True Story – Season 1 Episode 3 “Victory Lap” Recap & Review

Victory Lap

Episode 3 of True Story begins with Kid back on his usual routine. That includes an early-morning gym session with Hersch.

The trouble though falls to Carlton, who still has Ari’s phone and belongings. He ignores numerous phone calls from a guy called Nikos, who happens to be Ari’s brother. Thankfully Ari’s phone is a burner, so it’s at least untraceable, but K and Carlton aren’t out of the woods yet.

It turns out Ari’s brothers, Savvas and Nikos, are actually the silent investors that injected money into Carlton’s restaurant and now they want their money. These are the guys Carlton owes $600k to.

When Kid finds out, he records a video message, deciding to pay them back entirely. It’s the final hurdle to cover this crime up completely. If they can get through this unscathed, Kid suggests Carlton hang out with him for the week.

However, Todd shows up concerned and questions Kid about his behavior the previous day. Todd promises to have his back, although he also throws shade at Carlton for bringing Kid down to his level.

While Kid pretends that everything is fine, Carlton knows that nothing is. He shows up a a strip club, ready to meet Savvas and Nikos. Carlton plays a fine line, claiming that Ari is “dipping out” and needed some time away. Carlton plays them the video message, but the brothers want this transferred in cash, not via bank transfer.

Things with Kid take a nasty turn when he’s confronted by Gene backstage. Gene, of course, is his number 1 fan and the guy he kicked off at outside the children’s hospital. It turns out he filmed the whole event and knows that both Carlton and Kid dumped a body. Uh oh.

The Episode Review

True Story rolls round with another episode that celebrates celebrity culture. Maybe it’s just me but the constant name drops, cameo appearances and general lavish lifestyle portrays for Kid just aren’t needed. We already know he’s a hotshot and it almost feels like the show is dragging this story out unnecessarily when it could have been a more streamlined 4 or 5 episode drama.

This is also not helped by the tone of this show, which  seems unsure whether it wants to be an outright comedy or a dark drama.

Gene’s confession looks like it could prove to be quite the conundrum going forward though. It’ll be interesting to see how Kid squirms out of this situation in the upcoming episodes.