Caught Up

After Lauren’s encounter with Junior at church, she batch-filmed a series of videos and asked Junior for space. A week later, she receives a request from NT95. As she debates opening it, Taylor and Ryan open it for her. Junior requests that Lauren attend Aly and Josh’s engagement party. Lauren wants to reject the request because Junior needs to respect her boundaries. Hearing a knock at the door, Lauren sees Junior through the peephole. Ryan, Taylor, and Lauren arm themselves, though Taylor chooses a dildo as a weapon. Lauren asks what Junior wants, and he convinces her to come outside to talk.

As they sit together, Lauren struggles with her attraction by reminding herself that he is a full-blown criminal. Junior confesses to watching Lauren for years, slashing the tires at the church, and fixing random problems in Lauren’s life. Lauren is offended that Junior has pressured politicians into meeting with Lauren, but he reassures her that all of her political accomplishments are her own. When he tells her that he is proud of her work, she feels appreciated and seen. Thinking of McKinney, Lauren reflects that part of her does not care if Junior uses his connections to help her, but she also feels that she can save Junior from his life of crime. They embrace, and Lauren feels that he is worthy of redemption. He invites Her to Aly and Josh’s party, adding that he can barely stand small talk and is worried that he will start chatting about violence and crime. Lauren agrees to attend.

Junior flirts with Lauren as they drive to Aly and Josh’s house. When Junior jokes about Aly being a nurse, saying that she repairs people after Junior hurts them, Lauren grows quiet. They walk around the back of the house to find 30 people gathered in the backyard. Josh is standing far from the grill, but Aly greets Junior, who introduces her to Lauren. Lauren sees the catio that Junior and Josh built for the cats, and the two women head over to the screened enclosure.

A man named Tyler, who is Josh’s former roommate, is also at the party. He greets Junior and explains that Josh is vegan and avoids cooking meat. Tyler comments on Lauren’s body, which bothers Junior, who tries to diffuse the tension by cracking a sex joke that makes Tyler laugh.

Later, after meeting some of Aly’s friends and neighbors, Junior spends time with Josh, who asks about McKinney. Junior explains that he discovered McKinney’s weakness for gambling but is not sure how to track him down. As the conversation shifts to money, Josh tries to arrange for Junior, Josh, and Tyler to discuss investments together, since Junior has made a lot of money on the stock market. However, Junior does not like Tyler, who starts a fight over a game and then storms away from the party. As Josh and Junior long for their respective dates, Junior grows angry at the thought that his father is preventing him from committing to a relationship with Lauren. For him, the party is a glimpse into what a “normal” life could be like.

Later, when he and Josh speak privately, Junior asks how Josh convinced Nico Sr. to leave him alone. When Josh explains that his solution was to threaten Junior’s family, Junior comes up with a plan to force his father to let him leave the mafia. Junior tells Josh the plan, and Josh agrees to help.

Junior drives Lauren back to her home, she reflects on the pleasant event and on the fact that Aly and her friends did not judge her at all for her camwork. Lauren foresees a time when sex work is no longer considered shameful in mainstream society. When Junior drops Lauren off, she invites him inside, and he goes to park the car. Taylor is out with her boyfriend, Jackson, and Ryan decides to take the dog for a walk so that Lauren and Junior will have some time alone.

In Lauren’s bedroom, Junior performs oral sex on Lauren and tells her to call him “Nic,” not Junior. His phone rings, and he answers reluctantly. Lauren knows that she needs to accept his mafia involvement for now, just as he accepts her work. Junior has been called away but promises to return soon. Although Lauren notes that their relationship is casual, he says he wants a commitment and adds that they can progress slowly. Lauren admits to being scared but says that she shares his desire for a more serious connection. They get dressed and leave the room, hearing Walter sprinting toward them. As Junior heads out, Taylor, Jackson, and Ryan are in the living room, and they all exchange light, friendly banter before Junior leaves.

Junior’s brother, Stefan, brings him to the port, which is filled with derelict buildings used by criminals and unhoused people. Stefan has found the bookie who holds McKinney’s debt. The two brothers find David and his crew (the same five mercenaries who helped Junior, Josh, and Aly with Bradley Bluhm during the events of the series’ first installment, Lights Out). Stefan points them to an abandoned freighter in the port, then disappears. David’s men give Junior a headset and weapons and then split up; each man takes a different position to surveil the ship. They spot six men on the deck, which means there could be twice as many below. David suggests ambushing the crew at dawn in order to gain access to the bookie.

When a large man, the bookie himself, comes onto the deck, Junior recognizes him as Tyler, Josh’s former roommate. Junior decides to approach the boat openly, keeping David’s man positioned to cover him. Tyler’s mercenaries question Junior. Tyler appears and brings Junior onto the boat, but he is clearly irritated. Junior asks about Tyler’s involvement in gambling, and Tyler claims to be building an empire. Junior expresses his wish to buy McKinney’s debt, but Tyler says that McKinney owes $2 million, which would require all of Junior’s savings and investments to cover. Junior tries to talk Tyler down to $1 million, threatening to tell Josh or the other gambling operations about Tyler’s real identity. Tyler then threatens to tell Junior’s father about Junior’s attempt to get McKinney’s buildings, reasoning that Junior is not acting on behalf of the mafia. As an alternative, Tyler offers to become a silent partner in Junior’s business; he wants a cut of whatever business Junior intends to use McKinney’s buildings for. Junior agrees to pay $1 million and to make Tyler a silent partner.

Lauren stays up all night; she is worried about Junior even after he texts to say that he cannot return that night. In the morning, Junior texts to let her know that he got home safely, and Lauren is finally able to get some sleep. As she makes pancakes, she thinks about Junior’s wound and realizes how dangerous his work is. She does not like the idea of dating Junior when he might be called off to do work for his father at any time, nor does she want Junior to have to hurt people and continue hating himself. She wants a real relationship, but Junior will need to get out of the mafia first. She also worries that Junior is hiding something. She decides to visit her sister, Kristen, after breakfast. Before she leaves, Ryan announces that they have hired Ben to do video editing because Ben has a smaller client list. Ryan blushes when Taylor accuses them of having a crush on Ben.

The narrative reveals that Lauren’s grandparents, Nonno and Nonna Bianchi, came to America and started their own business. When Nonno died, Nonna took over. Now, Lauren reflects on the discrimination that Italian American people faced in the 1900s. She visits Little Italy, relishing the sights and smells of her home neighborhood, and then goes to Nonna’s deli. Hugo, Kristen’s husband, is behind the counter, but he usually works as a bodyguard for Lorenzo, the head of the mafia. Hugo sends Lauren upstairs, where Kristen is reading on the couch; she is six months pregnant with her third child. Kristen makes a comment about Lauren’s work being inappropriate for children. Lauren asks about Tommy, and Kristen casually says that Hugo mentioned Tommy might have been killed by Nico Trocci’s crew. Stunned, Lauren lashes out at Kristen, who tells her to leave. On the street, Lauren wonders if Junior only renewed contact with her to learn more information about Tommy; she also wonders if the Troccis have planned to kill her, too, and she vows to make Junior regret betraying her yet again.