'Hightown' Episode 3 Preview: Ray and Renee's steamy sex scene could get interrupted by Osito
So far detective Ray Abruzzo (James Badge Dale) is taking things slow with his new confidential informant, Renee (Riley Voelkel) — the incarcerated local druglord Frankie Cuevas' (Amaury Nolasco) baby mama. There is an obvious tension between the two and Ray popping up randomly at Renee's son's play dates and at the stripper joint she works at proves his interest might cross professional lines. The second episode saw him practically threaten Renee to spill all details about who she meets and what they talk about, after Frankie's right-hand man Osito (Atkins Estimond) showed up at Renee's stripper joint. But according to the synopsis for Episode 3, Ray and Renee are going to 'cross the line' and it won't be steamy like the first dance she gave him, thanks to Osito.
The official synopsis given by Starz for Episode 3 states: "Jackie returns to rehab to help her investigation. Ray starts closing in on Osito at the same time he and Renee cross the line. Junior takes the first step to becoming a soldier." While all seems to be going well for Jackie Quinones (Monica Raymund) and her best friend slash murder suspect in secret, Junior McCarthy (Shane Harper), it's the whole Ray, Renee and Osito subplot that has us intrigued. Last episode, we saw Renee approach Osito with an undercover cop to bust him for selling drugs. Osito kicked them out of his car and warned Renee never to bring strangers to him without prior notice.
Later, Osito approached Renee at her work and demanded a private dance from her. It was all an elaborate trope to remind her — with Frankie "not here" (something she earlier used to defend getting high) — that Osito is always watching if and when Renee takes even one step out of line. After Osito reminds her who's the boss, Ray shows up demanding all intel on what they talked about. It's obvious Renee is hesitant, but she works for the cops now. As she claims, were she to tell Osito that she had been approached to work as an informant, Frankie would have her killed. This earns her Ray's trust and by the looks of it, his "save-a-hoe" instincts are triggered too.
Ray's interest in Renee knows no boundaries of discretion as has been established by him masturbating to recorded clips of Renee performing oral sex on Frankie. So if he were to make things really professional and 'cross the line' with her, perhaps that steamy car sex scene from the teaser is going to be on our screens soon. The only problem here is Osito, as the synopsis teases that he will be someone around when Ray and Renee take things the next level. So how safe all of this fraternizing with the enemy's lover will be is still up for debate. But knowing Frankie wanted Renee to get close to Ray, hopefully, no new deaths are on the horizon.
'Hightown' airs on Sundays at 9 pm only on Starz.