CHRISTOPHER DE PAOLA
Ep. 8 Unforced Error
FAULT
TEASER FLASHBACK: Ernesto falls in with the wrong crowd- a bunch of Latino kids up to no good. Tommy’s sister asks Tommy to take in Ernesto, she’s worried about his lack of direction.
Tommy realizes that suppressing Justine’s urges to express herself are hindering her play. He takes on the role of sports psychologist, literally charting out the acceptable ways Justine can express her anger on the court. She’s twice the player when she gets frustrated and let’s off steam. Justine wins a tight
match 6-4 5-7 7-5. During a post-match locker room bonding moment, Tommy confesses to Justine that he cheated in the US Open final… and why he did it.
Real Justine makes an error recalling a point from the match during the post-match press conference. Tommy has to swoop in and cover.
Olivia, working her unfulfilling barista job, cannot let go of the US Open final. She calls the US Open offices claiming to be an employer checking on a reference. They have no record of a man working as a locker room attendant by the name of the man she met. A clean shaven Latino man with no accent or tattoos comes into the coffee shop. Olivia is sure it’s the man she met. She follows him to… the
Wilderhorne estate, where Trace greets him.
Tommy, alone on the practice court, running suicides… FLASHBACK to Young Tommy telling his family that he's leaving them and moving to the Wilderhorne estate for training. Tommy is dropped off at the estate with all of his belongings, welcomed with open arms by the Wilderhornes; leaving one family for a new one.
Tommy sees that Ernesto and Justine are getting closer; this brings up VERY strong feelings in Tommy. He
confronts Ernesto about it in a frank talk about brown working-class men being used by wealthy white women, "You're a pool boy to her. Stay away from her or go back home." Ernesto rejects the ultimatum, confronting Tommy with the Gloria/Tommy pool episode he witnessed.
Justine, in a brazen act of self-absorption, takes Ernesto on a late-night VIP tour of the clubs. She drives drunk, and they get into an accident. Justine is merely scraped. Ernesto lands in the hospital…