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Snowfall Recap: El Oso y El Santo

Snowfall

Ballad of the Bear
Season 6 Episode 8
Editor’s Rating 4 stars

Snowfall

Ballad of the Bear
Season 6 Episode 8
Editor’s Rating 4 stars
Photo: Ray MIcksaw/FX/Copyright 2023, FX Networks. All rights reserved.

Over the course of six seasons, Snowfall has roughly followed the timeline of the Iran-Contra Affair, telling a fictional version of the series of events that now live in infamy as a key part of America’s war on drugs. In real life, the affair ended with an exposé, indictments, a speech from Reagan, and eventual pardons from George Bush Sr. But, thankfully for us, Snowfall is ending in a much more dramatized way, reminding us why it’s the best crime show since Breaking Bad.

Snowfall is able to add humanity to real events so wild they feel totally separate from humanity by zeroing in on the stories and people in the community affected most by the coke deals, with Franklin, Gustavo, and Teddy’s storylines representing the parties involved in the controversy. Through their characters, we see the possible motivations of people willingly engaging in illicit activities and the unfolding repercussions. The themes that Snowfall always returns to are the desire for respect and to protect those you love, and how ego and human nature sometimes blur the line between the two. Franklin, Teddy, and Gustavo are reaping the consequences of their actions, and regardless of losing more than they ever imagined, they’re ready to fight until the end. Like Franklin tells Gustavo, “We’ve all been carrying too much weight for a long time, Oso. It can’t be for nothing.”

After weeks of plotting and preparing, the day has finally come for Gustavo, Franklin, Teddy, the DEA, and the KGB (this list is getting long) to seal their fate as each respective party’s future is dependent on the impending drop between Teddy and the Colombians. Both the DEA and the KGB are relying on Gustavo to lead them to evidence that the CIA has been dealing drugs and firearms to fund the American political agenda. At the same time, Franklin needs Teddy’s location to get his money back and enact his final revenge.

Since the show focuses on those who were pawns in the larger political game, specifically those on the ground pushing the drugs and weapons, it’s only natural that Franklin and Gustavo would be the last two standing after the chaotic meet-up with Teddy, Ruben, and the DEA. They have been integral to each other’s story since the beginning — on multiple occasions they’ve protected one another from death and have become loyal allies in the game (how could they not after literally being locked in a cage with a tiger together?) Now that the clock has run out and the day of the drop has arrived, they need each other more than ever.

To put it lightly, Gustavo has been going through it. He’s got three different government agencies on his head (one isn’t even from the country he’s living in) and he’s losing his family. All season he’s been looking for an out, and Franklin has guaranteed him one as long as he can bring him to Teddy. Of course, the KGB and DEA also have the same goal of finding Teddy and have offered Gustavo an out, but who would you trust more? Franklin or the government? So, as I would myself, Gustavo puts his eggs in Franklin’s basket, goes to Jerome’s repass, and accepts the money and passports. After meeting his end of the deal with Gustavo, Franklin ruminates on how he’s failed at protecting the people he loves despite all he’s been through. His actions led to the death of his uncle and the loss of Melanie to crack addiction, and he’s yet to secure a safe future for Cissy, Veronique, and his unborn child. But Franklin is as tactical and pragmatic as an officer in the military, so he has a plan. The only downside is that Louie is essential to making it happen.

The plan is for Louie to continue to play along with Teddy, ensuring that she’ll bring Franklin to him. They’ll let Louie, Franklin, and Teddy meet face-to-face until Gustavo can come and they’ll finish Teddy off. To make it believable, they have to beat Franklin up so it looks like there was a struggle to kidnap him. Skully is helping out, but he lets Louie do the honors. This moment is cathartic for them both; Louie, who still blames Franklin for everything, rages against him, pounding his face with tears coming down her cheeks, while Franklin takes on a masochistic role, egging her on, possibly punishing himself as he takes the lashing. Skully eventually pulls Louie off of him, and they tie him up and throw him in the trunk to meet Teddy.

Meanwhile, Gustavo has to fulfill his obligations with the DEA. His frantic attitude and increasing silence have made Tony Marino, the DEA agent leading the mission, suspicious of him, noting that at this point, most people in Gustavo’s position usually begin asking questions about the next steps and their safety. Obviously, Gustavo doesn’t have to worry about any of that since he’s taking Franklin’s resources to flee once it’s all over. Because of their suspicions, they send Amanda, another DEA agent, with Gustavo for the drop. This is the first part of the plan that goes wrong — though the drop with the Colombians goes smoothly enough, Gustavo’s flippant attitude and inappropriate joke about Amanda being in the DEA add even more suspicion. She reports back to her boss, and they decide to check in on Xiamara and find out that they’ve already left (Gustavo said goodbye earlier in the day, giving his nephews two of his luchador masks in a heartbreaking scene), meaning Gustavo had plans separate from the DEA. This information bites Gustavo in the ass. Tony goes with Gustavo to meet with Teddy as planned, but once it becomes clear that Teddy isn’t showing up, they arrest Gustavo.

Before Gustavo is arrested, he pages Franklin that he is on his way to Teddy so they continue with the plan and tell Teddy that they have Franklin. Now, it’s Teddy who deviates from the plan and tells Louie to drop Franklin off alone and leave without waiting for Teddy to come face to face. Franklin isn’t too worried because regardless of Louie’s presence, as long as Gustavo shows up he’ll be fine. Louie and Skully leave Franklin at the warehouse, and he stays tied up there for hours. Teddy arrives, with Gustavo nowhere in sight, and Franklin panics, knowing that he’s vulnerable in the hands of a man who wants to end his life.

In a surprising turn of events, while Gustavo is being arrested by the DEA, Ruben, who has been spying on Gustavo, intercepts and kills all of the officers, freeing Gustavo. He pulls Gustavo out of the car and says he knows that Franklin is at the warehouse with Teddy and he’s taking him to complete the mission. Teddy has Franklin hanging from the ceiling from his neck, forced to balance on a metal trash can or else he’ll fall and hang himself. Up until the last minute, true to form, Franklin tries to talk himself out of the situation, but Teddy is unfazed. Teddy prepares some sort of poisonous concoction that will kill Franklin and a barrel of chemicals that will disintegrate his body. Gustavo and Ruben burst into the room right before he can inject it, and things get really messy.

Ruben directs Gustavo to handcuff Teddy to a forklift and ignores Franklin’s pleas to be released from his noose. Ruben tells Gustavo to bring him Teddy’s hidden gun but puts up a fight, reminding us of the great luchador he is. He kills Ruben and finally, at the last minute, frees Franklin, turning his back on Teddy, who thinks Gustavo is still on his side. Teddy frantically tries to convince Gustavo to stay on the CIA’s side, but Gustavo turns to his friend and asks: “So what do you want to do, moreno?” The dynamic duo is back on top with Teddy firmly in their grasp.

Final Forecast

• I know she followed Franklin’s plan, but I don’t trust Louie. Something in me believes that once she wipes her hands of Teddy, she will return her focus to Franklin since she’s still taking zero accountability for her predicament. There’s no way she will walk away from all of this quietly.

• Shout out to Amin Joseph, who plays Jerome, for directing this episode! My favorite shot is of Teddy and Parissa sitting at the table when he asks for advice about what to do next. I love how they’re a small square of light in a large dark frame; it really emphasizes that she’s Teddy’s moral compass. Speaking of Jerome, they did a great job showing a realistic Black funeral and repass, complete with someone wearing an airbrushed memorial T-shirt.

• Just like in real life, what began as a covert mission to fight communism snowballed out of control, causing Teddy to further alienate himself from the CIA, who don’t want to be associated with what’s happened. He knows his options are limited, so he turns to Parissa for the next steps since he’s never had an original thought in his life. Instead of a suggestion, she brings out a wedding ring Teddy has been hiding, and he proposes to her. For some reason, I feel Parissa may try and save Teddy.

• Veronique going into labor (or having pains) while all of this is happening is so stressful! We only have two episodes left, and I’m praying for a healthy Saint baby. I don’t know how far along she is, but it seems early for labor.

• Skully and Leon making peace at the repass was beautiful. Out of all the Snowfall characters, their story arcs are the most beautiful to me. There was an announcement about a possible Snowfall spinoff starring Gail Bean’s Wanda, and I hope that Skully and Leon will be a part of it as well.

Snowfall Recap: El Oso y El Santo