Episode 8 of "American Rust" kicks off with Grace, her voice laced with urgency, addressing the warehouse workers. As the looming union vote nears, she passionately rallies them to cast their ballots in favor, championing the fundamental rights that hang in the balance. With fire in her eyes, she exhorts them to seize control of their destinies and vote for their very survival.
Meanwhile, Billy finds himself unexpectedly summoned to the yard by Jerry, a shadowy figure, offering him the use of the weights. There, he encounters Jerry's associate, Milo, whose wrist bears a sinister swastika tattoo, a stark reminder of the dangerous company he's keeping. Unwittingly, Billy stumbles into the clutches of neo-Nazis, becoming their pawn in a sinister game. They even hand him a weapon and an assassination target, dragging him deeper into the underworld.
When Grace enters the visitation room to see Billy, her heart sinks at the sight of her son—bruised, battered, and broken. Billy dismisses her concerns about seeking medical attention, dismissively claiming it was just a minor skirmish and that he's fine. However, Grace's worry extends to Billy's lawyer, Rachel, whom he's been stubbornly avoiding. Face-to-face with his mother's insistent pleas, Billy reluctantly agrees to meet with her.
Back at the office, tensions escalate as Harris confronts Steve Park for busting a dealer who was supplying construction workers on Swan Boulevard. The investigation is heating up, with Deluca keeping a watchful eye, and Harris's anxiety mounts. The lack of evidence submitted for testing only fuels his frustration as he struggles to make his case heard.
To add insult to injury, the drugs found in Trent Tisdell's toxicology report match those that killed Melanie and Tom in an overdose, a seemingly solid piece of evidence. But for Harris, this revelation is a double-edged sword. If Tisdell testifies, Billy's name could surface, spelling disaster for the Poe family. Harris's self-doubt creeps in, ultimately leading him to abandon their morning meeting with Grace halfway through, his resolve shaken to its core.
Back in the confines of prison, Billy's treacherous act against the Aryans, the feared inmates, has him embroiled in a web of their retribution. His meddling in their schemes lands him in solitary confinement, where Security Guard Robinson, with a stern warning, paints a grim picture: Billy's back now bears a colossal bullseye, a symbol of his impending doom. His reckless choices not only jeopardize his safety but also dim his chances of ever walking free from those iron bars.
As Billy's heart-wrenching encounter with Rachel unfolds, two fights already etched on his record serve as a stark reminder of his plight. Facing the cold, unforgiving reality of a life sentence, tears stream down his face, a testament to his despair. With Lee's silent observation from the shadows, Billy steels his resolve, opting to remain steadfast in shielding Isaac, turning his back on freedom and embracing his fate behind bars once more.
Isaac, stranded in Nebraska, finds himself stripped of possessions, save for the companionship of Nate, a stranger who offered him a ride in their previous encounter. Their bond deepens swiftly, transcending mere camaraderie as they share a bed, waking to the dawn's first light. Isaac confides in Nate about his fractured family, portraying Henry as a bitter, aged soul, burdened by the weight of the past.
Elsewhere, the Union vote tally disappoints, with a meager 30% in favor of unionization. Grace's fury knows no bounds upon learning of this setback, coupled with Billy's rejection of Rachel. In a fit of rage, she sets ablaze their home, crafting a tale of arson to mask her true intentions. With her world turned upside down, Grace seeks solace in Harris's arms, the two clinging to each other amidst their unexpected circumstances. Grace vows to go to any lengths for Harris, promising reciprocation if he too would do whatever it takes for her. Amid their embrace, Harris reveals a secret that shakes them both: he knows the whereabouts of Bobby Jesus.
Recall vividly, in the earlier segment of this episode, Harris cunningly unnerved Jackson at the pharmacy, ominously hinting that it was merely a matter of time before the drug trail led straight back to the supplier – none other than Jackson himself. Stricken with fear, Jackson hastened to seek solace from Bobby, who endeavored to soothe his frayed nerves.
Throughout the latter half of American Rust's narrative arc, Isaac has lingered as an afterthought, a mere shadow of his former self. His past continues to haunt him relentlessly, each glimpse of news headlines a cruel reminder of his dark deeds. The prospect of Billy's impending prison sentence triggers a torrent of emotions, reducing Isaac to tears as he sits in sorrowful companionship with Nate.
In a heart-wrenching confession, Isaac unveils the truth that has burdened him: it was he, not Billy, who took the life of the officer. This revelation leaves Isaac at a crossroads, facing a profound moral dilemma. Shall he embrace the gravity of his actions and accept the life sentence that awaits, or abandon Billy to his destiny, leaving him to shoulder the blame?
Episode 9 of "American Rust" kicks off its climactic chapter with Billy hovering precariously on the brink of being reintegrated into the general prison population, mere days after his latest confinement. The air is thick with a palpable sense of danger, as the inmates' thirst for vengeance threatens to consume Billy like a ravenous pack of wolves eyeing a helpless lamb.
Concurrently, Henry engages in a soul-baring conversation with Lee, who, having struggled to find her place amidst life's wanderings, has returned home with renewed resolve to become Henry's caregiver. "What's so wrong with that?" she queries, her voice laced with earnestness. Henry, in a poignant turn, predates her question with a poignant tale of Lee's mother, who lost herself amidst the labyrinthine streets of Buell.
Elsewhere, Del Harris lies in wait for Jackson after the latter's workday, luring him into a drink-fueled tête-à-tête. As he recites a quote from Hamlet, imbuing the moment with a sense of foreboding, Del stirs the pot, mentioning the need to "rip up the cancer and tear the whole thing out," a veiled allusion to Jackson's complicity in the unfolding drama.
The show's signature soundtrack once again steals the scene, its mysterious, taut, and eerie melodies painting a chilling backdrop as Del ventures across state lines, sneaking into Bobby's abode like a ghostly intruder. But Bobby, ever the vigilant, turns the tables, choking Del into submission before succumbing to a fatal bullet from Del's gun. When Jackson arrives on the scene, Del's trigger finger doesn't falter, shooting him too, and meticulously staging the crime to resemble a mutual kill. Yet, Del's calculations falter as an unsuspecting elderly woman enters the fray, firing a shotgun at him. In a desperate bid for survival, Del retaliates, ending her life, but leaving him with a dire predicament: three bodies and a desperate need to erase his tracks.
Returning home to Grace, Del's wounds are tended to as she meticulously extracts the shrapnel from his shoulder. Despite the gravity of his actions, Grace offers solace, assuring Del that he's part of the rare breed that brings goodness into this world, a testament to the complexities of human nature amidst the shadows of "American Rust."
