very well executed contrast. The circumstances surrounding his death were pretty tragic if you give it some thought, something that doubled as a little Pizzolatto social commentary. All Paul needed to do was to be honest about who he was. Had he come out to people, those photos wouldn’t have meant anything which means Holloway and co. wouldn’t have had anything to hold over his head to force a meeting. Granted he most likely would have been killed anyway considering how close he was to blowing the investigation open but we’ll never know. And I can’t tell if he showed up to an obvious set up, knowing he was probably not making it out alive, for himself or for his family. Death was really the only way out of the fake life he was living since clearly telling the truth wasn’t an option. But it also would make things a lot easier for his fiance and child if he freed them from his existential burdens by dying. Maybe he did it for a little bit of both reasons. But he sure sounded like he knew what he was getting himself into during that last phone call with Ray.
• This damned jewelry heist is hands down the most confusing thing in any TV show I’ve ever watched. My best attempt:
  • 1992 – LA Riots – Burris, Teague were cops in LA, Casper (think I’ve been spelling it Caspere this entire time, my B) was involved (accountant maybe?)
  • The three amigos knocked off a jewelry store located in Holloway’s district, stole those rare ass diamonds, made it look like a looter except executed the owners of the store (The Ostermanns)
  • The diamonds were then used (but not given to apparently, since Casper had them in his deposit box) as a buy-in with Mayor Chessani so all four of them would work cushy jobs in the city and be a part of the chain of corruption going on there
  • Two children from the photo are Laura and Leonard Ostermann, witnessed their parents murder while hiding in a display case

Towards the end of the episode, Vera, Ani’s missing chick, revealed that Casper’s assistant Erica’s real name is Laura. The overwhelming Reddit theory is that she is the Ostermann daughter and the photographer from the movie set, seen talking to her briefly when Ray and Ani paid a visit, is the son and possibly Birdman.

(/u/Ditcka)

Vera knew who Laura was from the parties, she was even in one of the photos that the dead hooker friend Tascha was using to try and blackmail party attendees. So this theory definitely makes sense. Casper gets overly cocky and brags about or shows the diamonds to a hooker, Laura sees or hears about it, changes her appearance to get the job as Casper’s assistant where she has access to all his personal information, her brother kills him as revenge for their parents’ murders. I do have a few questions.

• They made it painfully clear that the rounds used by Birdman to shoot Ray were nonlethal, rounds that “cops use”. They said that line multiple times I think. Why would Leonard have access to police issued rounds? (Burris is another popular Birdman pick, and this part would back that up)
• The kids in the ’92 photo look a lotttttttt like Chessani’s kids.

(/u/thriftydame)

• Regardless of who the kids in the photo are, why did Teague never ascend any higher than detective while the other three involved in the diamond heist became probably the most powerful men in the city? Whatever the reason behind this is most likely why they deemed him expendable by sending him to and maybe even killing him on purpose during the shootout with the Mexicans.
• Vince Vaughn said bye to all his h8ers this week. He finally got a couple awesome one-liners (“Look me in the eyes. I want to see your lights go out”) and was chillingly good during Blake’s last hurrah.

Something about that scene made me a little uneasy about his wife though. Wouldn’t that be icing on his cake of betrayal.

• His grocery list of weapons includes two of almost everything. Looks like him and Nails are gearing up for a big one next week.

(/u/JohnnyDrama240)

Sort of reminds you of another main TV character gearing up for his final showdown:

(/u/hardboil3d)

Reddit Theories:

• Quite different reactions after Paul’s death from his mother and fiance
• Jewish Mobsters are apparently a real thing
• About the Ostermann orphans
• Frank’s plan heading into the finale
• Do we know who attacked Ani when she was a kid?

One more ‘sode. 90 minutes. Will Frank make it out alive? Will his man bun?

(/u/abscurat)