Kevin had shot Nick during the break-in and Nick has been rendered comatose. After being questioned by the police all night, the McRobertses return home. Kevin is despondent despite everyone's best efforts to cheer him up.
Allison and Patty decide to frame Nick as the local dealer to throw suspicion off Patty, planting the drugs and cash in his bedroom.
After being praised by the townspeople for his actions, Kevin becomes inspired and decides to run for local office. He holds his first campaign party at Sam's restaurant. While there, Neil complains about how boring everything is, so Kevin sends Neil off on a game of "ultimate hide and seek" to get rid of him.
Sam meets with Allison, revealing he's going to leave Jenn. He proposes that they run off together. Allison rejects it, stating that moving on with Sam would be "giving up" on trying to make things better. Later, Allison asks Patty to look at Tammy's notebook; Patty feels guilty for doing so, resulting in them arguing about the scheme and if there's any hope. Allison storms off and runs into Neil, who was in the kitchen hiding for the last several hours. He reveals that he overheard the argument and knows of Allison's plans to kill Kevin. Neil declares he's going to call Kevin. When Allison tries to grab his phone, he throttles her and starts choking her. Patty suddenly arrives and violently smashes a bottle over Neil's head, getting him to release Allison.
Tropes
- Becoming the Mask: Patty initially wanted to use Tammy's interest in her to her and Allison's advantage but by this point, she's developed legitimate feelings for Tammy.
- Beware the Silly Ones: Neil may be a moronic manchild, but he's also a very tall and strong guy, so if you anger him, watch out. Allison learns this the hard way when she tries to take away his phone.
- Big Damn Heroes: Patty arrives right on time to subdue Neil while he tries to attack Allison.
- Bookends: The first episode "Living the Dream" began with Allison accidentally breaking a glass in the kitchen and yelling out, "I'm okay!" while no one was listening or even cared. This episode ends with Patty deliberately breaking a glass bottle over Neil's head and asking Allison if she's okay.
- Grievous Bottley Harm: Patty hits Neil in the back of his head with a beer bottle to get him to stop attacking Allison. He crumbles to the floor, screaming in pain and bleeding badly.
- Holding Hands: Allison and Patty end the episode this way after Patty rescues Allison and asks if she's okay.
- Ignored Epiphany: After shooting Nick, Kevin is deeply shaken and even kind of traumatized by what just happened. He even becomes a bit more self-reflective and contemplative. But just when it seems like he could potentially learn from the experience and become a better person, he just goes right back to his usual idiotic ways.
- Interface Spoiler:
- In the final scene, when Allison walks into the kitchen, the sitcom filter is on despite the room seeming to be empty, indicating to the audience that one of the sitcom characters is present before he reveals himself.
- Done more subtly in the preceding scene, which has the "real" lighting, profanity, and no studio audience, but the camera setups are still done in the sitcom style, with all shots shown from the perspective of the "audience". This is an early clue that the "sitcom" world is encroaching on Allison in some way — because Neil is eavesdropping in the next room.
- Kick the Dog: This episode especially illustrates how Neil is just as much a victim of Kevin's toxicity and abuse as Allison and Patty are. While complaining about being bored due to Kevin focusing on his political campaign, Kevin sends Neil off on a game of "ultimate hide and seek" with zero intention of looking for him and then mocks Neil with Pete behind Neil's back. Subsequent events with Allison reveal that Neil was hiding in the kitchen for over four hours.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: After he shoots Nick, Kevin goes into a depressive state for a short period, in contrast to the energetic guy he was beforehand.
- Precision F-Strike: Twice.
- In the first instance, Allison calls Kevin a dick to his face, although it goes unnoticed because another part of the full sentence she used — "everyone may think you're an everyday hero, but really, you're just a dick" — gives him the catchphrase for his political campaign.
- In the second instance, Neil screams, "What the fuck?!" after getting hit over the head with a bottle courtesy of Patty and forcibly pulled out of the sitcom and into the "real world". It's particularly notable because Neil was exclusively shown in the "sitcom" segments up until this point and consequently never uttered a single curse word on camera.
- "Ray of Hope" Ending: The episode ends with Kevin alive and running for Worcester City Council on a MAGA-like platform, with seemingly a fair amount of support from the public. Nick is in critical condition and may yet squeal on Allison and Patty hiring him as a hitman. Allison has crossed the Despair Event Horizon and rejected Sam when he wanted to escape both their unhappy marriages and run away together. Patty's salon seems to be failing now that it is no longer a front for her drug dealing, and Neil has learned of the plot to kill Kevin and threatens to expose Allison and Patty to get back into Kevin's circle, nearly strangling Allison in the process. Things are looking pretty down. However, Allison and Patty have reconciled and team up to threaten and subdue Neil into silence, forcibly snapping him out of the Sitcom setting and into the real world, meaning the sitcom is not completely overpowering.
- Wham Shot: Neil is broken out of the sitcom after Patty smashes a bottle over his head.
