Loot Season 3, Episode 7, “Billionaire, Beautiful and True,” closes the distance between characters who could have used that space more. This episode, written by Anna Salinas and directed by Dean Holland, is heartwarming and uplifting, as Loot is wont to be. Unfortunately, the season’s focus and pacing undercut the episode’s message. The emotional beats mostly land, but they’re more dependent on the ensemble’s talent than the story’s natural turns.
Some developments, like the unfounded progress and support of Molly Nation, aren’t entirely earned in the season’s narratives. Of course, Loot isn’t required to show every little thing. Even so, it definitely needs to show more than it has in the more recent episodes. Conversely, the tiny insights that “Billionaire, Beautiful and True” provides into Ainsley are intriguing and long overdue. Stephanie Styles facilitates some of the best and most unexpected laugh-out-loud moments in this episode. Ainsley is criminally underrated!
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Arthur, Sofia, and Ticket to Ride
A story that pairs Arthur and Sofia (and two Allans) is welcomed. Its device, being the Ticket to Ride board game, is just delightful. It’s exciting to see Nat Faxon and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez work together. Their scenes underscore how rare it is to see Arthur and Sofia interact outside of something like a conference room meeting. The game’s set-up – Arthur needs a time-out from Molly, so he turns to his men’s group – works, too. However, nothing may be better than Sofia asking what they’re planning because there’s a map on the table.
Loot is often dialed into the moment (The bit about Kris Jenner’s hip replacement party?!), and Rodriguez’s delivery is fantastic. Regardless, it’s exciting that Arthur backs himself in wanting to take the time to figure out his terms. Consequently, it’s a letdown that the time-out is so brief; it’s not even a day in the show’s timeline. That distance lasting longer gives Loot a chance to see more of Arthur’s life outside of the office and his relationship with Molly. A richer understanding of where his head’s at will make Arthur’s terms stronger.
Loot runs into that problem with Sofia, too. The main obstacle for her and Destiny is that Destiny is an inconsiderate roommate. While the sisters’ personalities prove why they may clash under one roof, Loot has yet to show them as roommates. Destiny has lived with her sister since the second episode of the season, and there are still so few on-screen updates there. So, “Billionaire, Beautiful and True” has to rely on Rodriguez’s excellent performance in Sofia’s rare, whiskey-fueled, vulnerable moment. Hopefully, the next time Loot sees Sofia and Destiny in that apartment, they will interact more.
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Molly and Nicholas Reunite in Korea
Also, the expediency of Arthur’s time-out doesn’t give Molly any time for independent introspection about her role in their argument. Alternatively, it tracks that Molly misses Nicholas more when she hits a rough spot. That supportive voice hits harder because of the episode that spends and spans time with Molly and Nicholas. It’s great to see Howard fill that confidante role for Molly. That choice is nice after the Wells Foundation team’s trip to the UK proves that Loot needs more of Molly and Howard’s dynamic.
Likewise, Nicholas’s absence opens up the assistant role in Molly’s life for Ainsley to fill. The bit about Ainsley’s “yum-yum words” is deeply silly but also manages to be revealing about her backstory. Stephanie Styles is also incredibly hilarious when Ainsley asks for buttered noodles in Korea. Strangely, this episode’s trip to Korea emphasizes how Loot needs to follow Nicholas there before “Billionaire, Beautiful and True” – the episode and the in-show TV show.
Loot wants to maintain the surprise of Nicholas’s successful TV show. Even so, Loot misses out on nearly all of Nicholas’s time in Korea, chasing and capturing his dreams. This season skips past Nicholas learning that he can act and produce, with “Billionaire, Beautiful and True” relaying as much through dialogue. It’s disappointing after all of the time that the previous seasons spent championing Nicholas’s acting dreams. Nevertheless, Nicholas’s time in Korea culminates with, “But it’s not my home. It’s a part of me, though.” So, overall, “Billionaire, Beautiful and True” has wonderful themes that tend to buckle under the season’s pressures.
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What did you think of Loot Season 3, Episode 7, “Billionaire, Beautiful and True?” Let us know in the comments below!
New episodes of Loot Season 3 stream on Wednesdays on Apple TV.
