Claws Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Ambrosia
Dale McGarrigle
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Alas, poor Ted. We hardly knew ye.
An intriguing new character was introduced, far too briefly, on Claws Season 1 Episode 9.
Too bad Bryce accidentally killed Ted, the Dixie Mafia boss, after only one scene.
I was looking forward to more of Michael Emerson's Ted, a crime boss for the New Age. It's a shame he was dead, surrounded by Okra Puffs in the freezer, after only one scene.
Still, it's the short-term characters played by well-known TV actors, such as Gina Torres, Jane Adams, and now Emerson, that add to the colorful backdrop of Claws.
Of course, Jenn called to try to patch things up with Bryce at the same time he and Uncle Daddy were trying to dispose of Ted's body. She mistook his adrenalized state for him being high, which drove her into Hank's lips. She's found her new drug of choice: a hunky Jewish square-dance instructor.
Ted's death opens a couple of opportunities for Uncle Daddy's operation. In the absence of Ted, Uncle Daddy can run things as he sees fit. This includes going after the Russians for shooting Roller.
Of course, Roller had already started that retaliation, in the name of self-preservation. He shot both twins, and I'm assuming they're dead.
That's bound to start a war between the Russians and Uncle Daddy, especially since Uncle Daddy doesn't yet know of Roller's betrayal. That will bring on the police scrutiny about which Ted had warned.
The flashbacks throughout this episode finally provided some badly needed back story. We saw how Roller and Desna's relationship developed, learned more about Polly's arrest and imprisonment, and found out why Desna got involved with money laundering for the DIxie Mafia.
All of these memories, along with Roller and Desna's ride-along and looting of banks, was accompanied by a mix-tape he had made during their time together.
I almost felt bad for Roller. It's obvious that he's been deeply scarred from being imprisoned by Gladys. From his perspective, no one tried to find him. He also felt that everyone has left him behind: Desna, Uncle Daddy, Bryce. There's no place for him anymore in Palmetto.
Still, he brought many of these problems on himself. He didn't have to work for the Russians, and it still hasn't been explained why he did. So he'd been betraying Uncle Daddy right along.
He always took Desna for granted, although it did seem that he fought for her with Uncle Daddy. I think he loved her, in his own self-centered way. That's why he feels so betrayed by her taking up with Gregory.
He also treated Bryce as his loser older brother. That's why he's so angry about Bryce becoming Uncle Daddy's golden boy.
I figure nothing good is going to come out of this for Roller. There is no place for him anymore in the series, so he's probably gone on next week's season finale.
There was still room for the secondary characters to evolve as well.
Dean has decided to propose to Virginia, after only a short time together. Dean knew something was off when Desna gave her blessing to his proposal idea, which is why he went to see Polly. I think Virginia sees Dean as a fling, so I don't see this ending well for anyone.
Polly and Dr. Ken were still dancing around each other. Polly has been conning people so long that I don't think she knows how to be herself.
We finally found out why Quiet Ann is so loyal to Desna, how Desna had given her a chance as an ex-con and had even nursed her back to health after she had been stabbed by a jilted lover. No wonder she sacrificed her relationship with Arlene in order to keep Desna out of jail. Still, it's hard not to feel bad for her.
There's plenty to be wrapped up in the finale. How does Desna survive and stay free? Can Bryce and Jenn save their marriage? How about the other couples? What's going to happen to Uncle Daddy's operation? Fortunately, since Claws has been renewed, not everything needs to be resolved.
To catch up before the finale, watch Claws online.
Did you appreciate the back story? Is Roller right to blame everybody? Which couples will survive? Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
