When the episode opens, Mr. Gutierrez has breakfast and listens to a nurse reported regarding the murder. He shuts it off, after growing upset. Before he leaves for work, he attempts to say goodbye to his daughter, Jenny (Gleendilys Inoa), but is ignored. When he steps outside, the media and journalists await his arrival. Meanwhile, Tony is forced to play basketball, while being humiliated. Another boy steps in and protects him. Meanwhile, Barb (Felicity Huffman) attempts to get Rick to try the case, as a hate crime. Still, Rick disagrees with Barb and Nancy.

Next, Russ (Timothy Hutton) attempts to secure a job in Modesto. He insists he needs to be in Modesto and needs a job to make it happen, before he leaves. Hector is shown at the prison attempting to rehab his leg. Hector Tonz (Richard Cabral) attempts to convince the doctor to provide him with an excuse to fight the extradition. The news outlet goes over Mr. Gutierrez’s statement about Hector being illegal and making the rest of the Mexicans look bad. Meanwhile, another inmate attempts to urge Hector to steal medications.

Barb gets a haircut, which she doesn’t particularly like. Outside of the salon, she receives papers insists Russ wishes to take possession of their son’s body. Jenny pays a visit to her brother and questions him about the basketball incident. Tony urges Jenny to keep their father away. Aubry speaks about getting high. She suggests she cannot be regular and doesn’t understand why others want to be normal. She asks for help from her father. He insists she’ll have to follow his rules, if she wants his help.

When Mr. Gutierrez returns home, he finds and argues with one of his family members. Meanwhile, Russ meets with Gwen’s parents and discovers that they’ve been trying to look through Gwen’s emails, but cannot. The trio end up arguing over Matt’s burial location. Gwen’s parents run out and attempt to get to the court, in order to gain access to Gwen’s emails. Jenny meets with Tony’s probation officer. He questions about their father, but Jenny admits they have it good at home. She also admits that their father treated Tony like a baby.

Cater is stripped and searched at the jail, before he is allowed to see his sister, Aliyah Shadeed (Regina King). Aliyah insists she is going to help get her brother a lawyer. The pair wind up arguing over Aliyah’s Islamic religion. Carter tells his sister to find Aubry and tell to her to sit tight, until he can get back with her. She disagrees, before he throws a fit and is escorted out.

Barb and Russ finally meet and discuss Matt’s burial plans. The pair end up arguing and blaming one another. Barb blames Russ for bringing drugs into the family, before revealing she knows about Russ losing his job. Next, Tom reveals they’re likely going to be able to gain access to Gwen’s emails. His wife questions, if he would be able to handle it, if Gwen was actually having an affair. She finally reveals that Gwen said she needed to be with other men. She reveals that Gwen was having an affair with someone from work and another unknown man. She also insists Gwen wanted to get out of the marriage, but she urged her to stay.

Next, Jenny hangs out with her friends at a party. Officer Barris (Curtis Wayne) and some other officers arrives and interrupt. They’re forced to show their identification, which ends badly. Nena attempts to urge Jenny to show her ID. Jenny is allowed to leave and heads home. Alonzo questions about her whereabouts, when she arrives home. Jenny hugs Alonzo and breaks down sobbing. He insists Tony is going to make it home and everything will be fine.

Barb receives a call from Nancy, who breaks the news that the Deputy DA isn’t going to pursue special circumstances. Tony meets with Tony’s probation officer, who insists he doesn’t want to refer the case to the district attorney. However, he suggests home isn’t the best place for Tony, since he doesn’t even wants to speak to his father. He refuses to release Tony to go home.

Next, Russ works at the store and helps a customer with sprinkler heads, before the episode ends.

Review


Felicity Huffman has received rave reviews for her performance in American Crime, but I just don’t see it. Suffice to say, the majority of the acting is overly dramatic and just fails to feel authentic. Jenny’s near arrest was almost unbearable as well. The scene felt entirely forced, Sadly, the show seems to strive to focus on racial conflict, without any real tension or emotions. Every scene seems to jump from one storyline to the next, without any real substance. A 6.5 out of 10 is suitable here.