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The third episode of the Apple TV crime thriller Dope Thief digs deep into the connection between Ray and Manny's characters and the choices that they make. Following the lead of the two-episode premiere, it blends humor into a series about gangs and criminals while introducing exciting developments into the character's lives. In the final scenes of the third episode, Ray receives a threatening note in a box with even more threatening content.
What was Dope Thief Season 1 about?
A brand new thriller following the story written by Dennis Tafoya, Dope Thief Season 1 was released on Apple TV+ on March 14, 2025. Written for the televised series by Peter Craig, the show follows Ray and Manny, who've been friends all their life, played by Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura. In an attempt to earn some easy money, the duo disguises themselves as DEA agents and raid small-time drug dealers.
What started as a scheme to earn some easy money soon upends Ray and Manny's lives. They unknowingly interact with a powerful drug cartel, putting themselves in a life-or-death situation. The show follows the duo as they navigate this mess.
Dope Thief Episode 3 "Run, Die, or Relapse" Recap
Dope Thief premiered with double episodes titled "Jolly Ranchers" and "Bat Out of Hell," which left Ray looking for Manny, who, because of his panicked reactions under pressure, can be considered the weaker link in the duo.
Two days after the robbery, into the third episode, Ray is desperately raking through the duo's frequented spots in the city to look for Manny. While looking for Manny, Ray realizes that the biker gangsters are also looking for him, as they seem to be ending up at all the same places as Ray.
Although the stakes are raised, and the smarter idea would be to leave the city, according to Son (their long-time business associate), Ray refuses to leave Manny behind.
Finally, Ray finds himself at a pawn shop where the owner tells him that Manny had visited his store and bought something worth a thousand dollars. Assuming the worst, as the owner refused to disclose the item, Ray thinks that Manny bought a gun and skipped town as he changed his mind about their scheme.
Theresa's arrival and what it means for Ray in Dope Thief
Disheartened, Ray goes to Manny's house to find any clue that would lead him to him and stumbles upon a wedding ring. On discovering that the item Manny purchased from the pawn shop was a wedding ring and not a gun, Ray is yet again faced with the question of Manny's whereabouts.
It is at this point that Dope Thief Episode 3 really begins because Theresa calls Ray and informs him that she's returning home. The episode explores the beautiful relationship and the past shared between Ray and Theresa, played by actors Tyree Henry and Kate Mulgrew.
Ray and Theresa are important to each other for survival, owing to the fact that they are part of a dysfunctional family involving Ray's abusive father, Bart, who is stabbed in prison when the bikers discover his relationship with Ray.
Even though Theresa appears to be cold on the outside, she loves and understands Ray like a mother. Theresa instinctively slapping Ray when he discloses the duo's DEA scheme is an excellent portrayal of how her tough love is exactly what Ray needs.
Where is Manny in Dope Thief?
To get away from Theresa, Ray goes into his room and notices his clothes rack suddenly moving. Convinced that it's someone waiting to kill him, Ray moves slowly but breathes a sigh of relief on finding out that it's Manny hiding behind his clothes in the rack.
Manny recaps to Ray that he ended up hiding in Ray's room because he was high and had no idea where to go. Ray, overjoyed to see Manny, begs him to never leave again and directs him to go to the storage place in case they are ever separated.
Ray and Manny have managed to put themselves, as well as everyone around them in their community, in extreme danger as the DEA and the cartel get closer to finding the duo. The slow pace of Dope Thief manages to enthrall the viewers as the duo takes each step carefully while the cartel sends them another disturbing message.
The contents of the box in Dope Thief
Later in the episode, when Sherry and Manny are arguing, Ray, in an attempt to prove Manny's love for her, reveals the item that Manny bought at the pawn shop. Even though Ray expedited the proposal, the group is seen at Sherry's house celebrating the engagement in the final scenes of the third episode of Dope Thief.
As if to counteract the joy in these scenes, Ray finds a box left on her front lawn with the note asking the duo to return what they've stolen or else more deaths will follow.
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It is understood in the final scenes of Dope Thief that the cartel is sending yet another message after stabbing Bart through the box on Sherr's lawn. Ray opens the unwanted box to discover Malik's severed head inside it. This revelation proves just how dangerous the duo's enemies are. It shows that everyone around the duo, including the newly engaged Sherry, is in grave danger owing to their actions.
The fourth episode of Dope Thief, "Philadelphia Lawyer," is all set to be released on March 28, 2025. Only time will tell how long the duo manages to run from the forces against them that seem to be converging without hurting any more people in the community connected to them.
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