Five Survive

Red is in disbelief, and Oliver threatens Arthur. Oliver pins Arthur’s arms and asks Simon to search him, explaining that he was working against them the whole time. Simon feels betrayed and does what Oliver says, finding a little device. Arthur asks Oliver not to throw it away, but he does. Arthur explains it isn’t a microphone but a button to a light he attached to the top of the RV. He was communicating with the sniper through a code they made and Morse code. Simon asks if Arthur gave the order to kill Don and Joyce, and Arthur denies this, explaining that the sniper was not supposed to shoot them or Maddy. He explains that he tried to stop Oliver from asking Don and Joyce for help, and he tried to stop Maddy from leaving the RV, but Oliver forcefully put both plans into motion.

Oliver asks who Arthur and the sniper are, and Arthur confesses his name is Arthur Gotti. Oliver then asks if it was about Red all along, why didn’t he simply kill Red—why did he drag them all into this situation? Arthur turns to Red, telling her he meant to keep her safe and that he promised to get the secret out of her. Then he asks her why she didn’t simply tell the truth. Maddy asks Red what Arthur is talking about. He explains that Red is not a real witness because his father did not kill Joseph Mannino. Instead, someone is paying Red to lie about the case.

Red cries because it’s the truth: She is getting paid to lie, and she wants to support her father and herself with the money she gets. Arthur asks who approached her, and she looks at Oliver and Maddy, thinking about how much the truth will hurt them. She confesses that Catherine Lavoy bribed her.

Oliver refuses to believe Red, and Red explains her whole secret.

Catherine reached out to her last August, asking her to lie about witnessing Frank Gotti killing Joseph Mannino. Oliver refuses to let her speak further, physically restricting her, but Maddy asks him to stop. Arthur asks if Red is okay, and she replies that he doesn’t care about her, which hurts him. Oliver tells Red to complete her “bullshit story.”

Red explains that Catherine told her she needed an eyewitness to prosecute Frank, who was a horrible man responsible for many people's deaths. Simon asks what Red would get out of this, and Red says that Catherine told her she would pay her $20,000. Oliver says that Catherine does not have so much money lying around, but he is wrong. Red further explains that Catherine said Frank killed her mother since she and Joseph were killed in the same manner: two bullets to the back of the head.

Arthur refutes this. He mentions his father would never kill a cop. It is one rule they all follow since it would cause a lot of trouble. Red is confused since Catherine told her Frank was responsible. Oliver reiterates that his mother is not a criminal, but Simon points out that Oliver stated it was a historic case; if Catherine won, she would become DA. Red, noticing Arthur’s expression, asks him what he is thinking.

Arthur explains that his family has a mole in the DA’s office who passes information to his family; that’s how they knew about Red. In September, information about her came from Mo Frazer’s email, who is Catherine’s rival. Oliver is not surprised that Mo is a mole, but Arthur points out it makes little sense for Mo to send the email from his work email, which is easily traceable. Arthur surmises that there is another mole in the DA's office, and Red realizes he is accusing Catharine.

Red feels intense betrayal since she trusted Catherine to look out for her. Oliver dismisses the claim, pointing out that Arthur and Red are saying contradictory things; why would his mom both try to convict Frank and get Red killed at the same time? However, Red points out that Catherine’s plan has two parts, and both parts ensure Catherine wins. Arthur reiterates the “win-win” phrase used by Maddy earlier. Oliver asks what they are talking about.

Red explains that if she stands witness, Catherine prosecutes Frank and wins, becoming the new DA. However, if Frank Gotti kills Red, Catherine can frame Mo Frazer for it, ensuring that her competition is out. Either way, Catherine wins. Oliver does not believe Red’s accusations, and Red responds she is not accusing, simply recounting what happened. Oliver repeats that she is lying, asking everyone to not believe her. However, Maddy suggests she is telling the truth.

Oliver turns on his sister, asking her if she really believes their mother is capable of such dishonesty. Maddy says she does not know, and Oliver aggressively questions her, asking if the woman who has personalized ringtones for everyone, including a doorbell ringtone for Maddy, would be capable of being so evil.

The mention of a doorbell snags Red’s attention, and she tries to connect the dots in her brain: During their last phone conversation, her mom said hello to someone else, and Red heard a doorbell. Red takes out her phone and plays the ringtone, realizing that she heard Catherine’s ringtone when her mother died. She declares that Catherine was with her mother when she died.

Oliver asks what Red is talking about, and she explains that she heard the doorbell ringtone and her mom saying “Hello” to someone; Maddy must have called Catherine while she was with Grace, and that’s what Red heard on the phone. Red theorizes that Grace found out that Catherine was the mole in the DA’s office, and Catherine must have killed her. Oliver vehemently denies Catherine’s involvement, but before Red can say anything, Maddy starts to howl and cry.

Maddy confirms Red’s suspicions, declaring that she called her mom that evening, but the call went to voicemail after two rings. When Catherine came home, Maddy noticed red splatters on her shirt and she assumed it was sauce, but it was blood. The next day, when news of Grace’s death reached them, Catherine lied to the police, telling them she was home at seven o’clock, making dinner. The call also disappeared from Maddy’s call log. When Maddy asked about it, her mom confused her, and Maddy wanted to believe that she was innocent. Finishing her story, Maddy apologizes to Red and keeps crying.

Red realizes that Catherine and Maddy both betrayed her. She thinks about how Maddy flinched whenever she heard the word “mom,” realizing that it was connected to her betrayal. Staggering and screaming, Red falls into Arthur’s arms, who repeatedly says that her mom’s death was not her fault. Red is finally able to let go of her guilt, realizing that Grace knew she loved her, and Grace loved her too: “She cried because she could finally forgive her mom for dying, and forgive herself too” (356).

Oliver denies Catherine’s involvement, but Red doubles down in her accusation. Oliver brandishes a lighter and a knife, but Arthur tells Oliver that it’s over; he will go outside and tell his brother everything, and they can take Maddy to the hospital. However, Oliver refuses to listen because he knows that Arthur’s family will kill his mother. Everyone tries to reason with Oliver, but he refuses to let anyone leave, even though Maddy is dying.

Maddy’s eyes close and Red screams her name, thinking she is dead, but she is still conscious. Red wonders if they could overpower Oliver, but he has weapons. Seeing the broken walkie-talkie, Red announces she will rebuild it.

Red settles down to rebuild the walkie-talkie, and Arthur asks if she needs anything. She replies that she needs nothing. Simon asks Arthur if his family will leave Red alone now, and Arthur promises they will. He reiterates he never wanted Red hurt and apologizes for lying to Simon. He explains he does not like violence, which is why his father wants Arthur to handle the business side of things and not go into the field like his brother. He says everything was his father’s idea. They didn’t simply ask for Red’s secret because now, his father knows everyone’s secrets, which gives him leverage.

Simon asks Oliver if he will let Red go outside, but Oliver reiterates that no one can go outside. Maddy mentions lights, and Red finally notices blue and red police lights, which means the people on the radio heard her when she asked for help. Red asks Arthur if his brother would kill a cop, and Arthur replies that he is not supposed to, but he is unpredictable.

Red sees a woman officer and knows what she has to do. She cannot let the officer get hurt. Hitting the knife out of Oliver’s hand, she runs toward the RV door. Oliver threatens to light the RV on fire, but Red says she knows he won’t do it and runs out of the RV. The officer, noticing Red, asks her to stand still. Red does, knowing she is standing between the office and the sniper, protecting the officer with her body. The officer asks Red to raise her hands, and Arthur comes out of the RV, shouting her name.

Red looks back and sees Oliver behind Arthur, about to stab him in the neck, but Reyna pulls Oliver back. Oliver’s knife cuts Arthur, but not fatally. Oliver shoves Reyna away, and the sniper shoots Oliver, killing him. Red instinctively raises her hands to her ears, and the officer mistakes the walkie-talkie for a gun and shoots Red in the chest. Arthur screams Red’s name.

Red lies bleeding on the ground, staring at the sky. She clearly hears her mother’s voice, remembering a conversation they had when playing Cops and Cops. They tell each other “Love you” (372), and Red feels her mom’s presence with her.