‘Filthy Rich’ Season 1 Episode 4 Recap: “Romans 8:30”

Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 4
Kim Cattrall in ‘Filthy Rich’ season 1 episode 4 (Photo by Skip Bolen © 2020 Fox Media LLC)

Fox’s Filthy Rich returns from a two-week break with season one episode four, “Romans 8:30.” After the disastrous events of episode three, episode four opens on what seems to be a much more relaxing note. Rose (Aubrey Dollar) has invited Ginger (Melia Kreiling), Tina (Rachel York), and Jason (Mark L. Young) to the country house to get away from it all and they’re happy for the opportunity to relax.

Rose is ready to play host for the weekend, and she takes special care of Jason. Ginger’s mom, Tina, is still tense, even though Rose assures her they have dogs and guns. After Tina walks away to look around the place, Ginger shows Rose the photo the stranger left on the car outside the motel. It’s an old photo of Tina, and Ginger has no idea how the man is connected to her mom.

At the same moment Rose is assuring two of her new siblings they can relax and get to know each other without Margaret hovering, Margaret (Kim Cattrall) shows up with a huge entourage. Tina notices the men accompanying Margaret and panics. She’s sure they’ll kill her if they see her.

Margaret has a private chat with Franklin (Steve Harris) who’s concerned about how she’s handling these powerful investors. Margaret believes she can’t afford to alienate these men but promises she won’t give them any more of Sunny Club.

Meanwhile, the investors in question are toasting Eugene. Reverend Paul Luke Thomas (Aaron Lazar) complains Eugene left behind a “crap show,” and Eric (Corey Cott) elaborates saying the bayou missions are a disaster. They blame Eugene and Townes Dockerty (Carl Palmer) assures Eric he’ll get them fixed up.

When Townes references the “1820” as being a family, Eric admits he doesn’t know what 1820 is. Reverend Paul describes the 1820 as a small group of businessmen who break bread and study scripture in secret. They offer Eric the chance to take over Eugene’s seat in the group.

And speaking of Eugene (Gerald McRaney), the not-so-dead family patriarch is in jail after stealing from the store where he was temporarily employed. An officer enters the interrogation room with a massive folder. Apparently, Eugene has quite a few skeletons hidden in his closet.

Back at the mansion, Rose takes Ginger and Tina up to her workshop. It’s full of clothes, materials, and other design supplies. Tina’s incredibly worried about being in the same house as Rose’s “uncles” and doesn’t want to take a chance on being seen.

After Rose leaves to get something to calm Tina’s nerves, Tina warns her daughter men like the ones downstairs rule the world.

The next time we see Eugene he’s in prison clothes helping other inmates clear a sugarcane field while loudly complaining. He claims to be innocent and is upset he never got to make a phone call. He’s hit across the face with a baton by the same Corrections officer who he spoke to in prison. (Nothing to do with Eugene’s storyline makes a bit of sense.)

Antonio (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) and his son are helping Margaret in the kitchen as Rose walks in. Grabbing a bottle of wine, she sarcastically thanks her mom for inviting her to the party (she didn’t) but doesn’t reveal Tina and Ginger are upstairs.

Margaret’s disturbed to learn from Becky (Olivia Macklin) that Eric and the other men are all in Eugene’s study. She grabs a cake, ready to use it as an excuse to break up the group.

The men suggest Eric should go into politics. The 1820 helps promising men start up their businesses, and these men want to help Eric with Sunny Club. He explains that’s his mother’s business and they’ll need to speak with her.

Margaret barges in and asks Eric to retrieve the forks and plates. She takes his seat and asks what they’ve been talking about without her. They lie and freeze her out. Margaret leaves, but not before asking Paul to step out with her for a moment.

Paul explains these investors want the same stake in Sunny Club they have in the Sunshine Network. Margaret refuses and Paul warns her if she doesn’t back down, she should prepare for a hostile takeover.

Now that they’re alone, Ginger gets Tina to explain who the men are and why she’s scared. Tina admits the men came to Vegas when she was a young showgirl. They were there for a Christian business leaders convention and Eugene was the only one who wasn’t drunk.

And now here’s the first big reveal… Tina was paid $10,000 by Eugene’s friends to seduce him in a room that was wired. They filmed it so they’d have something to hold over him. She and Eugene fell in love and when she found out she was pregnant, the men downstairs sent the crazy guy who was in the motel parking lot to warn her she’d be killed if she ever spoke of that first night with Eugene.

“I raised you in the shadows to save your life,” says Tina. She’s ashamed and believes Eugene was truly a good man until he met her.

As Tina’s confessing, she’s unaware Rose is standing outside the door listening in.

Antonio’s mom shows up in a taxi, upset he’s getting so close to Margaret. She can’t believe Antonio actually likes Margaret; he was only supposed to be pretending. He sends her away before she can make any more of a scene.

Alone in his room, Eric’s logged into the porn site to talk with Ginger’s sister, Rachel (Aqueela Zoll). Since he’s going into politics, she warns him they need to stop talking. Eric disagrees because they’re friends and can still share their thoughts. Rachel believes emotional intimacy can lead to physical intimacy, but he quickly tells her it won’t because he’s married. (Remember, Ginger told Rachel to record every session with Eric and the other powerful men.)

Eric’s forced to slam the laptop shut when Margaret enters his room. Margaret wants to talk about how the men are making him an errand boy, and Eric points out she’s the one who sends him on actual errands. Meanwhile, they want him in politics and ultimately in the governor’s mansion.

Margaret grabs a shotgun and asks Eric to accompany her.

Jason’s having his own issue with these strangers. One of the ladies won’t stop hitting on him and he’s forced to run to Rose for protection. Rose admits the woman, Veronica, is a slut and doesn’t think she’s Jason’s type.

Rose confesses she was engaged to the son of one of her “uncles” and she called it off when he cheated. “All of the men that I thought were family are monsters. For all I know, you are too,” she says before sending Jason away. Rose definitely needs some alone time.

Margaret finds the men preparing for a duck hunt. She hands Virgil Eugene’s gun and he claims to be honored. She also announces that while Eugene might have promised them part of Sunny Club, he also told her that it was hers and hers alone. She proposes a deal. She’ll retain ownership and give them a cut of the action as no-bid contractors.

The men want to talk it over with Franklin, but Margaret squashes that idea since it’s her company. Townes offers to buy her out instead, but Margaret puts him in his place by saying that would mess up Veronica’s trust fund.

When they ask about the 20% of Sunny Club profits that will flow into the charities, she reminds them only Eric is in charge of that. “He’s the only truly honorable man I know,” says Margaret.

Filthy Rich Season 1 Episode 4
Benjamin Levy Aguilar, Corey Cott and Mark L. Young in ‘Filthy Rich’ season 1 episode 4 (Photo by Skip Bolen © 2020 Fox Media LLC)

Meeting adjourned, Eric heads out to shoot a pig with Jason and Antonio. Antonio refuses to use a gun so Eric hands it to Jason. Jason’s sad about the idea of shooting the pig because it’s “just chillin’.” Eric reminds him he eats bacon. A very drunk and horny Veronica is Jason’s way out of the situation as she arrives with drinks. Jason takes off for the house with her, rather than stick around to shoot a pig.

Eugene finds out from a fellow prisoner that the field he’s working in is owned by Virgil Love. Eugene’s happy about that turn of events as he’s a buddy of Virgil’s. Plus, it means his own home is just up the road.

The Corrections officer assures Eugene he can stay and do his time or try and outrun justice. He decides his best option is to make a run for it.

Rose is apparently tired of secrets and fills Margaret in on Eugene and Tina’s relationship.

And now we’ve arrived at our second major twist of the episode… Veronica is actually Jason’s mom and she’s sleeping with Franklin. They’ve been together quite a while and Franklin was responsible for finding Jason a good family when he was just a baby. Margaret only assumed he hired a private detective to find Jason, and now that Eugene’s gone Franklin thinks Veronica should claim her son.

She won’t do that. Instead, she reminds him they need to take the secret to their graves.

So, Veronica’s not really flirting with Jason; she’s just excited about spending time getting to know her son.

Tina and Ginger are still discussing Eugene and the men when Margaret and Rose bust in. Margaret apologizes right off the bat and calls the men monsters. Margaret assures them the men will get what’s coming to them and God will take care of them.

The women decide to take matters into their own hands by forming a ladies table. Margaret thinks that together they’ll be just as powerful as these disgusting men. She wants to expose their weaknesses while helping each other. Margaret suggests that physically and emotionally the best place for Tina right now is rehab. It’s also the safest place. Ginger’s not convinced Margaret is sincere, but Tina understands Margaret is truly trying to help.

Ginger fairly quickly comes around after she gets Margaret to agree to leave her business alone. “Long live the ladies table,” announces Rose.

A short while later, Margaret opens a closet she only opens up once a year. Inside are fur coats, and the wealthy wives squeal with delight over having the opportunity to wear them for a few hours without anyone judging them.

Margaret says the coats are all thanks to Eugene’s wealthy mother. She glances at a painting as she speaks and the woman in the painting looks just like store clerk Juliette (Juliette Lewis). Wait, no…so Juliette from the store is Eugene’s mom? Sister? A ghost? Why was she in that store and why did he steal from her? I stand behind my assertion his storyline is a mess.

Eric finds his wife and has a chat, admitting Jason and Antonio are nicer than he assumed. He also tells his wife Virgil Love wants to groom him for lieutenant governor. He’s a bit horny but she pushes him off, reminding him she’s already pregnant.

Eric grabs his laptop and leaves, suggesting she get some rest.

After Margaret leaves, Ginger asks Rose if she really trusts her mom. Is the ladies table thing legit? Rose believes it is.

Their discussion’s interrupted when Ginger receives a video from her girls. It’s of Antonio’s mom who’s working off her anger by subbing in for Rachel with a customer who likes it rough. The customer turns out to be Virgil Love. Rose is disgusted knowing Virgil visited the porn site from this very house.

Later, Jason’s packed his bags and is saying goodbye to Rose. He’s sorry about how men have treated her in the past and doesn’t think she should be with a liar. He says he loves her and she replies, “You are the only true thing in my life, Jason.”

He corrects her, reminding her he’s Mark. They continue kissing and fall into bed.

Night falls and the party continues, with Franklin finally meeting up with Margaret. She gives him an update on her meeting with the 1820 and how she made the men contractors. Franklin’s upset and believes she just gave them all a way into Sunny Club that Eugene would never have allowed. He knows Eugene wanted Sunny Club to remain solely hers and her move gave the men too much leverage.

Eugene watches the party going on from the nearby woods. He emerges and is greeted by the woman who rescued him from the swamp, the Corrections officer, and his mom/sister/aunt/whatever/Juliette. She welcomes him home and he continues walking toward his house. Of course, the women aren’t really there and he’s actually alone as he watches Margaret pray by a tree, away from their guests. (I’ve figured it out. The Eugene character is just a leftover idea from some other TV project that somehow found its way into Filthy Rich.)

Anyway… Eugene’s hiding behind a tree as he hears Margaret ask, “How many more times must I forgive Eugene?”

Eugene pauses by the trees as Margaret returns to her guests.

Ginger’s asleep as Tina dons a wedding dress designed by Rose as well as one of the remaining fur coats. She’s come downstairs and appears to be heading out to the party when she spots Eugene. (He’s now made it unseen into the house.) He places his finger over her lips and she takes off the fur coat, draping it over his shoulders. She gently strokes his face and then watches as he walks out the front door, still wearing the prison attire and now a fur coat.

Margaret walks in the same door seconds later. She spots Tina making her way upstairs and says, “There but for the grace of God go I.”