Showtime 2.9 - Retribution Part I

Showtime - Retribution Part I
Genre : Drama / Comedy / Sports
Showrunner: Steven Soderbergh
Writer : Chad Taylor & Mo Buck

Cast: Joe Manganiello, Sofia Black-D'Elia, Max Minghella, Channing Tatum, Nick Frost, Lake Bell, John Hennigan, Sheamus, Jackson Robert Scott and Zackary Arthur

Plot: Ricky Santana (Joe Manganiello) stands in the ring, clad with his now signature sombrero. He is in a tag team match with Happy Gallagher (Nick Frost) as they take on APW's premier tag team, Pleasure (John Hennigan) and Pain (Sheamus). Ricky's team is demolished. When he gets to the back, he bites his tongue as he feels humiliated. "The Diamond" Ken Simon (Channing Tatum) sarcastically congratulates him on the match, which does not help matters. Ken mentions there's one more thing: Buck wants to talk to him in his office.

Ricky enters the office of Buck Gordon (Max Minghella), who is fuming. He puts in a tape that turns out to be Gwen Syzmanski's news program, where Don Jackson revealed some of the unspoken secrets of pro wrestling. Buck vents his anger on Ricky, which pisses Santana off as he is making him guilty by association since he used to be on the TCW roster. Gordon tells him that it might not be best to use anyone for TCW for a while so he is going to be keeping Ricky off TV at the moment. Ricky, who looks angry, is about to lash out but instead says that he understands and laments how unfortunate it is what Jackson did.

At his apartment, Ricky is so mad he can barely eat. Shirley (Sofia D'Elia Black) tries to reason with him at first but she is getting annoyed at his attitude and gets back to work on her newsletter. Ricky goes over to her to give her message to let off his steam. She tells him she knows what he is going to ask and the answer is still no. He says that outing Ken could both help him ascend the APW ladder and garner her more readers. She puts her foot down and says that it is not the right way to get payback. Ken may be a dick but no one deserves the kind of hate that would come his way if she revealed his sexuality. Ricky says that he gets that kind of hate when he pretends to be Mexican and she gently slaps him for not being able to tell the difference. Ken has to act straight everyday so he doesn't have to experience that. This gets through to Ricky and he realizes why his own homophobia is wrong. He kisses her and apologizes for trying to pressure her into doing something she didn't want to do.

The weeks start to pass and Ricky is getting paid but not used. He's counting his paychecks and saving up his money. He tries to talk to his kids but him and Nadine find it hard coordinating times to do so. We see him walk along the New York streets and stop at a jewelry store, where engagement rings sit in the window. He looks long and hard at them and then goes inside. He gets a call from Buck, who tells him that the time has passed and he wants to use them on their next big Madison Square Garden show.

After Ricky leaves the store with a package, he goes back to his place he shares with Shirley and he makes sure to quickly hide his recent purchase before she sees it. He tells her the good news and she’s happy for him of course. Ricky is bittersweet as he feels Gordon will use this as an opportunity to ridicule him once again. Shirley says he always sees everything negatively. He should be thankful for the opportunity and make the best of it, after all, he’s the one who’s complaining about his situation in the company.

Ricky walks backstage in Madison Square Garden and he meets with Happy to talk about their upcoming match as he wants to make sure it’s the best possible match. Ken Simon passes and teases them, saying their match won’t matter, so they should stop talking about this and find themselves another job, because they’re not made to do this. Ricky thinks about arguing back, but he bites his tongue and lets it go. Happy says that in all his years here, he learned that it’s best not to trash talk with guys like him. Ricky agrees and he tells Happy he’s a saint to not mind his bullshit attitude for years. 

The show is well underway when Happy tries to find Ricky, as their match is about to start. Pleasure and Pain tease him, saying he lost his friend and screwed up again and Happy, ever the optimist, says Ricky won’t let him down like that. Happy has no choice but to seek Buck Gordon’s help.

Ricky is dressed up in a casual attire, a far cry from his in-ring gear and making his way in the crowd. He finds Shirley and he taps on her shoulder. She’s surprised to see him as his match is up next and he gets down on one knee and he proposes to her and asks her to move back to Texas with him. She asks about his career and he says he’s ready to retire and spend the rest of her days with her. She accepts gladly and they share a kiss. Shirley wants to get out of here, but Ricky needs to do something first. 

Buck Gordon is furious and looking for Ricky with Happy behind him. He runs around, asking everyone if they saw Ricky. He finally bumps into him and Shirley and before he has the chance to say anything, Ricky tells him he quits and he’s getting out of here. Happy is sad and asks Ricky how he can do this to him and Ricky says he didn’t let Happy down. He deserves better than this place. Happy doesn’t know what Ricky means and as Ricky is walking away, he looks back at Happy and he says he’ll find out soon enough. 

Buck orders Happy out and he gets squashed by Pleasure & Pain, right before the main event, featuring Ken Simon. To add insult to the injury, Happy is beaten up by Simon as he makes his way to the ring. Happy’s morale is down and for the first time, he’s not smiling when he gets backstage. He goes to his locker and he finds a business card with the TCW written on it and Diane Brown’s phone number, alongside a note from Ricky that says Happy deserves to be… happy. 

Some time later, Ricky gets home after bringing in the last box from his car and he’s greeted by his two boys, Kyle (Jackson Robert Scott) and Justin (Zackary Arthur) who tell their father they’re glad he’s back so he can spend more time with them. He says this time he’s here to stay and he’s not going anywhere as Shirley joins the group hug. He tells his sons to go out back to play ball, he’ll join them soon and as they head outside, Shirley asks him if he made the right decision and he says he doesn’t regret anything.