Showtime 1.5 - Bonding

Showtime : Bonding
Genre : Drama / Comedy / Sports
Showrunner: Steven Soderbergh
Writer : Chad Taylor & Mo Buck

Cast: Barry Keoghan, Joe Manganiello, Dacre Montgomery, Nick Offerman, Cooper Andrews, Paul Walter Hauser, Zoey Dutch, Anna Gunn, Clayne Crawford, Tom Hopper, Alan Ritchson, Paul Rust and Max Minghella

Plot: Following the Roy Brown Tribute Show, the faces head out to a local bar to celebrate their good outing. Loto (Cooper Andrews) is able to catch Clem Sanders (Paul Walter Hauser) before he leaves and he asks him how he feels after what happened tonight. Clem is honest with Loto and he says he doesn’t feel so good right now but he’ll get over it. Loto says he shouldn’t let it affect his work, and Sanders says it won’t be a problem. Clem gets in his beat-up car and says he’s drinking to forget tonight. Ricky Santana (Joe Manganiello) exits the building, greets a few fans (mostly female) and signs autographs. Sweet Tea (Zoey Dutch) tells Thunderjack (Dacre Montgomery) that it will soon be like that for him too, while caressing his bicep. Thunderjack feels the same thing and wraps his arm around her as they enter the car. Ben (Barry Keoghan) and Bill (Nick Offerman) once again stay with the crew members to take the ring down. Ben asks why Bill didn’t want to go with the others to celebrate and Bill warns him that he should steer clear of the alcohol. Ben asks why and Bill says it’s an issue with a lot of wrestlers, plus, you never know what’s going to happen at the bar. Many careers were ruined thanks to alcohol and Bill won’t let Ben do the same thing he saw countless of his friends do. Ben understands it’s for the best, but it would’ve been a good opportunity to bond with Ricky and Thunderjack.

The heels stay in the locker room and little longer as Loto is nursing a nasty bruise he suffered in his match against a jobber tonight. The Bruiser Brothers, Tom (Tom Hopper) and Don (Alan Ritchson) watch a tape of their matches against Ben and Bill, looking for ways to improve their craft. Brad Wolfe (Clayne Crawford), still arguing with fans that he’s better than them and should have won tonight against Santana, comes back in the locker room with a big grin and heads for the showers. Dicky Ray (Paul Rust), true to his scheming-self, goes around the locker room and searching lockers in case someone forgot something so he can keep it. He passes in front of Wolfe’s locker and turns around to search it after he makes sure Brad is in the shower. He finds Shirley’s book and finds it peculiar. He decides to keep it. He hides in a storage room to read it.

Diane (Anna Gunn) is in her office, trying to negotiate a television deal with networks following their successful event. She is discouraged to find out they won’t pick TCW up for a television deal citing their lack of true star and less than adequate production design. Diane talks to herself berating them for their lack of stars. Brad, coming out of the shower, enters Diane’s office wearing nothing but a towel. He says he could be the next star TCW needs to reach the next level. He confesses he was eavesdropping and he gets closer and closer to Diane. Dicky comes out of the storage room and passes in front of Diane’s office, only to see Brad getting way to comfortable around her. He whispers to himself it’s no wonder why he got the title shot tonight. He hides Shirley’s book in his shirt and he leaves with Loto. Diane rejects Brad, saying her husband just died and now is not a good time, essentially not closing the door in the future. Brad plays it cool and leaves. He dresses up and he gets the Bruiser Brothers, still gushing over Ben’s ring ability. Brad says he liked him better when he was shitting his pants in the ring. They leave and head for a nearby bar.

On the road, Tea and Haynes get to know each other better. They come from completely opposite sides of the country, California and Georgia. She has been around the wrestling business since she was a kid while he didn't even know what professional wrestling was until a few weeks ago. She is open and honest when criticizing his match with Sanders. He asks if she can help him learn the ropes better. She smiles and says she thinks that would benefit the both of them.

At the next show, Wolfe approaches The Bruiser Brothers and tells them that he plans on pulling the same prank on Thunderjack that he did on Ben. Given that they like Haynes and don't want to make him mad, they advise against it. Brad is pissed at them and says he's already done it. They go over to Thunderjack and pour out his drink. He gets angry but says he'll thank them later. Tea approaches her brother and says she saw what he did and she does not approve. Brad stands his ground and says that every newcomer needs to go through hazing, it is wrestling tradition. Especially a someone as green as Haynes. Tea tells him that they have a future star on his hands and she isn't going to let her brother run him off from the promotion.

Before his match in the main event, Santana spends some alone time by himself as he always does. He is annoyed to hear a knock on the door but opens up. It is Buck Gordon (Max Minghella), head of American Pro Wrestling in the northeast. In a reversal of fortunes, Ricky is the one that is starstruck. Buck says that he flew in from New York City because he could not get Ricky to answer his calls. He's been watching his tapes for years now and thinks he would be the perfect Hispanic-American star for APW. This includes tripling his current salary plus a signing bonus. Ricky asks if he would still be able to work at TCW but Gordon tells him that it would be exclusive. Ricky points out that this breaks an unspoken agreement amongst wrestling promoters to not steal from other territories. Buck shrugs his shoulders and says it's a whole new ballgame and he wants Ricky to be a part of it. Ricky does not show his cards yet and tells Buck he will need to talk to his family first. Buck tells him he understands and that the offer is on the table.