Letty’s scheming feels like child’s play after meeting her grandmother, Alice, in this week’s episode.

This episode was a whirlwind of emotions, feelings, and anxiety. From start to finish, the nail-biting episode kept us on the edge of our seats. After last week’s drag queen adventures, Letty (Michelle Dockery) and Javier (Juan Diego Botto) had yet to replace the $50,000 from the money stash they owe Lashever (Ann Dowd). With limited options, Letty decides to visit her wealthy grandmother, Alice (Holland Taylor) in hopes of solving this monetary dilemma. This episode was brilliantly written by Dana Baratta as it provided some much-needed insight into where Letty comes from. Upon arriving, Letty’s encounter with her grandmother proves to be odd and unexpected. She quickly realizes that her grandmother has her own scheme brewing, along with a fake British accent. In exchange for the $50,000, Alice asks Letty to flirt with her husband, whom she believes is cheating on her. Furthermore, she is plotting to steal all his money and has no reservations about it. The twist we didn’t see coming was RJ (Charles Shaughnessy) is a decent man who ends up being the one to help Letty, something her grandmother refused to do.

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As this episode showed us, Alice is quite the schemer herself, having led a life full of lying, stealing, and cheating. This character was brilliantly executed by Taylor who deserves a standing ovation for playing the complicated role of Alice. In conversation, Alice proceeds to project her insecurities and mindset onto Letty when she tells her that she shouldn’t have Jacob (Nyles Steele) and that she will always crave the adrenaline rush from her escapades. Filled with doubt, it is apparent that Letty may have taken this conversation to heart, leaving speculation as to what she will do next.

The drama, however, didn’t stop there. Over the last few episodes, Teo (Juan Reidinger) has become an increasingly shady and disliked presence in Good Behavior. Not to mention, he has unwelcomingly made a place for himself in Ava’s (Maria Botto) home. The suspicions about Teo came to fruition when he appeared out of thin air in Javier’s car and held Jacob at gunpoint! Thankfully, Javier was quick to react and saved Jacob’s life, leaving Jacob traumatized and Javier full of guilt. Things aren’t looking pleasant for Teo though, whom Javier has tied up in a hotel room, ready to be tortured. And dare we say, he deserves it.

That was an anxiety-inducing episode, right?! Now, let’s meet our roundtable and get to discussing the ins and outs of it!

Erin (@E_84)– Graphic designer, TV nerd, and amateur photo taker

Jessa (@JessFortunato)– Reader, writer, highly opinionated TV enthusiast

Lauren (@mslaurenrh)– TV/book junkie, animal lover, wine drinker

Karen (@InGoodCoToday)– Marketing consultant, digital magazine publisher, Good Behavior fan

Janice (@starloverpensa1)– Reader, writer, TV aficionado, die-hard Jetty fan

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1. Well, that’s one way to start an episode. What are your thoughts on Sean’s “Porn Again” situation?

Erin (@E_84): Best opening scene ever! At first, I was like “What are those two doing? And what are they wearing?” After I picked my jaw up off the floor I could not stop laughing. You got to give it up to Sean and Bethany, Porn Again is a brilliant name. After all the laughing I was cheering Letty on when she laid into both Sean and Bethany. I would say she has a little leverage on them right now, just in case Sean tries something with Jacob in the future in regards to custody. The best part was that Jacob knew what they were doing in there! Nothing gets past this kid, which could be a good thing and a bad thing.

Jessa (@JessaFortunato): It’s obvious that no one on this show is a saint, however, I still am no over what an ass Sean was last season, and I really championed for Javier to do away with him. He can also seem to justify anything to himself, just like Letty.

Lauren (@mslaurenrh): I cannot believe they went there!  To be totally honest, from the moment Jacob told his mom he had been relegated to his room while Sean and Bethany had an “adult party” I knew.  I knew there were porn related activities going on there, but never in my life would I have imagined religious porn!  I was screaming!  I guess that’s what Sean meant when he claimed to have found Jesus back in Season One when he was fighting for custody of Jacob…To each their own? I don’t know that was all just so weird!

Karen (@InGoodCoToday): The Sean situation is an interesting reminder that we never really know where the biggest threats lie for Letty and her family. When we last left Sean, I think many of us thought he was going to play a much bigger role in destroying Letty’s happiness than he has so far.

Janice (@starloverpensa1): Sean was and is slime from day one.  This whole squeaky clean, “I’m a good guy now.”, the stuff he was spouting was a load of crap as Letty has been saying from day one.  I’m not surprised in the least about that whole scene especially after Jacob mentioned the adult only party.  Letty with all her lies is way more honest than Sean on any given day.  I wish Javier would have choked him again.  He’s pathetic and I hope he never graces our tv screens again.  

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2. This was a tumultuous episode for Jacob, ranging from facing racism to being held at gunpoint. What are your thoughts on his character development this season and his increasing comfort with lying?

Erin: Jacob is such a tough kid. No child should have to deal with the things Jacob’s had to deal with. He lies with the best of them and he’s a keeper of everybody’s secrets. I’m just worried it’s all going to be too much for him. He plays it off pretty well but at what point does he crack? When he asked Javier if he still has to use the fake name at school it broke my heart. While lying may be fun in certain situations (like at the charity function with Grandma Alice) when does it end? I just don’t want him to get hurt and I know Letty and Javier don’t want that either.

Jessa: He has definitely become more comfortable with secrets and lying. When he explained to Letty that he keeps Sean’s secrets just like he would keep hers, it just showed how corrupt he has become. That is also a part of growing up though, isn’t it? Realizing that no one is perfect, especially your parents.

Lauren: Oh my poor baby Jacob.  He is going through more than any person, child or adult should have to go through.  I feel as though his increased aptitude for lying is developing so rapidly as a defense mechanism, to allow him to feel in control of the situation. Racist old white dude bragging about his Confederate ancestors?  Jacob spouts off facts about a former-slave-turned-war-hero, seamlessly allowing him to stick it to that basic old white dude and show him up.  His great grandma wants to use him as a tool in her scheme?  He goes right along with it, because what’s the alternative?  Yet more interaction with boring old white people who are also going to be some form of racist.  Whether Letty wants him to or not, Jacob is quickly learning how to play the game, and could – I believe – surpass even her one day.  I’m interested to see how he reacts to being held at gunpoint situation after his initial shock wears off.

Karen: Jacob is going through much more trauma than I expected. He was mature for his age to begin with, and seems to be handling it all as well as he possibly can. I think this is setting him on a path where he will continue to embrace deceit and use it to his advantage at school.

Janice: Jacob is truly Letty’s son in every way.  Just like Letty, he analyzes his environment and adapts right away to what’s going on around him.  He’s quick to come up with a story or lie to fit the situation.  From last season to this season he seems to have matured.

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3. Letty’s grandma was quite the interesting lady, and suffice to say, really helps us understand Letty. What did you think of her and her scheme?

Erin: I LOVED Letty’s grandmother and her fake British accent. The show hit the jackpot with the casting of Holland Taylor. Her and Michelle Dockery had great chemistry together. I hope the show finds a way to bring her back. By bringing in the grandmother we never heard of before we got a glimpse of why Letty is the way she is. She learned from the best! Her scheme of making Letty seduce RJ was pretty straight forward and I thought, what could possibly go wrong? Haha! This is Good Behavior after all, but everything worked out in the end. Well… in regards to getting the $50,000, everything worked out.

Jessa: I would LOVE to know more about her! Did Letty go off and find her or did Estelle? Her scheme was pretty weak, but like she said, she’s tired of pretending. I personally hope that she finds happiness with her husband. (who was Mr. Sheffield from The Nanny, took me ages to place him).

Lauren: Oh Alice.  What a piece of work!  I can definitely see where Letty gets some of her worse habits from, but I read a degree of heartlessness in Alice that Letty just doesn’t possess.  Alice doesn’t care about anyone other than herself.  She’s all about number one and doing what will benefit her the most, regardless of who she hurts in the process.  Alice doesn’t love Letty, she doesn’t love anyone other than herself, and that will never change.  So, as much as Estelle resents her, she was without a doubt far better off without Alice in her life.  I feel like Letty would have been too, and this visit was clearly very triggering for Letty.  I just hope Alice hasn’t done too much damage, and that Letty can remember that she’s not her grandmother, that she loves Jacob (and Javier), and is capable of having the kind of life she wants – before it’s too late.  Is it too much of me to ask for a “Christian to the rescue!” moment here?

Karen: I think that Alice is like Letty on steroids. Alice thinks she knows Letty better than she does, and I don’t completely agree with her assessment of Letty’s character. Alice seems to lack Letty’s heart, and I found myself really scorning her schemes.

Janice: A part of me enjoyed meeting Alice because you found out some backstory for Letty and Estelle.  I wasn’t overly joyed about her wanting Letty to seduce her husband.  She did, however, tell Letty a truth that she needed to hear about returning Jacob to Estelle. That Letty loves her son there’s no doubt and there’s no doubt that she will do anything and everything for him, including trying to live the straight and narrow “normal” life.  But the reality is she’s not cut out to be a soccer or stay at home mom.  She will get bored and Letty bored spells trouble and mayhem. Also as much as Letty and Javier try to do good they still have entanglements in the past that complicates their lives and holds dangers and that’s unsafe when you have a child, as we’re shown in this episode.  No matter how hard they try they always find themselves back in those previous lives.  So in that sense, Alice made Letty face reality which broke her heart.  But on the other hand, she also played on Letty’s insecurities which I fear will cause a spiral and a rift between her and Javier.  I saw it coming when she said she was going to tire out Javier and he was going to leave her, which I think is one of Letty’s biggest fears that keeps her from showing her true feelings to Javier.

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4. That was quite the plot twist with RJ, wouldn’t you say? What were your thoughts on him and his grand gesture to Letty?

Erin: I really liked RJ. He felt quite genuine to me. The fact that he knew the truth about Alice and loved her anyways really warmed my heart. I couldn’t believe he just gave Letty the money in the end. At first, I thought this is too easy, but sometimes things do work out. I guess we’re so used to things going sideways.  It’s too bad Alice wanted to leave him.  

Jessa: RJ is Alice’s Javier. He knows her and still loves her, schemes and all. I was hoping it would give Letty some perspective into Javier’s acceptance of her, but after everything spiraled out of control she didn’t have much time to process it.

Lauren: First of all, I was internally cackling over the fact that they have Michelle Dockery and Charles Shaughnessy using fake American accents, and Holland Taylor faking a British accent.  That was hysterical on a meta level!  I was as surprised as Letty when he confessed that he knew what Alice’s game was and that in spite of it – possibly because of it – he loved her unconditionally.  That moment was a real eye-opener for Letty and I honestly was waiting for him to say something along the lines of $50k?  Is that all?  Because I feel like that amount of money is next to nothing for him.  I mean, for a racist old white dude, he’s not the worst person in the world.  It was nice that he gave Letty that money, and the advice, but really… I doubt $50k is going to even scratch the surface of his wealth so he probably didn’t even have to think twice about it.

Karen: RJ seems to be more on top of his life’s truths than anyone else we’ve encountered so far. He seems to know himself and those around him better than anyone. Which is what made him understand Letty so quickly, and made him want to help her.

Janice: RJ is Alice’s Javier.  After getting past the façade he presents at first and getting to the serious man he seems to be a decent human being and gave Letty the best advice, which was basically if you found a man that wants to spend the rest of his life with you knowing your shortcomings keep him.  Translation, grab Javier and keep him close!  I’m glad he was straight with Letty and told her he knew everything that she and Alice were up to.  I’m so happy he showcased to Letty that yes there are men who exist that can know a woman’s true colors and still love them and want to be with them.  In other words, Javier knows Letty’s true colors and wants to love her and be with her until the end of time.  RJ’s grand gesture to me was him beating Alice at her own game.  She tried to pay her granddaughter to get him and instead he got Letty out of the way.  

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5. Family was the central theme of this episode for both Javier and Letty. In the effort to have a normal life and their own family, they have risked a lot. Will they ever achieve their goal or will there always be an obstacle in their way?

Erin: I think there will always be obstacles in their way. That’s real life, right? Javier and Letty aren’t normal, to begin with, so it’s even harder for them. I do hope at some point they will have their version of a normal life. They’ve had to do things most people couldn’t even fathom doing so yes, they deserve to have the kind of life they want. A life without killing and stealing. In the meantime, they have to do what they have to do and as long as they’re together then hopefully everything will work out in the end.

Jessa: They can’t truly move forward unless they give up their pasts and you can never really do that. ESPECIALLY when your past is chained to a radiator!

Lauren: Ugh.  I want them to succeed so badly!  But everything keeps getting screwed up for them.  Honestly, I was hoping Javier would have taken his nieces back with him instead of calling Ava.  In a perfect world, I imagine Letty and Javier just taking in all the strays that are cast out by society and leading their own little clan of badass thieving assassins who don’t take shit from anyone.  But we are not in a perfect world and despite their efforts to hold everything together against the odds, it’s all ripping apart at the seams for them.  Maybe one day they’ll have the life they want, or they’ll realize that they already do… by being the worst versions of themselves, together.

Karen: Their criminal approach to life will always deliver obstacles – the interesting part will not only be how they manage but where the threats come from. The other interesting piece is how they continue to involve those around them, ie Rhonda and Christian.

Janice: Letty and Javier have risked a lot and made a lot of effort to have a normal life and be a family, but it’s not in the cards for them at this time.  There’s too much of a whirlwind surrounding them.  They first need to identify what they are to each other and their future.  They then need to settle their respective pasts and make certain ghosts disappear permanently.  They need to decide are they really going to give up their respective past professions or are they going to continue.  But Letty and Javier are not normal lives type of people.  Their normal is not society’s regular normal.  Their normal is, yes to be together, but doing their adventure and going on their escapades.  They’re the type of couple that for right now it should just be them with each other until they get themselves settled.  They will always love and try to protect Jacob and the rest of their family.  But living with them on an everyday basis is not in the cards right now.

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6. OH. EM. GEE. We all knew Teo was shady AF, but we did NOT see that coming. How did you feel when he held Jacob at gunpoint and what do you think his endgame is?

Erin: I have no idea what Teo’s endgame is but I hope Javier ends him! He needs to go but first Javier has to find out what’s going on and tying him up in the motel room is the first step. I hate that Jacob got caught in the middle of whatever is going on with Teo. This poor kid goes camping and Apple tells him about Javier, he has to lie about his name at school, his dad is running a porn company behind the house! If I were him I would have exploded already.

Jessa: I thought he was there to kill Javier for Javier’s father, but he DID seem a bit like he was on drugs so now I’m not so sure. When he had Jacob at gunpoint though, I was more than happy that Javier shot him!

Lauren: Okay, first of all, EFF THAT GUY!  Javier killing him will be so vindicating.  Like you don’t just roll into town and assimilate yourself into people’s lives like you’ve been here the whole time and then hold a child at gunpoint like WHAT IS THAT?!  NO.  Teo needs to GTFO like yesterday.  That was disgusting and unacceptable.  I don’t care what he has against Javier, you do not do that to someone’s child!  I’m so mad I can’t even articulate everything I’m feeling over this. I’m still steaming.

Karen: The show seldom keeps us in suspense this long about the agenda of one character – which makes me believe it’s more complicated than simply being hired by the family to kill Silk and Javier. Can it be as simple as wanting to steal money for drugs? – that seems odd too. I’m starting to think that it’s something totally unexpected that will completely surprise us! I have no idea what it is!

Janice: Teo is just a dead man.  He signed his death sentence when he pulled a gun on Jacob.  He threatened Javier’s family as far as Javier is concerned.  Things are not going to end well for Teo and at this point, I’m glad Javier is going to have to kill him.  Obviously, he is the one who has been trying to kill Javier while getting into Ava’s pants.  No Bueno.  His endgame was to kill Javier and now instead he will be killed. I can live with that.

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7. Sigh, that final scene was heartbreaking. How do you think this episode will affect Letty and Javier given they both faced difficult situations/conversations?

Erin: My heart breaks for both Letty and Javier. Letty had to make such a difficult decision in letting Estelle take care of Jacob again. As much as they want to do the normal thing and raise Jacob it can’t happen right now. Nothing in life is free and with Alice’s harsh truths to Letty and Teo holding Jacob at gunpoint I think Letty finally realized this. As long as someone is after them they can’t expose Jacob to this kind of life. He doesn’t deserve that. Let’s just hope that Letty doesn’t go down the rabbit hole again because she’s made such progress lately and hopefully Javier figures out what the hell Teo is up to.

Jessa: I think part of Letty will blame Javier, which isn’t totally fair since she has put him in danger as well.  She’s just gotten lucky up to this point. You could tell Javier was horrified, having been traumatized as a child, I’m sure Jacob’s fear hit close to home. Javier definitely hated himself in the moments that followed.

Lauren: And then to add insult to injury… If Letty legitimately decides to bring Jacob back to Estelle and follows through… She can pretty much kiss any chance at a relationship with her son goodbye.  I honest to god hope that Estelle is able to talk some sense into Letty about this.  Because Letty is clearly all messed up from being manipulated by Alice, and even though Estelle desperately wants Jacob back, I am hoping that she can rise above that and make Letty be the mother she wants to be.  Ugh, I am mad about this… Because if Letty thinks that for one second Sean won’t seize this opportunity to get full custody… and win… she’s utterly delusional.  Also, it just feeds into the “broken people can’t be trusted” mentality that Estelle instilled in Jacob.  He’s already been through so much.  Should he have to handle losing his mother again?  He’s clearly very fragile in that aspect since he locked his bedroom door so no one could come in and take him away from his mom again.  And even though Estelle would be a safer, more stable environment for him… I feel like Jacob truly wants to be with his mom.  He’s excited about his new school and his new friends.  They just spent $500 on school books… Seriously?!  This is all so unfair to Jacob.  I’m interested to see if he protests going back to Estelle at all, or if that’s what he truly wants.

Karen: I don’t think either of them will accept being told what to do, and how to manage their lives. They know what they are capable of, and I do not see either of them giving up on their dream of family life. Almost everyone they meet ends up helping them – so I think we’ll be surprised how this network of people ultimately supports their goals.

Janice: My heart broke for Letty, Javier, and Jacob.  The devastation on the face of Letty and Javier took my breath away.  My face was wet and I didn’t even know I was crying.  This is going to cause a slight rift between Letty and Javier because the pain of Alice’s words and taking Jacob back to Estelle is going to cause Letty to go into a spiral and into her dark place.  As strong as Letty is she does have her insecurities and can be vulnerable.  Unfortunately, that means she’ll pull away from Javier because Alice’s words will play in her head and she will want to leave him before she has to deal with the pain of being left.  But of course, she’s going to put up a tough exterior because she won’t want to appear weak in front of people.  Which shows that Letty still hasn’t learned her lesson; her place is with Javier and she needs Javier to keep her steady, love her and help her fight the darkness that would claw at her and take her under.  She does the same for Javier.  I’m pretty sure Javier will have his own dark moments too without Letty.  She’s his family and he’s hers.  They’re each other’s beacon of peace.  But they must go through their trial by fire and find each other after the storm to make each other whole once again.  They have their relationship odyssey to get through.  But knowing Chad Hodge he will make it worth the heartache and tears that we will feel and shed for these two.  That’s why, among many other reasons, this show needs a season three so we can see this relationship find its flow and grow stronger and deeper.  There’s so much more to explore with Javier and Letty’s relationship and see it to its true potential more than just a hitman with his sexy thief. #Season3amust We need a full season of Letty and Javier togetherness.  Let them be sassy with each other and argue but no more separations.  More love scenes!

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Final Verdict: Teo’s fate hangs in the balance, and we’re okay with that.

As we make our way past the midway point of the second season, Good Behavior continues to build on the complicated dynamic of Letty and Javier. This season has focused so much on their desire to have a normal life. However, obstacles are never-ending and complications keep arising. This week’s episode illustrated their internal struggle with the reality of their situation. Letty’s conversation with Alice has her questioning her intentions as a mother, while Javier seems to be consumed with guilt because of Teo’s attempt to hurt Jacob. It appears two steps forward results in a giant leap backwards, leaving them frustrated and confused. And with Teo’s indiscretion in the mix, things don’t appear to be getting any easier.

This week’s episode was brilliant and captivating in its storytelling and phenomenally directed by Coky Giedroyc. It was an absolutely necessary episode to include in a season that has been diligently exploring the core of its characters and their lives. Characters who exude beauty through their imperfections and downfalls, this is what Good Behavior is all about and this week’s episode was a testament to that.

Will this week’s episode be the breaking point of Letty and Javier’s relationship? Or will they find a reason to fight through? The Jetty fans are rooting for them to make it, but only time will tell.

Good Behavior returns Sunday, November 26th at 10/9C on TNT.