By: Kelly Kearney
Previously on “Duster”…Ezra Saxton fired Jim Ellis for losing the luxury Howard Hughes car after Jim cut a deal with Mad Raul’s assassin to free him from a blood-signed contract. After Jim helped Genesis rescue her girl—and in the process, destroyed a merger with Greek Sal—he was welcomed back into the fold, just in time to meet Ezra’s new interpreter: Nina St. James, a.k.a. undercover FBI agent Nina Hayes. As a global deal with the Russians takes form, Nina—feeling the pressure to close her case—takes matters into her own hands, or rather, her own words, by becoming an indispensable translator within Ezra’s organization.Her first assignment kicks off this week’s episode with a tense exchange that quickly escalates into a shootout, placing both her and Jim in the line of fire.
Also in the hour, Izzy becomes a growing problem for Saxton when she leads a strike for female truckers demanding equality, fair pay, and clean bathrooms. Saxton already has Bob Temple—the source of Izzy’s strife—under his thumb through blackmail, but now the mother of Jim’s daughter is making waves. Duster is racing towards the finale and tying all the threads to this story together in one formidable knot.
“Newman, All Day”
The episode opens mid-chaos in a flash-forward shootout with Nina (Rachel Hilson) and Jim (Josh Holloway) pinned down together and plotting their next move. Jim wants to go full Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, guns blazing, but Nina reminds him how that movie ends—with a cliff dive and likely death. Jim insists there’s hope in that freeze-frame ending, and despite her doubts, Nina agrees to be the Newman to Jim’s Redford. Bleeding from his side, Jim gives the signal: “You go high, I’ll go low,” as the two burst from cover, guns drawn, bullets blasting.
Cut to eleven hours earlier and we find Jim warning Nina that the meeting she’s agreed to translate is more than dangerous—it’s deadly. He urges her to walk away, but she’s committed and that Baltimore pride never backs down. She believes this meeting could finally bring the mob boss down, as well as paint a clearer picture of this global deal and who Xavier is they keep hearing about. Jim, knowing how quickly things can turn violent in Saxton’s (Keith David) world, pleads with her to understand the stakes, but Nina has trained for this and she is confident she can successfully play both sides of the mob and the globe. It’s a bet Jim is not willing to make. As he pulls away in the Duster, he is clear that he won’t take a bullet for her, and the feeling is mutual.
Elsewhere, Jim’s ex Izzy (Camille Guaty) with a proud Luna (Adriana Aluna Martinez) by her side leads a protest of female truckers outside Bob Temple’s (Kevin Chamberlin) office. They’re demanding equal pay, healthcare and basic workplace rights and their message seems to be spreading. Realizing this could be an issue for Saxton and Snowbird, Temple tries to nip it in the bud by charming Izzy and then threatening her when she rebuffed his advances. He reminds her that there are powerful men above him who don’t take kindly to this sort of noise. Izzy, who is both fighting for what’s right and trying to show her daughter what it means to be a working blue collar American, stands firm determined to stick it out until change is guaranteed.
Jim Is Welcomed Into The Fold
Over at Ezra’s house, Royce (Benjamin Charles Watson) is prepping for his first business deal since his heart transplant. He looks healthy, if a bit medicated, and tells himself in his bedroom mirror he’s “stepping into his purpose.” Painkillers help take the edge off—essential if he hopes to help close this deal and remain heir to the Saxton empire. His father expects nothing less. Before he leaves, he gets a reminder from Marcy (Silver Rae Fox) that he cannot drink on the increased dosage as it’s very dangerous.
While Royce dresses for the meeting his father is in his office running through the plan for the day. After his trip to Scottsdale, Royce told his father that Jim is looking for more responsibility in the business so Ezra directs Billy (Evan Jones) to train Jim. He compliments his driver on how he handled himself during the Greek Sal situation and now Ezra wants that finesse in on the Russian deal. Ellis is only happy to accept the offer. For his first order of business, Saxton tells him to fix things with Greek Sal and then pick up the new translator—at the Travelodge Motel.
At the FBI’s offices Nina senses something is off. Her desk has been disturbed and she suspects someone is watching her. Abbott (Greg Grunberg), her boss, brushes her worries off as he hands her a week’s worth of money for her undercover motel room. She’s right to be worried as Agent Grant (Dan Tracy) is quietly tracking her, digging into her call logs and enlisting other agents to help spy on her. He knows she’s getting close to something—and he’s trying to stay one step ahead.
Meanwhile, Agent Awan (Asivak Koostachin) confirms the identity of Paris Guilford, who he learned is a demolition supplier with no rap sheet but potential ties to Saxton and the explosion that killed Joey Ellis. Before Nina leaves she hands Awan her necklace, asking him to give it to her mother if she doesn’t make it back. As Nina walks out the door, Grant’s eyes follow. He’s already tracked her calls to the Travelodge, and knows exactly where she’s going but he doesn’t know why or who is helping her.
“F U, Coppola”
Covering the first thing on their boss’ list, Jim and Billy track down Greek Sal’s right hand man Leon (Joe Pistone) and his partner Hector (Rick A. Ortega Jr.) for a peace offering. As an apology for his daughter and driver’s behavior, Saxton proposes letting Sal run a few profitable routes through New Mexico—specifically through Los Cruces and Albuquerque—free of surcharge for one year. Jim notes it’s a solid deal: Sal can traffic whatever he wants, legal or not, and make a decent profit. It’s a nice olive branch—and a smart play for Saxton…if Sal agrees. But his enforcers aren’t convinced. They don’t see how two low-margin smuggling routes make up for the million-dollar merger that the wedding was supposed to bring—until Genesis and Jim ruined it.
They go back and forth arguing deals until the conversation gets heated. Guns are drawn, as Billy (always the wildcard) is already itching for a fight. He doesn’t like these guys, especially after Leon dares to say, “F*** you, Coppola” after insulting Billy’s love of American cinema. The name calling is a step too far, but not for Jim, who isn’t interested in a shootout. He gets between the barrels and tries to defuse the tension. Leon–the chattier of Sal’s thugs, thinks Saxton should just throw in all of Arizona to make it right, but Jim fires back that they know Arizona is off-limits—just like Sal would never give up Utah. Every time there’s a lull in the debate Billy runs his mouth until Jim tells him to shut it – the guy has a knack for making things worse and he doesn’t seem to care. Jim warns the enforcers to take the offer back to Sal because asking for more than Saxton’s willing to give might start a bloodbath that nobody wants.
Back in the car Billy starts calling Jim by the name “Kissinger” for his diplomatic skills. Saxton clearly said to keep things calm, but Billy (riding high on ego and addicted to power plays) just shrugs the whole encounter off. That reckless attitude of his will come back to haunt everyone before the episode ends, but as Jim and Billy peel away in the Duster we see Sal’s enforcers stay behind wondering where they’re rushing off to. Curious, they decide to follow the Duster, having no idea they’re about to crash a secret negotiation between the Russians, the FBI and Ezra Saxton himself.
At the Travelodge Nina steps out – dressed to kill and ready for her first real undercover gig. Unfortunately, before Jim and Billy arrive to pick her up Agent Grant shows up to corner her about her case. He demands to know what she is working on – telling on himself for going through her desk. He doesn’t deny it but deflects the blame back onto her for being so secretive when he has seniority over her. Luckily for her he isn’t her boss so she tells him to back off as Jim and Billy pull up. As Grant’s car pulls away, Billy clocks the make and plates and immediately asks her about the guy in the car. Thinking fast, Nina spins a story about a former client and acts like the run-in was “No big deal.” Billy doesn’t buy it and continues to pressure her for information about what sort of “client” needs Nina’s particular skill set? She answers carefully: “You of all people should appreciate that I can’t talk about my clients”—just like she would never spill anything about the job Saxton hired her to do. She is discreet, but Billy isn’t convinced. He watches her in the rearview mirror like he smells a rat.
When they arrive to pick up Saxton it is Billy that heads inside while Jim stays with Nina, where she quietly admits she lied and the guy at the lodge is a coworker—someone who doesn’t trust either of them. That stuns Jim. He knows that even the slightest suspicion about Nina or this meeting could get both of them killed. That’s when Saxton and Royce step out and right away it’s clear Royce is smitten with his father’s new translator. He practically stumbles over himself trying to sit next to Nina in the car, all wide-eyed and eager, as Jim watches them with tension in his jaw, and Billy, with suspicion in his eyes.
On the way to the meeting Billy and Jim ride together and talk about Nina and whether she can be trusted. Jim reminds him that he’s always been the paranoid one and, whether or not he trusts his gut, it’s been wrong in the past and it got people killed. Billy laughs it off like a funny memory, but Jim is visibly uneasy—even if he plays it cool.
Meanwhile, back at Bob Temple’s office Izzy and her protest hit the evening news. Luna is so proud of her mother that Izzy uses the entire thing as a lesson in feminism and first amendment rights. Watching from his office window, Bob Temple sees the media coverage and without missing a beat tells his secretary, “Call Ezra Saxton. He’s gonna want to see this.”
Kissinger the Deal-maker Throws a Hail Mary
In a warehouse somewhere in the Arizona desert Saxton, Nina, Jim, Billy and Royce walk in to meet the Russians. The head of the organization, Kazimir Volkov (Stass Klassen), takes one look at the Americans, shakes their hands and says a single word: “Vodka.” The deal will be brokered over a drink or two—maybe even three. Of course, this might be a problem for Royce as we learned earlier in the episode is on painkillers and can’t drink alcohol. Unfortunately, Kazimir doesn’t strike anyone as the type who respects sobriety. When the vodka shots are passed around, Royce hesitates and Nina (who cannot only speak Russian but can read the room) quickly translates for Ezra that his son turning down a drink would seem rude since toasting a deal is a Russian tradition. Saxton gives his son a nod to down the shot and Royce does it. Kazimir orders another round poured.
After the second shot, Kazimir asks Nina how she learned to speak Russian so fluently. She tells him her father was a codebreaker for the Air Force during World War II and that they were stationed in Hamburg, where many people spoke Russian. Kazimir catches her in the lie, noting that American forces were actually stationed in Frankfurt and not Hamburg. Fortunately for Nina, only she and the Russians can understand this part of the conversation – though Saxton looks mildly concerned. She keeps her cool and explains how her father was in a top secret unit at Bergen and blames the mix-up on the vodka. Kazimir seems to buy it and toasts another round, where everyone drinks…including Royce.
With the toast out of the way, Kazimir orders his men to bring in a suitcase from the car, and when Saxton peeks inside, his eyes light up–he likes what he sees. He calls it the “real deal,” but Nina and Jim–no matter how hard they strain their necks to get a better view, still can’t see the contents. The name Xavier is mentioned, which catches Nina’s attention, who looks knowingly over at Jim as he was the one who previously brought that name to her attention. Whatever is in that box is worth a fortune and somehow ties to this Xavier person. With the deal on the table, Ezra orders Royce to step forward with a briefcase full of cash and start counting but the mix of vodka and painkillers is clouding his son’s mind. Counting becomes difficult and the more he messes up, the more emotional he gets. Tension builds until he’s halfway through counting the cash and suddenly starts crying. The Russians bristle at his emotional outburst as the meeting begins to unravel.
Nina tries to intervene, but Royce’s tears turn to laughter and everyone stares at him like he’s lost his mind. At that point the Russians begin packing up, ready to walk out, which only makes Royce snap – yelling that they don’t know who they’re dealing with. His aggression catches everyone off guard and his father has no choice but to pull him aside, trying to understand why he’s sabotaging the deal. Royce shows him the pills and reminds him he can’t drink them. Unfortunately, Kazimir isn’t understanding and admitting Ezra’s heir is physically weak would kill the deal faster than any drunken meltdown. Luckily for everyone, Nina understands the stakes. She whispers to Jim how Kazimir is on “some Bolshevik John Wayne sh*t” – he will not accept any weakness. Jim tells her to translate for him and steps forward to negotiate, much to Ezra’s shock, as this is Jim’s first day on the new job. This might be outside his pay grade, but Billy doesn’t call Jim by the name Kissinger for nothing–he is determined to keep everyone alive. He tells Kazimir that Royce gets emotional because he’s the, “baddest motherf**ker around.” To prove it, he says two guys jumped Royce recently and gutted him from chest to stomach—and even with his insides hanging out, Royce killed both men with his bare hands. Then Jim drags Royce forward and rips his shirt open, revealing the heart transplant scar. Kazimir takes one look and is visibly impressed. Royce might be unstable, but he’s also a certified badass. That’s someone Kazimir can do business with.
Nina Gets Caught in a Lie
Jim saved the deal— everyone is happy–especially Ezra and a shaken Royce. When the Russians drive off, Ezra thanks Jim for saving the day and tells him to take Nina back to the hotel while he handles that female trucker causing trouble for Bob Temple. He can’t afford the media attention around Snowbird, so it looks like he’s going to have to “take care” of Izzy on his own. Add that to Jim’s growing list of problems because Saxton doesn’t know that the female trucker is Jim’s ex and mother of his secret child. While Ezra complains about the protest we see Greek Sal’s men are hiding in the warehouse, watching the entire meeting unfold.
When Saxton leaves we see Billy in the corner hanging up a payphone. Like the hot-head he is,he pulls a gun on Nina demanding to know why she was talking to a fed. He ran the plates on the man she was talking to earlier and it came back as a federal car. He is all ready to shoot her for lying when Sal’s enforcers storm in bullets flying. Everyone dives for cover and in the commotion, Jim gets grazed in the side and Billy takes a hit to the arm. The “fed” conversation will have to wait as total chaos erupts, taking us back to the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid moment that opened the episode. “Hit ’em fast, hit ’em hard, and live to see another day” becomes the plan, and on the count of three, Jim and Nina pull their weapons and charge at Sal’s men. Royce loves what he sees, but Billy isn’t likely to drop his suspicions just because she is good with a gun and looks great in a suit.
With Sal’s men armed with heavy artillery, the two seem to be dominating the fight. Hector makes a move on Nina but Jim steps in, taking out the threat. She returns the favor, by diving through the air, killing Leon before he can kill Jim.
“Pam Grier, eat your f**king heart out,” Royce says, starry-eyed. He barely closes his agape mouth before Billy points his gun at Nina again. Fast on her feet, she improvises a sob story about an abusive ex-husband—who happens to be a cop—that stalks her. That’s why she’s so good with a gun. She learned how to shoot when the courts failed to keep her safe from, “Trevor the cop.” The reason why she never said anything before was because she felt ashamed of being a victim and was trying to move past it.
That’s all Royce needed to hear as he steps between Nina and Billy’s gun, ordering his father’s enforcer to back off. Billy refuses—until Royce reminds him about those missing payouts he pocketed last week. A loan to cover his bookie, whether he planned to replace it or not, won’t make his father happy. That’s when Billy backs off, leaving Nina caught between gratitude and awkwardness, knowing Royce has a crush on her and he is the only thing standing between her and Billy’s suspicions.
Later that night Jim takes Nina back to the lodge where the two unlikely partners share a flirtatious moment while she patches up his side. The chemistry between them is unmistakable, and it might’ve gone somewhere… if Jim hadn’t seen Luna and Izzy on the news. His ex is now famous—for all the reasons his boss won’t like. It’s another thing, Nina calls tomorrow a problem as they raise a glass and toast the night’s success.