Showtime's 'On Becoming a God in Central Florida' mixes murder, mayhem and peacocks to serve a feel-good end to Season 1
With Showtime ordering another season of 'On Becoming a God in Central Florida', we know that the tussle between Krystal Stubbs (Kirsten Dunst) and Obie Garbeau (Ted Levine) is far from over. But, for now, we can be tickled pink that Krystal has her water park and a temporary truce with Obie.
When the episode starts though, things couldn't be worse. Judd (John Earl Jelks) takes off with his daughter, Melody, in a taxi when Krystal brings her out to meet him after their agreement from last week's episode. After the most underwhelming fight with Buck Bridges' protege, Cody Bonar (Théodore Pellerin) retrieves his real gun from him and runs out only to see Krystal standing alone. When he says they can cover up the incident, Krystal, tired to her bone, says she is done with FAM and working for the Garbeaus. She is terrified that she is going to end up like Judd one day, with Destinee being snatched away from her.
When Cody objects, she pulls off her engagement ring and goes home to baby and now baby-sitting repo lady turned best friend, Rhonda. As she sees Garbeau's face on her TV screen, her frustration bubbles up once more and she decides to take a stand, for better or worse. She uses the videotape of Judd's story where he accuses Obie of extortion, fraud and attempted murder to blackmail Obie while he is on live TV, asking for "20,000 dollars."
Meanwhile, when Melody's disappearance is noted, Obie realizes that Krystal has a hand in helping Judd disappear with the child. Cody is a nervous bundle, knowing that suspicion will fall on him next and he sweats bullets, looking like a deer about to be shot. These indications of guilt aren't lost on Obie, who asks to hold his gun, "just for a moment". Cody, in a bit of uncharacteristic quick thinking, hands him his toy gun saying he has "lost" his real gun. Obie laughs, relieved, that Cody is essentially defenseless and asks him to wait, while he sends Roger Penland (Kevin J. O'Connor) to deliver the box with the orphan donations to Krystal. Cody waits till his back is turned to flee and run back to Krystal's house.
Ernie (Mel Rodriguez) returns home only to find that Bets (Beth Ditto) has locked him out. As he pleads with her, she gives an impressive 'wife-who's-had-enough' dressing down, calling him "sick", alluding to his depression and telling him she is done enabling him while he "avoids and lies" to postpone confronting the truth. Ernie, after being read the riot act, asks what he can do but Bets shuts the door in his face.
Meanwhile, Roger turns up at Krystal's house and, surprise, instead of killing her, tells her that she has the clarity of purpose that Obie has lost. So, he is offering his services to her instead. As Krystal squints her eyes, trying to make up her mind about whether he is screwing with her or is serious, Cody comes in to "save her". When he finds out she doesn't need saving, he waves his gun around in relief, and accidentally shoots Roger in the head.
With a dead body in her kitchen and a hyperventilating Cody, Krystal suddenly realizes Bets is outside, toilet-papering her house, because she blames Krystal for what has happened to her family.
After getting Cody to sit in the bathtub and count to 100, she runs out and tries to reason with Bets. When that fails, a crazed-looking Krystal joins her in toilet papering her own house. The action calms Bets down. Partially mollified, she backs down and goes back home. Krystal still has to deal with the body though... and Cody.
It is when Krystal remembers Mimi, Travis's old school teacher. She tells her she has another batch of FAM products to dump. She and Cody go and bury Roger in Mimi's backyard, covering the spot with a mountain of FAM products. It is a little bit of 'just desserts' for Roger, who has menacingly terrorized people, without remorse.
Once Krystal is back home, she calls Obie again, telling him Roger is dead. This time she blackmails him for an even larger sum of money to keep her mouth shut and buys the water park. Ernie gets back into Bets' good books as well, buying her a peacock, in a grand romantic gesture and apology for the jerk he has been. The episode ends with the 'happy family' of Krystal, Cody, and baby Destinee, while Obie sits in the "womb tank" plotting Krystal's downfall.
While this episode is a bit fantastical and season 2 is sure to bring repercussions for both Cody and Krystal for the spot of murder, Season 1 of the series, overall, blends the weird and the wonderful in a pleasing manner. It has proved itself to be a successful entry in Showtime's roster. Hopefully, season 2 won't rub off the sheen it has gathered in its first-year run.