Dom – Season 1 Episode 3 Recap & Review

Destiny With A Capital D

Episode 3 of Dom Season 1 begins in Rio 1994. A young Pedro is shown how to pick locks, much to the concern of Laura. In fact, Lico’s bad influence dates all the way back to this time period too, as the kids hotwire a car and break in. As they start smoking, police eventually show at the scene and demand the kids step out.

At the station Victor berates his son; a warning that falls on deaf ears as Pedro continues to descend down this slippery slope.

Back in the present, Pedro snorts various lines and curses the others for almost getting caught. With stacks of cash, Viviane steps up and tells him they have another job.

For now though, Pedro heads back home where Victor embraces his son and thanks the heavens that he’s still alive. Things are still tense between them though, but Pedro comes back with a brand new laptop for him.

Realizing what this means, Victor immediately rejects this, reminding his son he can’t replace what he’s done – especially with stolen money. It’s one step too far for Victor, who warns Pedro that he won’t cut him any more slack now.

Echoes of the past bleed through here, as Victor is haunted by the estranged relationship he shares with his own Father from the 70’s. This catches us up to the moments we left off from last episode, as Victor arrives at the favela. He tries to play it cool, sitting with a man named Nerinho who quizzes him about the past and forces him to smoke a joint.

After loosening up, the boss man Ribeiro shows and immediately changes the mood. He has Victor frisked down, while he spies Chora suddenly brandish a gun. Believing he was about to assassinate Ribeiro, Victor gets his wires crossed and jumps on him.

It turns out he’s Ribeiro’s brother in law though, leading to some serious awkwardness to ensue. Victor apologizes but seemingly manages to gain his trust.

The arrival of Ribeiro also brings with it a wave of change in town. Drugs have upended this community, turning civilians into shells of what they once were. Ribeiro however, notices an opportunity using Victor’s good looks and decides to use him to ferry drugs around. The police are in on this too.

Unfortunately this single act – helping to spread drugs across Brazil – has a way of bringing karma back around as Victor’s family is consumed by this very same drug.

In the present Victor continues to work, getting cozy with General Cruz. While posing as a lieutenant, Paloma does her research and learns that the General is involved in smuggling. He immediately phones his contact Jessika and requests her assistance for the night ahead. This involves a high stakes card game, with Jessika serving as a necessary distraction.

Meanwhile, Pedro learns about another burglary job -this one far more lucrative and dangerous than before. With the family off in Europe, Pedro shows up at the apartment complex where Renato Campos is staying. Through some slick intel and nonchalance toward the doorman, the group manage to find their way in.

Lico immediately makes a scene and plays loud music while the others mess about with clothes, sex toys and anything else they can get their hands on. However, what they didn’t bank on was Lico’s boisterous stupidity.

With loud music blaring, the doorman Lenilson receives a complaint about the music – which is immediately followed up by rapping at the door. Although Pedro deals with the situation well, Lico meanwhile does not. He brandishes a gun and threatens the doorman as all hell breaks loose.

The Episode Review

This Lico is a real liability and has been the root cause of Pedro’s issues all the way back to his early childhood. This is especially evident here, as he gets the kids in a lot of trouble and looks set to completely upend this burglary in the worst possible way.

Interestingly, the way this story ties into Victor’s adds an extra layer of depth and poetic irony to the series. Learning that Victor is responsible for bringing in drugs to the country, which have in turn destroyed his son’s life, is a bitter pill to swallow. These flashback sequences have been well-placed too, helping to add more depth and context to what we’ve seen so far across the season.

Dom has done a really good job juggling these different timelines so far, with each time period distinct with its aesthetic and ideas. The ending certainly leaves things on a tense cliffhanger though, leaving things wide open for the next episode.