Ace’s return to the DWL at the end of Starz’s Heels season two episode four caught all the wrestlers – and Eddie Earl (Joel Murray) – by surprise. And as episode five begins, the mood in the locker room isn’t as celebratory as Jack (Stephen Amell) imagined it would be.

Diego (Robbie Ramos) reminds everyone that in order to be a team, they have to know what’s going on. But, apparently, Jack wanted to keep the debut of The Condamned a secret to increase the shock factor.

And credit where credit’s due – Jack and Ace’s plan worked.

Not everyone’s upset about what went down. Big Jim (Duke Davis Roberts) welcomes his buddy back and promises he’s there as a shoulder to lean on if Ace (Alexander Ludwig) needs it.

Crystal (Kelli Berglund) thanks Elle Dorado (AJ Mendez) as she’s packing her stuff to head off to another city, thankful for all of the career advice and just for being so cool.

Meanwhile, Ace remains in character as he signs autographs and poses for photos outside the Dome. Kids don’t seem to know The Condamned is Ace, even though he pulled out his dead dad’s crown and held it aloft in the ring.

Charlie Gully (Mike O’Malley) is enraged that Jack and Ace pulled that stunt without telling him, and Jack claims it was a last-minute idea. Gully’s not buying it and is incredibly angry that Jack changed their plans without even bothering to text him.

Dystopia was supposed to emerge victors of the in-ring promo, and instead The Condamned stole the show in front of a record-setting crowd. Plus, “Condamned” isn’t even a word – thank you, Gully, for pointing that out – and the Dome’s sound system sucks.

Gully demands that Jack write a script that includes Ace losing to one of his wrestlers next week in Dystopia’s home arena. Gully won’t take no for an answer, and Jack realizes Ace isn’t going to be happy since they planned on doing a slow build of the character.

Over at Dystopia, Gully and Rooster (Allen Maldanado) hash out what to do about The Condamned. Rooster believes the character’s ripe for cross-promotion and that when he beats Ace in the ring, it’ll show Dystopia’s on top. While they’re still figuring it out, Gully’s daughter interrupts with news Brooks Rizzo from a social media app/streaming service company called Continuum wants to put Dystopia on their platform.

Gully and Rooster see dollar signs and immediately embrace the idea.

On Sunday, the Spades attend church and Ace revels in his new popularity at The Condamned. Jack reveals Gully wants to host The Condamned this week over at Dystopia, and Ace grabs his nuts (forgetting/not caring that he’s in a church crowd) and suggests what Gully can do with them.

Jack’s doing a horrible job of explaining that saying no isn’t an option, while Ace insists Dystopia fans wouldn’t get the nuances and complexity of his character. Ace passionately explains what he believes The Condamned can mean to people and that it’s all about redemption and deliverance from evil.

Staci (Allison Luff) remains suspicious of Willie, but Jack insists the woman from the county who showed up disappointed Willie was out is the tax assessor. She always does business with Willie. Staci doesn’t let the matter go and pokes around some more, actually questioning Wilie about handing the tax assessor an envelope of cash after Saturday’s match.

Willie, like Jack, brushes off Staci’s concerns, although Wilie takes it a step further and insists Staci needs to let it go. Some of what Willie does is legal, and some isn’t, and Staci doesn’t need to worry about any of it. It’s all part of an agreement Willie and Tom made years ago.

Staci demands to know EVERYTHING Willie’s doing, and Wilie hints that Tom had lines of credit and promissory notes he knew he’d never pay off. If it takes dealing under the table, then Willie will do it to keep the DWL afloat. Tom didn’t want Jack to know what was going on and, truthfully, Tom never wanted Jack to be part of the DWL. Willie thinks Tom completely forgot he willed the wrestling company to his son since he wrote the Will when Jack was just six years old.

Willie ends the discussion, saying, “We’re all honest…until we’re not.”

Rooster meets with Jack, Ace, and Willie and insists The Condamned will wrestle at Dystopia. Jack doesn’t want Ace to do it – and Ace continues to refuse – so Rooster reminds Jack that he doesn’t have a choice. Either do what Gully asks, or the lawsuit is back on.

After Rooster leaves, Ace still doesn’t want to do it but will if Jack needs him to. But now Jack is the stubborn one and doesn’t want to give in. He made the mistake and Ace doesn’t need to pay for it. Willie thinks they could maybe appease Gully by giving him Crystal instead of The Condamned. Crystal can handle Dystopia or whatever comes at her next.

Willie talks to Crystal about it and admits Crystal was right when she pointed out there’s no one for her to wrestle and Jack hasn’t done anything about starting a women’s league. Gully has a lot of women on his roster, and going to Dystopia is Crystal’s best chance at getting back in the ring soon.

Crystal agrees, and Gully sets up a match for her with Venus Cancer.

Bobby (Trey Tucker) is a super supportive boyfriend and believes this is an amazing opportunity for Crystal, and she’ll get to fight in front of a much bigger crowd. Crystal’s concerned she won’t have much time to prep, but Bobby points out she’s been getting ready for this opportunity for a while.

Ace is also heading to Dystopia as The Condamned, and Bobby assures them that they’re going to crush it.

Jack, Willie, Ace, and Crystal represent the DWL at Dystopia, and Jack arrives with a script loaded with surprises. Gully doesn’t even want to listen to Jack’s ideas, but Jack manages to convince him that the script will work. (We don’t get to hear what Jack’s got planned, but whatever it is wins over Gully.)

Gully’s daughter is charged with sitting next to Brooks Rizzo (Joseph Segarra) from Continuum as the night gets underway. Crystal and Venus are first up, and Brooks seems impressed by the way the crowd enthusiastically reacts to the fight.

Venus runs from the ring before the match is over, but Crystal remains behind, confused. The crowd begins chanting as Rooster strides toward the ring, backed by the FWD wrestlers. Gully arrives next in the spotlight, enters the ring, and grabs the mic.

They toss insults at each other, and Gully declares himself god because this is his ring and his show. He then switches to flattery, pointing out Crystal’s pound-for-pound the best wrestler in the DWL. They take seats in the ring, and Gully promises he can make her a star if she leaves Duffy and joins FWD.

Crystal holds her own at the mic and insists she’s forever grateful for the Spade family. They gave her a home in the ring, but she does deserve everything Gully’s offering her. The crowd cheers when she asks if they want her to join Dystopia. Suddenly, she hits Gully in the face and says her answer is hell no! She’ll never work for a bottom-feeding maggot; she’s DWL for life.

The crowd shifts back to Gully’s side as he shows Crystal a two-year contract and reveals the briefcase contains a $100,000 bonus for signing. If she doesn’t sign, she’ll never make this much money – ever.

The crowd chants, “Sign,” as the FWD wrestlers surround her in the ring. Jack strides through the crowd and enters the ring, warning Gully he’ll never buy Crystal. Jack says Crystal’s always had his back, and he’ll always have hers. He’ll fight right by her side.

And now for the big twist… Gully says Crystal isn’t there to have Jack’s back – she’s there to stab him in it! Crystal hits Jack in the back with a chair, and he falls to his knees in pain.

The crowd goes crazy as Gully laughs at Jack and then punches him in the face, knocking him out.

Crystal signs the contract and cheers for Dystopia.

Jack gets to his feet just as The Condamned arrives on a zip line. They stand back-to-back and square off against the FWD. The lights flicker and the crowd can’t really see what’s taking place in the ring. The lights go off completely, and when they come back on, all of FWD’s wrestlers are lying on the mat except Rooster, Gully, and Crystal. Jack and The Condamned are nowhere to be seen.

“Wherever you are, Jack Spade, this isn’t over!” screams Gully.

Crystal grabs the mic and yells, “Dystopia for life!” as Jack and Ace hide under the stage, laughing about pulling off the stunt. Ace compliments his brother’s script.

Gully scans the crowd and notices Brooks has left his seat.

Brooks finds Willie and wants to know more about Crystal Tyler and the Spade brothers.

• Heels Season 2 Episode 2 “The Journey is the Obstacle” Recap
• Heels Season 2 Episode 3 “Discord” Recap
• Heels Season 2 Episode 4 “Heavy Heads” Recap
• Heels Season 2 Episode 6 “Appearances” Recap
• Heels Season 2 Episode 7 “The Things That Matter” Recap
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