Now that we're a few episodes in, I'm going to start in on more
SPOILER-filled reviews:
The episode starts where we left off last week, with the group at the After Sunset Drive-In. The movie they're playing is
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry, although either the projectionist got the reels mixed up or they were just showing highlights from the movie. The crowd is getting restless, but soon enough are let in on the next leg of the course with the clue "Surrender, America."
They also get word of a new twist: the driver who "showed the most improvement" will get a special task that will allow them to skip the next checkpoint and move directly to the one after that. The big winner was Tully (Fillion), thanks to his upgrade to the '70 Challenger last week. The clue is simply an address, and while he welcomes the opportunity to skip ahead of the other drivers Wiles (Lehman) knows that something is up. They head off to the address provided in the skip, but are followed by the Salazar brothers (Alejandro & Pardo).
Meanwhile, the rest of the teams get bad news all around: Patrakas (Lynskey) gets a call saying that her son is in danger, and she needs to return right away. Her new partner Chitty (Manning) will hear none of this, holding Patrakas at gunpoint and telling her to continue driving. Patrakas offers to drop her off, leave her cash, and even leave her the minivan, but Chitty reveals that she can't drive and needs Patrakas behind the wheel. Laird (Smith) discovers that his unit was deployed without him, and that thanks to his wife (Monroe) deleting all of his messages he is considered AWOL and faces court martial or worse.
Chamblee (Hyatt) and Barnthouse (Aytes) show up in a new car after Patrakas and Chitty disabled their Land Rover, but they are late and Mr. Bright (Smith) informs them that they have been eliminated and must turn in their phone. Chamblee believes she is in the race due to divine intervention, and refuses to give up. She sees the Laird's Firebird and decides to follow them. When their phone is pitched from the car in the middle of an argument, Chamblee picks it up and they're back in the race.
Barnthouse doesn't believe in the spiritual guidance suggested by Chamblee at first, but can't help but wonder as the "coincidences" pile up. She figures out the clue (Appomattox, Virginia - scene of the surrender at the end of the Civil War) and the two of them are on their way, when a truck runs them off the road and kills Chamblee. In her dying words, she tells her that God had said that she (Barnthouse) would finish the race, not Chamblee herself. Barnthouse leaves the body and the wreckage, and hitches a ride to Appomattox.
Back on the "skip" route, Tully has had no problem noticing the Salazars tailing them. The Salazars offer a trade: share the tip now, and they'll return the favor down the road. If not, they'll just keep following and get the skip anyway. Tully flies away from the intersection, leaving the Salazars in a cloud of dust pointing the wrong direction, unable to keep up. When they reach the address given to them at the start of the episode, they find a small town preparing for a sorghum festival. Wiles asks what sorghum is, and Tully explains it with the reasoning that "he's in landscaping; he knows crops." They continue down the street until they find the address (a local bank), to which Tully refuses to follow through. Wiles claims that he doesn't even know what their next message is (as she's holding the phone), but he tells her that they want the two of them to rob the bank. When she asks how he knows, he simply says that he wasn't always in landscaping.
They realize that two people aren't enough to pull it off, so they go back and find the Salazars. The two of them are arguing, with Sean claiming that trying to catch up to the Challenger in their Impala was futile. Winston tries to claim that Tully had lucked out, and that he could outdrive Tully any day, when the Challenger pulls up next to them on the road. Wiles had read Winston's profile, and knew of his past legal troubles, so the Salazars are recruited to help rob the bank.
Tully acts as the wheel man, waiting outside while the other three go in. While waiting, he has a vision of his wife, who tells him that even though he is slipping back into his old life, it is important that he follows through. Inside, things are going great until a security guard catches the three and holds them at gunpoint. A fight ensues, and both the guard and Sean get shot. They get out of town as fast as possible, with Sean bleeding to death in the back of the Challenger. Tully drops Wiles off at a motel, and tells her and Winston to stay there while he gets help for Sean. He drives off and the episode ends.
Overall, another good episode. Not much driving, but some decent character development without being forced or heavy handed. We didn't hear much from the Trimbles, but it looks like they might have their chance next week. I'm curious to see what happens to the Lairds after this, and it looks like we get to find out more about Tully's past when he goes to have Sean patched up next week.
