Eugene’s the topic of conversation as Fox’s Filthy Rich season one episode five opens. Tina (Rachel York) is positive she saw a living, breathing Eugene but Franklin (Steve Harris) just thinks she was drunk and imagined it. Or if it had nothing to do with her alcohol consumption, maybe Eugene’s just one of the many ghosts that wander through the Monreaux mansion. Franklin assures her that either way, Eugene is dead. (If only! Wouldn’t it be great to kill off that particular storyline? There better be a huge payoff in the wings to justify Eugene’s reappearance.)

Ginger (Melia Kreiling) and Franklin say their goodbyes and leave Tina at rehab. Mom and daughter promise to be strong for each other.

It’s Mardi Gras time and Margaret (Kim Cattrall) entertains her audience with a recipe passed down from her mom. During a commercial break, Rose (Aubrey Dollar) wonders if maybe this year she can just strip naked on Bourbon St. and have a wild time. Nope, that’s not ever going to happen while Margaret’s alive.

Franklin arrives to check in before taking off. Margaret fills us in on the fact Franklin takes a vacation day every year during Mardi Gras.

The commercial break’s still going on when Margaret sees a new ad for Governor Virgil Love. She’s not pleased to see her son, Eric (Corey Cott), featured in it and hates the fact he’s associated with those men. She knows he’s being used by Virgil who she deems a “faithless hack.” Rose lets slip that Ginger has a tape of Virgil doing something sexual involving Mardi Gras beads. Margaret had absolutely no idea such a tape exists, but you can see the wheels turning as she starts to formulate a plan.

Oh no…now we’re back with the fur coat-wearing Eugene who’s walking alongside a road. He’s not close enough to get hit by a passing vehicle because the Filthy Rich writers just aren’t that kind to us. Instead, one car stops to ask for directions. It’s Mark’s friends from Colorado and they’re trying to figure out how to get to New Orleans. Okay, now wait a minute… They’re driving from Colorado and have made it this far without using GPS? New Orleans isn’t exactly a small town and it’s most definitely on every map app.

Anyway, of course Eugene knows how to get there. And, of course, these guys who are looking to cash in on Eugene’s fake son’s secret offer him a ride. As they’re heading down the road, the guys explain they’re in town to out a snake in the Monreaux garden. They lay out the story of how Mark is pretending to be Jason while the real Jason is in a coma. These two knuckleheads are planning on blackmailing Mark. Eugene tells them their plan is “righteous.”

Meanwhile, Margaret finally meets Antonio’s mom, Yopi Candalaria (Alanna Ubach). They don’t hit it off. Margaret wonders why Antonio’s still staying at the rundown hotel since he now has money, but the answer comes in a conversation later in the episode. For now, Margaret’s really all about trying to convince Ginger to turn over the tape of Virgil.

Ginger won’t hand it over because she doesn’t want her girls to lose their jobs. If the tape goes public, none of their customers will ever trust them again. Plus, she doesn’t want to expose the woman who was on the tape with Virgil.

Rose and Mark/Jason (Mark L. Young) are getting all hot and bothered in a supply room when he receives a call from his friends. They want $500,000 and Rose grabs the phone to take over negotiations. She demands they text a drop-off location, she’ll pay, and they’ll go away.

After she hangs up, she explains she only agreed to it because she doesn’t want to lose him.

Margaret walks up as Virgil, Reverend Paul Thomas (Aaron Lazar), Eric, and Becky (Olivia Macklin) are looking at an expensive ring Virgil’s just given Eric. He doesn’t want to accept it, but Becky firmly believes he should keep it. Eric shows it off to Margaret just as a massive parade float’s being unveiled in support of Virgil Love’s reelection campaign.

Margaret doesn’t hold back and completely betrays Ginger. She delivers the bombshell news that a tape exists of Virgil’s “sacrilegious depravity.” Eric’s shocked and then stammers while asking who has a tape. Margaret confirms Ginger is in possession of one and might be ready to go public with it. Margaret suggests Virgil drop out of the race and resign from the Sunshine Network.

Virgil threatens to take everyone down if he goes down.

Eric confronts his mom after she walks away, demanding to know why she’s doing this to Virgil. She calls her son a good Christian boy and suggests he stay that way by distancing himself from Virgil and his friends.

Ginger has a chat with Luke Taylor, the reporter who’s become her friend, and sort of fills in him on what’s going on. He shares a secret about her father, revealing a large wall chart of the 1820 members and how they’re all connected to land fraud and other crimes. He thinks it’s possible Eugene was murdered. Apparently, the 1820 members own 48% of Monreaux Unlimited. It’s possible Margaret’s in danger and Luke asks Ginger to work with him to uncover the truth.

Franklin visits his mother’s grave. He confesses he’s in love with Margaret but she doesn’t love him back.

Rose and Mark head off to the Monreaux’s second house to collect the money to pay the bribe. There’s a safe there and Rose quickly grabs the cash.

Ginger shows up at the studio and Eric can’t believe she has the nerve to show her face there. He asks if she’s planning to blackmail all of her customers and Ginger realizes Margaret has told people about the tape.

Margaret swears they won’t expose the woman on the tape. Ginger’s upset because Margaret has no idea she just threw a monkey wrench in her long-range plans. Ginger refuses to divulge what she had in store other than that she had a plan to take down all of the 1820 members.

Ginger knows she’s in danger now and Margaret assures her they can protect her. When Margaret asks for the tape, Ginger replies, “It’s hidden someplace you’d have to be crazy to look.”

Reverend Paul and Eric overhear the entire conversation, and Paul doesn’t believe there’s an actual tape. “You think you’re the Queen of New Orleans but Margaret it’s Mardi Gras. You don’t even have a float.”

A short while later, Antonio interrupts Margaret praying to explain his mom is reckless. She has $80,000 in gambling debts and makes horrible choices. He also confesses it’s his mom on the tape with Virgil.

Margaret heads over to the hotel to speak with Yopi. She offers Yopi $100,000, enough to pay off her debts and then some. Margaret’s obviously hoping Yopi will provide the eyewitness testimony needed since Ginger won’t turn over the actual tape.

It’s parade time and the Saint Wagon has its own float. Ginger and her girls prepare to pass out beads as they head down Bourbon Street. Virgil’s also ready to get on his float with Reverend Paul when Margaret arrives with Yopi. When Margaret warns them they don’t need the tape now, Paul says Virgil will take a vacation from politics. That business concluded, Margaret’s apparently still fuming about the parade float comment Paul made earlier and takes over Virgil’s float.

Ginger’s tossing out beads when she spots Eugene in the crowd. She races off the float and through the crowd but instead of catching up to him, she’s caught by the 1820 club’s enforcer. He places a gun against her back and makes her reveal the location of the tapes.

They return to Ginger’s hotel room where he ties her up as he grabs all the videos.

Rose and Mark meet up with Mark’s friends and deliver the blackmail money. Rose threatens them, warning them they’re never to bother her family again. She places a voodoo curse on them and they are actually frightened enough to run away with the money.

Eugene watches Rose and Mark kiss from not far away. He’s wearing a mask and no one recognizes him.

As Mark’s friends toss beads down from a balcony, Eugene steals the bag of money. They don’t notice him doing it and believe it’s missing because as a result of Rose’s curse.

Antonio finds Margaret and informs her his mother sold her out. He apologizes for his mom’s duplicity. And speaking of the backstabber, she meets with the 1820 members and reminds them they promised to get her boy a fight.

What the 1820 thug didn’t realize is that Ginger had a camera set up and recorded the kidnapping, his death threats, and the theft of her tapes.

Eric confronts Rachel at the motel, demanding to know if she filmed him. She swears she deleted everything and there’s no evidence he ever visited the website. They kiss and then wind up in her motel room where they take the relationship to a new level.

Margaret arrives at Ginger’s motel room but Ginger is still tied up and so they talk through the door. Ginger refuses to admit there’s anything wrong and tells Margaret to leave. Margaret finally walks away and immediately calls Franklin, asking him to come home.

Ginger works the ropes loose as Becky pounds on her door. Becky’s certain Eric’s with one of Ginger’s girls and that seems to be Ginger’s breaking point. She begins sobbing and Becky winds up tending to her injured wrists. As she’s comforting Ginger, she reveals no one wields power like Margaret. Becky places her hand on the side of Ginger’s face and stares into her eyes. She holds the stare a few seconds and then seems super uncomfortable.

Mark and Rose are done with the Mardi Gras celebration. On the ride home, he claims he doesn’t belong there. Rose, however, says she’s doing what she can to keep him in her life.

Franklin shows up at the rehab to ask for the video. (They figured out where Ginger would have stashed that precious video.) Franklin believes Ginger’s in over her head and the only way to get out of this is to release the footage. She hands it over.

The tape’s released and Virgil Love’s political career is over. Margaret isn’t worried about repercussions; her only goal at this point is to keep Eric safe.

Margaret failed to tell Ginger what she was doing and Ginger’s quite rightfully pissed off. “You’ve ruined me. Without trusting subscribers, Saint Wagon is finished,” says a barely under control Ginger. Margaret reminds her that Tina turned it over to them, and Ginger can’t believe how low they stooped.

Now that Margaret came for her business, Ginger is going to come for Margaret’s.

Meanwhile, the wandering Eugene has somehow made it to Colorado. He places the bag of cash under the real Jason’s hospital bed and then gently kisses his comatose son’s forehead. As he walks away, Jason’s eyes open.

• Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 1 Recap and Review
• Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 2 “John 3:3” Recap
• Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 3 “Psalm 25:3” Recap
• Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 4 “Romans 8:30” Recap
• Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 6 “Hebrews 9:15” Recap
• Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 7 “2 Corinthians 3:17” Recap
• Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 8 “James 4:1” Recap
• Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 9 “Romans 12:21” Recap
• Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 10 Recap