'Perpetual Grace, LTD' episode 3 warns that karma has a foul way of sneaking up in ways least expected
This article contains spoilers for 'Perpetual Grace, LTD' episode 3
Ben Kingsley's 'Perpetual Grace, LTD' is slow, haphazard and chaotic but that is the charm of the Epix series. If you do not have a taste for a quirky, whimsical take on human interactions, this may not be the show for you, as 'Perpetual Grace, LTD' centers on intriguing dialogues which propel the story forward and adds value to the mood of the series. As of now, the series is more of an indulgence.
Indulgence because the plotline itself is not extraordinary. A son conspiring with a man who is disillusioned with life to con his parent out of the money that they have saved by conning other people. Byron Brown (Ben Kingsley) and his wife Lillian (Jackie Weaver) fall hook, line and sinker, and end up in Mexico in search of their son Paul Allen Brown (Damon Herriman), who they believe is in jail, on the other side of the border.
Byron, who is a pastor at a church, and his wife maybe professionals when it comes to conning to older people who frequent the church but they took the word of an addict at face value. They believe his claims of expertise in finding missing people and trust he is telling the truth about their son and set out to Mexico together. The drug addict, James (Jimmi Simpson), in the meanwhile, claims the identity of their son and submits a death certificate in the local office to withdraw the four million dollars, which he will then split with the real Paul Allen Brown.
Now, things, of course, cannot go according to plan. The unraveling of James' plans is what makes 'Perpetual Grace, LTD' an interesting watch. The fact that Byron is capable of killing a 24-year-old man with a shoe, or that he counts on his wife enough to leave her behind with a message to escape is not something that James expects. He trusts the local Mexican policeman Hector Contreras (Luis Guzmán) to take care of Byron long enough to wipe the money from their accounts.
Of course, fate has a twisted sense of humor and so we see James deal with Paul's past - the accusation of killing a young girl, because of which James gets cuffed with a bracelet so his whereabouts are tracked by Texas ranger Tom Walker (Terry O'Quinn). Walker is dead set on finding the truth about Paul Allen and has followed them to New Mexico.
Byron who escapes from the Mexican police by chopping off his own finger commits a murder and a kidnapping which makes the proceedings of the third episode interesting. But that is as good as it gets. That karma has a foul way of sneaking up on you in both James' and Byron's case will momentarily tickle your interest.
The next episode of 'Perpetual Grace, LTD' airs June 16.