Spoiler warning: We’re discussing Madam’s recovery, Amp and Dime’s baby drama, Blue and Tommy’s investigation, and how Episode 2 ends.
Baby, Madam opened her eyes and immediately started acting like Madam again.
So apparently one bullet to the chest was not enough to give this woman a personality adjustment.
Madam Is Awake, But She Can’t Remember Who Shot Her
Episode 2 gives us what we wanted almost immediately:
Madam is conscious.
And instead of waking up weak and fragile, she’s already complaining about what she’s wearing and asking the only question that matters:
Who tried to kill her?
Unfortunately, she doesn’t know.
Madam remembers being inside her office and hearing something shortly before the shooting, but she can’t remember the shooter’s face. Doctors explain that she lost a significant amount of blood and is dealing with memory loss surrounding the attack.
Oh, that’s convenient.
Not for Madam.
For whoever shot her.
Because the absolute LAST thing I would want is Madam DeVille waking up in a hospital bed saying:
“I know exactly who did it.”
You wouldn’t even have time to pack.
Blue and Tommy Turn Into Their Own Detective Agency
Since Madam can’t identify the shooter, Blue and Tommy take matters into their own hands.
Which is terrifying because neither one of these people believes in waiting for a warrant.
They start reconstructing the shooting and realize the gunman used an area around Eden that wasn’t clearly captured on camera. They also use the angle of Madam’s gunshot wound to reason that the shooter was probably shorter than Tommy.
Now we’re getting somewhere.
Blue and Tommy eventually get access to surrounding camera footage and spot a sedan parked across the street from Eden on the night Madam was shot. They trace the vehicle to a man named Gerald.
Detective Davis has police procedure.
Blue and Tommy have:
“Bring him here.”
Different departments.
Gerald Has the Worst Night of His Life
Blue and Tommy get Gerald and begin questioning him about why his car was near Eden.
Gerald insists he wasn’t there and says he was having dinner with his family at Mattie B’s.
Blue actually starts thinking he may be telling the truth.
Tommy?
Not so much.
The interrogation gets violent, and Tommy eventually takes things so far that Blue is irritated because now they’ve lost the chance to get any more useful information from Gerald.
This is why Tommy cannot be the lead investigator.
Blue:
“We need answers.”
Tommy:
“Best I can do is severe bodily harm.”
The whole point was to make him TALK.
Still, Gerald’s car being outside Eden is suspicious enough that I don’t blame them for investigating him.
But something about the situation clearly doesn’t add up.
And that’s the bigger mystery Episode 2 leaves hanging.
Was Gerald actually involved?
Was somebody using his car?
Was he set up?
Because if this season is teaching us anything, it’s that there are about seventeen different people with reasons to want Madam gone.
Meanwhile, Dime Is Pregnant and Amp Is Ready to Change Everything
While Blue and Tommy are out conducting the unofficial Eden homicide investigation, Amp and Dime are dealing with something much more personal.
Dime is pregnant.
Amp is excited about becoming a father and even starts talking about changing their environment because their current lifestyle isn’t exactly giving:
quiet suburban nursery.
Dime, however, is overwhelmed.
Madam has just been shot.
Their lives are dangerous.
And Amp has his own history with addiction.
So while Amp is thinking about baby names and a fresh start, Dime is thinking:
Can we survive long enough to raise this child?
Fair question.
Then Dime Finds the Liquor
And this is where things get serious.
Dime discovers an opened bottle of alcohol around Amp.
Amp tells her he didn’t drink it.
But he admits he thought about drinking.
And Dime is not comforted by that distinction.
She reminds him how destructive he became when he was drinking before and questions whether he’s really ready to become a father while still fighting his addiction.
Honestly, I understood both sides.
Amp didn’t drink.
That’s important.
But Dime is pregnant and thinking about stability now.
She’s not just asking:
“Do I trust you today?”
She’s asking:
“Can I trust you when we’re exhausted, stressed, broke, scared, and there’s a screaming baby at three in the morning?”
That is a very different question.
Amp Makes His Choice
Later, Amp explains what triggered him.
Seeing his mother at the groundbreaking ceremony sent him into an emotional spiral. He tried reaching out for support, and even though he got dangerously close to drinking, he ultimately didn’t.
Then he tells Dime that the baby gives him another reason to keep choosing sobriety.
He chooses Dime.
He chooses their child.
He chooses their future together.
That was probably my favorite storyline in the episode.
Because for once, All the Queen’s Men slowed down long enough to let somebody deal with a real problem that couldn’t be fixed with a gun.
Amp’s recovery isn’t magically over because Dime is pregnant.
If anything, fatherhood raises the stakes.
And I hope the show keeps treating that seriously.
Carla Is Already Thinking About Madam’s Property
Meanwhile, Carla and Toni discuss what might happen if Madam doesn’t survive.
And baby…
Carla is already thinking about Eden.
While Madam is lying in the hospital, the conversation turns toward whether Madam has a will and what could happen to the club if she dies.
MA’AM.
The woman has not even been discharged.
Can we wait until the IV comes out before we divide her property?
And Madam Is Already Done With the Hospital
By the end of the episode, Madam has had enough.
She is smoking when she isn’t supposed to.
Arguing with hospital staff.
Having visitors.
Eating whatever she wants.
Basically treating the hospital like she’s the majority shareholder.
Then things go completely left when Madam gets physical with a staff member and finally calls Tommy to come get her because she has decided she’s finished being hospitalized.
Of course she has.
Doctors:
“You were shot in the chest. You need observation.”
Madam:
“Observe me leaving.”
Episode 2 was stronger for me because now we have several stories moving at once.
Madam is alive but can’t identify her shooter.
Blue and Tommy have their first real suspect, but the evidence doesn’t completely make sense.
Amp and Dime are preparing for a baby while Amp’s sobriety suddenly becomes even more important.
And people are already looking at Eden like Madam’s empire might be available at an estate sale.
The shooter mystery is still the main attraction, but I really liked the Amp and Dime storyline because it gave the episode some emotional weight between all the threats and investigations.
And Madam?
One thing about Marilyn DeVille:
That woman is not staying in a hospital bed one minute longer than she personally approves.
SoulNeekTV Rating: 4 out of 5 Tea Cups ☕☕☕☕
Good drama, a real mystery developing, and enough mess happening around Eden to keep Season 5 moving.
Now somebody please figure out who shot Madam before Tommy interrogates the entire city of Atlanta.