The latest episode of Loot Season 3, a lazy collection of semi-offensive clichés about England, lacked a coherent narrative beyond Molly's attempt to repair her tarnished reputation. This makes Episode 4, "Buona Sera," feel like a breath of fresh air on almost every level, and it's even better than that. Thank goodness for that.
The episode starts like a Halloween episode, with John, Molly's philandering ex-husband, haunting her from the disembodied voice emanating from hacked home appliances. The thought of him opening a foundation to "pick Molly's brain" is almost as terrifying as the idea of him being John Novak.
Molly is understandably skeptical about John's supposedly charitable endeavors and his ability to wriggle his consciousness through the gadgets produced by all the companies he owns. It's Arthur, of all people, who encourages Molly to reconcile with him or at least learn to tolerate each other since they move in the same circles. And it's a better path to healing than crystals, though Molly's crystologist, Dr. Robert Vibes, would disagree.
John is a changed man once again, but this time the changes are coming from his new busty girlfriend, Luciana, who greets Molly and Arthur with "Buona Sera." Naturally, Molly takes the revelation of a new partner as a provocation and resolves to compete by force-feeding Arthur so intensely that he almost chokes to death. This is the kind of awkward cringe comedy that Loot really excels at, and since it has been lacking in Season 3, I was pleased to see Episode 4 bring it back with a vengeance. The nicknames, the dancing, the mutual motorboating, Arthur's deeply uncomfortable reaction to all of the above - it's vintage stuff. But beneath the surface, there's something deeper on a character level. John does have ulterior motives, as ever, but this time it's mostly a cry for help. He's deeply unhappy with Luciana, who only lets him eat grapes and doesn't have any idea who he is beyond being a rich guy. All of Luciana's ridiculously forward swinger-style advances only serve to reiterate to Molly how happy she is with Arthur, and that allows her to impart some serious advice.
Predictably, John's reaction is far from accepting the break-up. Instead, he bottles up his emotions and proposes instead, a potential twist that hints at a wedding episode in the future. Yet, Luciana's revelation that she's an imposter from Delaware with a life's mission to ruin Molly's life if she continues to give John "advice" might just sabotage those wedding plans.
Meanwhile, in Loot Season 3, Episode 4, while Molly navigates her relationship with John, Howard delivers a cybersecurity presentation that's not just a random occurrence. Sofia has secured her sister, Destiny, a temporary job at the foundation, and Howard takes an instant liking to her. The presentation stems from Sofia's request for Howard to send out a memo reminding everyone about basic things like passwords, given John's technological prowess and their numerous billionaire enemies.
However, Howard's infatuation with Destiny morphs into a full-on stand-up comedy routine and a Back to the Future-themed PowerPoint presentation. Sofia quickly shuts down this idea, and Destiny reveals she has a boyfriend, deflating Howard's enthusiasm. But all's well that ends well as Howard's comedic charm and role-playing skills eventually win over Destiny. She wants her computer password to be "LetsGoOnARealDate." Ceramics class, anyone?
