We have arrived at the penultimate episode of Apple TV’s Dope Thief, and, well, things are getting pretty intense. Since the episode does not delve into who had shot Brat, we can either assume that it was one of the bikers or wait for the final episode to reveal the reason behind Son’s decision to shoot Brat. So, what happened to Ray and Manny? Well, the feds arrested them soon after they made it to the hospital, and even Son was not spared. Since Ray was undergoing treatment, he was under constant police surveillance, while Manny was sent to prison. Theresa was the only one left on the outside trying to make sense of the mess she was in. The feds watched her constantly, and she was asked to wear a wire whenever she met her son at the hospital. The feds hoped to gather information about what had transpired the day they raided the meth lab, but neither Ray nor Manny was willing to share any details. But Mina has a plan—pitting the best friends against each other. Does her plan work? Let’s find out!
Spoiler Alert
Did Manny take the deal he was offered?
Mina guessed that Manny was the weakest link, and getting to him would be easier than Ray. She advised Marchetti to not just accuse Ray and Manny of Jake’s murder but also charge them with running a drug trafficking organization. She believed that Ray and Manny were not the only ones who benefitted from their fake drug raids, and therefore, technically, they could be accused of heading an organization. Marchetti suggested the plan to his senior, Nader, and it was ultimately decided that Ray and Manny would face charges for running an organization as well. Sherry was pregnant, and she begged Manny to take whatever offer he would receive to come to some sort of negotiation with the feds. She wanted him to prioritize his family over his best friend, but Manny was not ready to betray Ray. The prison guards intentionally put him in the same lockup room as one of the biker gang members. They wanted to wear him out so that he would eventually surrender and answer every question that the feds had. But Manny tried to be brave, and he ended up fighting off the gangster. He befriended a Hispanic gang to ensure that he was left unharmed. Manny could already guess that he would either be killed by the biker gang or end up spending the rest of his life behind bars. Exposing Ray and accusing him of being the leader of their organization was not how Manny wanted to walk out of prison. He was particularly heartbroken when Ray assumed that Manny would take the deal and blame Ray for everything that went down that night before court. All he wanted was for Ray to respect him, to never think that he would endanger their friendship for his freedom. He hoped that Ray would rely on him without any hesitation and allow him to take care of the situation they were in for a change. But unfortunately, Ray thought he would choose a comfortable family life over being by his friend’s side in prison. Even though Manny suffered from withdrawal symptoms, he didn’t let it cloud his mind, and he chose not to become a cooperating witness. Michelle, too, had proposed that Ray consider the best options he had; she suggested that he could pin the blame on Manny if he was the one who’d brought Rick and was the one driving the car. But Ray was interested in cutting a deal with the feds; he instructed Michelle to look after Theresa and her dog because at the end of the day that’s all that he cared about.
Who attacked Son?
Ray was alone at the hospital when he suddenly heard a familiar voice through the intercom. It was the same voice that spoke to him after he raided the meth lab. The biker boss was not done with Ray, and he threatened to destroy everyone associated with Ray if he failed to give them what they were after. The man told Ray that he had eyes on all the people who mattered to him and it was about time that he started taking them away from him. Ray was hysterical. He climbed down off his bed and called for help, only to realize that the floor was empty and the nurses had been killed. They wanted Ray to be afraid, to think of the worst, and to give up. They knew Ray would rather die than watch his loved ones suffer, which was why they knew that attacking his friends and family was the easiest way to catch his attention. Ray assumed the boss would finally confront him, but to his surprise, Michelle came to visit him at the hospital, and she had no clue what was going on.
In episode 7, we also find out that Son had been arrested after the shootout. His wife refused to speak to him, but his mother continued to support him. She believed if one enjoyed the drug money, they must also be ready to face the consequences and pay for it. He had to pay ten million dollars in bail, and it was not a feasible option. Son explained how he’d always tried to play both sides. Every now and then he had to give someone to the feds, and it helped him run his operations smoothly. But this time, he was asked to trap his friends, and he failed to oblige, leading to his arrest. Towards the end of Dope Thief episode 7, Son was attacked by two men in his prison cell. The men likely worked for the cartel, and they possibly wanted to kill him to either get to Ray or simply because he was of no use to them. But thankfully, Son was prepared for an unexpected attack. He used a knife to tackle the two men, and he ultimately killed them. The incident is surely going to reflect on his prison sentence.
Was Manny murdered?
The ending of Dope Thief episode 7, had us wondering if Sherry would be the gang’s next target. She was on her way to Ray and Manny’s locker, and he’d asked her to take all the money he’d made so far and buy herself a dress and keep the rest for their child. Manny knew that there was no way he would make it out any time soon. Even though it seemed Sherry might encounter the biker gang, she was surprised to find Theresa at the storage locker. Ray had asked Theresa to use the codes he had written down on a piece of paper before he left to access his locker and take the money he’d stored there. The Spanish gang Manny had recently come to rely on supplied him drugs. At the very end of episode 7, Michelle came to meet Ray at the hospital, and she informed him about Manny’s death. He died either of suicide or murder. It looked like Manny overdosed intentionally because he didn’t think he could choose between Ray and Sherry. He perhaps felt he’d failed as a friend and a lover. He believed he couldn’t provide Sherry the life she deserved, and he also couldn’t be the friend Ray could trust blindly. Ray’s doubts about his loyalty shattered him, and maybe he thought it better he take his leave than disappoint the people he loved. The death can also indicate murder. The dope was supplied by a gang, and perhaps the cartel got to them, and spiked the drugs.
After losing his best friend, maybe Ray will become even more reclusive. I don’t think he will make a deal with the cartel, especially after Manny’s death, so his best bet is to cooperate with the DEA. Mina had intentionally posed him as a cartel boss, and she strongly believed the DEA could cut him a deal considering the valuable input they would get from him if he helped them. So, by giving them whatever information he had, Ray might get the chance to live his life outside prison, but without his best friend, nothing would ever be like before.
