The Big Bad Fish Man
Jack’s father tells him that he doesn’t need Ace on the team, and that he should focus on his wrestling career. Jack is upset, but his father is right. Ace’s destiny lies with football, and he should focus on that instead of wasting his time on wrestling.
The FWD is concerned about the potential for violence at the state fair, and so they’ve asked Wild Bill to stay away. He’s not happy about it, but he’s agreed to stay away in order to protect the fairgoers.
Elsewhere, Crystal apologizes for going off-script but Jack wants none of it. Staci is a little more compassionate to the girl, but her husband has bigger problems to deal with right now. Charlie’s little PR stunt gets both Jack and Bill hot and bothered, with the latter determined to train hard. Part of this comes from the upcoming main event but also to try and stick it to Charlie Gully.
Jack has a difficult decision to make when it comes to this triple threat main event. Who wins the belt? Well, Jack wants to give it up, but both Ace and Bill give compelling reasons why they should win. Bill is the big star, given he’s the draw for the tickets. So by rights, Bill thinks he should get the title and win the crowd over. But yet, Ace is the underdog. Him winning would signify a passing of the torch. Either would be a good winner but the choice is ultimately Jack’s to make.
Staci is given a big opportunity to sing the national anthem at the Georgia State Rodeo. Given this will be broadcast on live TV, it’s a huge moment for her. Jack is delighted when he finds out, as it seems this family’s fortunes may be on the rise.
Crystal decides to try out for the wrestling team and kills it in open tryouts. She impresses those in attendance, including Willie, and when Jack finds out he’s not particularly impressed. Willie fights in her corner and suggests he turn the main event into a fatal four way with Crystal getting involved. It’s actually a stroke of genius booking-wise, but Jack doesn’t want to entertain the notion. ..
Ace heads up to confront Gully. He’s pissed about the flyers but the leader of FWD is clever. He knows exactly how to get under Ace’s skin, calling Ace a hero and calling out the dysfunctional nature of the DWL. Ace believes in the power of storytelling but Gully sits him down and tells him to get out from under Jack’s thumb. ..
Gully has been a mystery this season, but here we learn that he was sexually abused by a priest when he was 12. This explains his drive and dystopia gimmick, seeing the world as a sick, twisted place – somewhere he can make a boatload of money from his crazy wrestling promotion.
Ace is about to announce that he’s leaving Gully, but Gully convinces him to stay. An excited Ace rings Crystal while he’s in the middle of partying, encouraging her to show up too. Instead, she drives over to Jack’s place to let him know what’s going on. Staci is not happy when Jack skips out on movie night, and decides to drive up to Jacksonville to give him a piece of her mind. ..
That evening though, Ace finds out that Gully has his own agenda. It turns out Rooster was just the bait to reel Ace in, who’s the big prize for the FWD. Despite Rooster winning the belt that night, Gully intends to take it off him with a pop-up show on the exact same date as the state fair, instead giving it to Ace.
Just before Ace is due to head out on stage, Jack sneaks up behind him and knocks the owner out. “Don’t come for my sh*t boy,” He rasps, echoing his own father’s words we heard from the start of the episode.
The Episode Review
The penultimate episode of Heels left everything in place for a deliciously entertaining finale next week. Quite how everything is going to be wrapped up, and who wins the main event, remains to be seen but it does look like a real cracker.
So, is wrestling storytelling good or bad? Is it something that should be encouraged or discouraged? And if it is, what are the benefits and drawbacks of having a more organic style of storytelling in wrestling?
Heels brings up the idea of having a inter-gender match at the main event, which is a refreshing change of pace. Crystal is as integral to this storyline as anyone, so it’s possible she could win the belt. ..
Ace is going to have second thoughts and go back to the DWL, showing his loyalty to his family after Jack traveled down to Jacksonville to save him. But at what cost? Will Staci stay with Jack through this? Or will Jack lose what he’s worked so hard to secure?
