Good Behavior: Season 2/ Episode 9 “And I Am A Violent Criminal” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
After the show seeming kind of aimless, a mistake by Letty and discovery by Javier gives us some idea of its future. Previous Recap: Episode 8 “Stay Beautiful” Network TNT Director(s) Doc Crotzer Writer(s) Lenore Zion & Sarah Berry Handling Some Pertinent Business: Ava, Javier, Christian, Letty, Estelle With David and her father dying, Ava…
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After the show seeming kind of aimless, a mistake by Letty and discovery by Javier gives us some idea of its future.
Previous Recap: Episode 8 “Stay Beautiful”
| Network | |
| TNT | |
| Director(s) | Doc Crotzer |
| Writer(s) | Lenore Zion & Sarah Berry |
Handling Some Pertinent Business: Ava, Javier, Christian, Letty, Estelle
With David and her father dying, Ava has taken up the task to head to Argentina and handle the arrangements it seems. But, before leaving with the girls, something becomes very clear – she and Javier have patterns when it comes to who they choose to get close to. For Ava, it is usually killers like her father, Teo, and of course Javier. As for Javier? He likes the damsel in distress types, if not those who may have an immediate need for him to be in his life.
Which makes Letty needing him once more fine by him. For while Christian tries to, after he finds Letty, post-text message, drop her off anywhere but Javier’s, he is given no choice. Letty refuses to go to a hospital, after all, if Jacob’s dad goes for another custody hearing, that would screw her over; with Estelle, she isn’t trying to have Jacob see his mom like this, he has enough going on; and as for Christian taking care of her as she gets clean? Have you met Agent Lashever?
So, behind Letty’s back, he drops her off at Javier’s. Which leads to her having a bit of a fit, if only because she knows she has to give a genuine apology. Something she hasn’t done often and with Javier being rather sweet despite all she has put him through, the guilt weighs heavy. Making him not home at the time of her arrival a blessing for she can get her thoughts together.
We Need To Talk About Jacob: Estelle, Jacob, Rob, Letty
Rob makes his glorious return but it isn’t in the best of moods. You see, Jacob breaks his brand new mower but refuses to own up to it – even with all evidence, such as muddy shoes and being seen with the keys, pointing towards him. Which, with Estelle going through this before with Letty, starting around 11, she seeks out the mom to see where she went wrong.
Of which, Letty doesn’t blame Estelle what so ever. She owns her issues, even going back then, and says what Jacob needs right now are rules and structure. Something Letty didn’t really provide him for the weeks or maybe even months, she was with him. So, perhaps that is why he is acting out now. While, at his core, he is a good kid, he was just put in their rule less environment and is having difficulties readjusting. Especially since he was starting to adapt to how Letty and Javier live their lives.
Killing An Innocent: Letty, Javier, Teo
But, it is best for Jacob to stay with Estelle since even with Javier welcoming Letty with open arms, bathing her, and them back to being cute together, Javier has enemies. First and foremost there is Teo, but then you have to think of who Teo works for, who that person works for, and the whole organization backing them. That is a bit too much to worry about, while making sure Jacob goes to school, is fed, bathes, and generally feels safe and secure.
Though, after Javier takes Teo’s drugs, which were being delivered to Ava’s restaurant, and tries to force a meet to kill him by means of heart attack, he bypasses Javier. Yup, he decides to instead go wait at Javier’s house to set up an ambush but ends up finding Letty. Leading to him telling this story which is supposed to push this idea he is innocent. One in which he is but an unskilled laborer, coerced by economics onto the sea and made to cannibalize his fellow shipmates to survive.
Pushing the idea that Teo, perhaps, didn’t want this life. However, Javier’s father, being cheap vs. getting good and reliable soldiers, hired people like Teo. Those who cost less but couldn’t do much, and somewhere during this whole operation something went wrong and people died. Now, as for who killed who? Well, Teo makes it seem he wasn’t the sole one killing people. So who is it pulling his strings or who he might be running from is the question.
One which doesn’t get answered for Javier left Letty a gun and after hitting Teo with a cactus, she shoots him. Thus making it so he can’t ever define how exactly he might be innocent. But, to make matters from okay to terrible, Letty also kills an unarmed security installation guy. Someone who came onto the property just to install security system. So expect the weight of that man’s death to haunt Letty for quite some time.
Other Noteworthy Facts & Moments
- Letty is 34
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- Why was Teo surprised Javier had a girlfriend? Did he not really date before?
- Does Javier own storage unit 28, 30, and 32?
Highlights
Setting Up The Future of the Series
With Letty killing two people, one being Teo and the other an innocent man, so comes the trouble of how to cover that up? Unlike the people who Javier kill, in which the wife or husband, or another party, can be blamed, all fingers point at Letty. The house is in her name, all those girl scouts could see that truck parked outside, but then again, this is Letty. With her silver tongue powers, who is to say she can’t say “Self-Defense” and may not be believed?
After all, it worked on Lashever earlier in the season and got her out of going to federal prison. Last season it got her custody of Jacob, despite many signs making it seem she wouldn’t win custody. So who is to say if this situation doesn’t get buried and just haunts Letty’s memory, she can’t beat the case?
Though, another option would be just to run. Ava and the girls going to Argentina opens up the idea noted in the comment section of the last recap possibly happening. I mean, think about it, Letty may actually lose the case and Javier, to repay Letty for getting him out of prison so many times, takes her to Argentina to hide out. A place where he already has business to handle, to see about the deaths of his father and brother’s death, plus it has been how long since he has been home? It seems like the perfect time now to return since the main factor keeping it from being a welcoming place is dead.
Now, as for how, money wise, a show which isn’t necessarily a hit, but brings some form of notoriety to TNT could handle this? Well, I’m not the money person so I can’t tell you.
Estelle and Letty Talking About Jacob
For a good part of the series, Letty and Estelle have bumped heads on nearly everything. But one thing which has consistently brought them together is Jacob’s best interest. Of which, Estelle isn’t 100% sure what that is anymore. Letty has changed him, he is changing, and Estelle just wants to get it right this time. For even if Letty takes the credit for where she is in life, Estelle isn’t going to just offload all her guilt onto Letty. Rob tore open that scab and Estelle is trying to make sure it properly heals this time.
So, she goes to the source. What can I do, what is my part, in making sure I don’t repeat whatever mistakes I had when raising you? A question which perplexes Letty since, in the short time she was playing full-time mom, and especially after her grandma screwed up her head – thus leading to her relapse, Estelle now looks like a saint.
But what makes that phone call so important, in my mind, is that Rob didn’t push it. Estelle, on her own, gave an update about Jacob and despite Letty not really being in the position to give advice, she asked for it and seemingly will take it. Pushing the idea that Rob’s words have opened up a new chapter between Estelle and Letty. One in which she’ll acknowledge her daughter’s faults but not outright damn her for them.
On The Fence
So, About Letty’s Relapse
Now, I’ll admit I don’t know much drug addicts, though I know a few, but considering the amount of difficulty Javier had getting Letty clean before, shouldn’t we see a repeat of that? Granted, she only had a few day bender, but she shouldn’t be totally there right now, right? Or has Hollywood perception created this illusion that Good Behavior is deciding not to follow?
Catch Up or Follow Along: Here [External]
I have been watching the whole series but there was one thing in this episode that I can’t figure out. How did Javier know the text “mixed greens salad” was a cry for help?
The only thing I can think of is when they were in the diner the one day and he was eating the salad and she was eating a burger. He knew she was hungry in the episode so therefore she wouldn’t have told him to bring her back a salad.
I’ve been watching this whole series but there was one thing in this episode that I couldn’t figure out. How did Javier know that the text “mixed greens salad” was a cry for help?
Well, I took it as it being a cry for help because Letty has never been a salad kind of girl. Usually, what she has always asked for is a burger. So her switching up to a mixed green salad is very out of character and probably raised a red flag.
Already good reply by Amari. Want to add that Letty just isn’t a person that lives healthy which, drug habits aside, also includes the food she eats – Which Javier witnessed quite a few times by now 🙂
I didn’t go through all episodes to search for examples (and hope I’m allowed to post links in here) – But below I already found two from season one’s 2nd and 3rd episode. Both show how it makes sense that Javier knows Letty asking for a green salad is fishy (no pun intended 😉 ):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfSrxJtY73o
(From Season 1, Episode 3, Starting at 1:45 – Javier eating a – you guessed it – salad – and Letty shoves down a Cheeseburger)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg6rl8CHLCc
(From Season 1, Episode 2, just pause at the very beginning to take a look at Letty’s breakfast 🙂 )
Also not to forget that he already was nervous/suspicious due to Teo being 20-30 minutes late despite Javier having Teo’s cocaine which was probably worth quite a bit of money.
Links are fine with me. As long as the site linked is reputable.
P. S.: Regarding your comment about drugs/drug addicts. Letty had one relapse (granted for a few days). It’s like with an alcoholic. That can lead back on the road to addiction (especially with crystal meth, crack, opiods OR Alcohol) but you don’t get addicted right away again. She wouldn’t have any withdrawal symptoms or something (besides, the drugs of her choice the last episodes are mostly “only” mentally addictive) but just fell off the wagon once.
With Javier being kind of her substitution for drugs (most of the time at least) and leaving him (and Jacob) being the reasons she got on this bender anyway I’d suppose she’d be back in the sober zone without much of a fuzz (if she, which seems unlikely atm, doesn’t continue using of course, especially Crystal Meth).
Thanks for the info. For a lot of shows, right after a bender, all we see is them go straight down the rabbit hole and have to go to rehab. So Letty just having a relapse and then not going through the usual withdrawal symptoms and all that left me a bit confused.
GB actually (for once) depicted this more realistically than those shows. There’s just so much misinformation out there when it comes to illegal drugs/drug use, like somebody getting addicted the first time he tries something. There is no such thing, the body has to build a dependency over time. Of course, with some drugs it goes faster than with others. It takes a bit longer to become an alcoholic with bodily withdrawal symptoms than with opiods for example.
And it’s another myth that one relapse gets you down the rabbit hole again. It often opens the door to it (same with “only one cigarette again” smokers, “one – just an exception – drink” alcoholics etc) but not necessarily so.
Hi Amari, as mentioned the title says season 1 episode 9 instead of season 2 and in the second paragraph it’s muddy shows instead of muddy shoes (I’m a bit of a stickler Meeseeks 😉 ) – I’m not the grammar police but in your shoes I’d like to know 🙂
Anyway, great review. For a while I honestly thought that the show maybe, just maybe, could pull a Homeland on us (where the big love interest and other main actor next to Claire Danes got killed off in a huge surprise move at the end of season 3) – But that feeling was gone quickly, at the latest when Letty of course was Ms. Cool as soon as Teo showed up in her/(Javier’s) new house.
Having all the silver-tongue fakeouts which plagued much of the show so far in mind I’d honestly had been surprised if the show would’ve pulled such a gutsy move (and no idea if it would’ve been a good idea anyway as I find Javier’s scenes mostly more enjoyable lately than Letty’s on/off the wagon show).
It rather seems – and I thought the same as soon as Ava talked about moving there with her kids – that your Argentina idea could come to fruition. As we discussed last week, I also saw a lot of sense in that. Nothing is holding her in the States, last week I was only thinking about her not having any relationships holding her here (the Jacob experiment is obviously done) but now with having the alarm system guy shot this could be her only option. As you point out, there are witnesses, the company of the guy knew for sure where he had his next appointment etc.
It’s either fleeing or jail, I don’t see any other options at least if the show is still trying to reflect the real world – But as far as I know the show by now, of course they could come up with some miracudiculous solution by blaming the murder on Teo.
There were some situations (we already discussed) where Letty’s silver tongue or Javier getting away with a murder turned into a real unrealistic joke but I swear by all that is holy, if there are no consequences for this killing like with a mentioned Teo fake out, or Letty being able to talk her way out of this again, I’d have to call quits on the show.
As I said last week, there’s only so far I can suspend disbelief. Besides, I like the Argentina idea, so I guess it’s wait and see (discounting we don’t even know if there’s a third season yet).
Thanks for the correction.
Honestly, fleeing is the only option. Letty has shown herself incapable of adhering to normalcy and the whole situation screws both her and Javier over. For one, the house is in Letty’s name, but also Javier is the one who called the security company and likely paid for everything ahead of time. Plus, once Lashever catches wind, that naturally pushes her to have to act. Meaning, either they leave the country, on the run, or else we’re right back to that cat and mouse game with Lashever and Letty having to use that silver tongue to get out of this.
Yet, as an alternative, they could just head to Argentina. With that, the show can shift more focus to Javier. We can meet what remains of his family, learn more about his past growing up, maybe Teo’s as well, and it could be a new lease on the show’s life. Yeah, Letty will have to brush up on her Spanish and adapt to the culture, but with how stale things have gotten, the shake-up is just what she needs. Being uncomfortable, and out of her element, means the character will actually get challenged and what she could get away with in the Carolinas will be no more. Thus forcing her to switch things up. Especially as she deals with the men and women Javier’s father worked with or were neighbors to.
Oh right. I forgot about Lashever (which is really surprising considering her personality 😉 ). If we’re unlucky Letty silver tonguely blackmails Lashever with the 500k heist they did for her and she gets released that way or something in that vein (after all, blaming the shooting Teo or something self defense would be really hard to pull off and isn’t Javier on a wanted list anyway?).
I really have my fingers crossed for Argentina. That would shake up the whole show and as you mentioned opens the door for a whole new bunch of storylines. Let’s hope the writers take that road.