As bizarre as Perpetual Grace, LTD's premise is, it is strangely cohesive and that comes through in episode 5
This article contains spoilers for 'Perpetual Grace, LTD' episode 5
Terming the Ben Kingsley starrer 'Perpetual Grace, LTD' an absurd show would be right because this show's humor is strangely appealing and what should, for all practical reasons, not come together well, does so seamlessly and somehow manages to make a lot of sense too. For instance, can you imagine a man (Kingsley as Byron Brown) who killed another man with his shoe for insulting his wife (Jacki Weaver as Lillian Brown), would befriend two teenagers to exact revenge on their father (Luis Guzmán as Hector Contreras)?
In the face of multiple parts of his life unravelling, such as his wife Lillian who could be buried by a corrupt Mexican cop, Hector, after trying to escape just like her husband, or a man trying to act as his son (Jimmi Simpson as James) and loot their money or their actual son (Damon Herriman as Paul Allen Brown) setting up a con to cheat him out of his money, Byron's attitude is bizarre.
He tells Hector's two boys that he is their father and begins to form a bond by simply understanding their obsession with pornography and video games. He does all this to exact revenge for imprisoning him and his wife, instead of heading to the American consulate, or try and rescue his wife who is in danger.
It doesn't make sense until it does and you start enjoying the absurdity of it all. This absurdity is present in all of the plotlines of the show including how the boy who takes care of a pawn shop, Glenn Pirdoo (Dash Williams), takes the fake Paul Allen's (who is actually James) word for everything he says. He heads to Mexico for him, later believes that this man is a part of a gang, and is not hesitant to try and become a part of it himself.
The original Paul Allen is the mastermind behind the con and he only casts James in it in a starring role and sets everything up including an amenable Mexican cop who was seduced by Paul's friend into working together with them. Hector is planning on abandoning his family for a woman he believes is in love with him and Byron's death certificate is the only way he can get enough money to run away from his family.
Paul and James need the death certificate from Mexico to withdraw the money Byron and Lillian have saved after conning their church members themselves. Until Paul and James succeed, Byron and his wife have to be put away for which Hector will be paid.
He does a shoddy job of it for sure, but it keeps things going. He is currently working hard digging a grave which he promises Lillian, is not for her. So who is it for? Byron has escaped, so it is certainly not for him. So what is he up to? We do not know. We just have to wait for the next episode to see.
The next episode will also answer the question about what really happened to the little girl that Paul befriended in Texas. The one he was supposed to make disappear (magically), but she is found dead instead. The fake Paul's arrest warrant is out and the police are ready to take him under custody.
'Perpetual Grace, LTD' episode 6 will air on Sunday, June 30.
