Jim was living one day at a time, and even though he knew how risky it was to hand over the Howard Hughes car to Enrico, he had to do it to survive another day. Saxton was fuming when Jim and Royce returned from his factory empty-handed. He accused Jim of being completely irresponsible, and he believed his carelessness could have killed his son as well. He fired Jim, making it very clear that he didn’t wish to work with him anymore. Meanwhile, Nina Hayes had run out of luck as well. The higher authorities had learned about Nina’s meeting with Breen, and she was accused of being reckless. She explained that she had a lead that could expose Saxton’s deal with the Russians, but given how ugly the situation had turned, she was only granted 48 hours to prove her theory. Nina needed Jim’s help to get to Saxton in the next two days, but he’d already been fired. Jim had no choice but to find a way to win over Saxton, while Nina prepared to pose as Saxton’s new interpreter.
Spoiler Alert
How did Jim manage to get into Saxton’s good books?
Since Jim had exhausted most of his options, he believed Saxton’s daughter, Genesis, was his only hope. He stopped by her bar and expressed his frustration over the misunderstanding between him and Saxton. Genesis added that she too was going through a rough time. For the last eighteen months she had been dating Daphne, the daughter of her father’s rival, and her sudden wedding announcement had left her completely broken. The marriage was a way to cement a business deal between two influential families. It was also a way to clear any rumors around Daphne’s sexuality. Jim figured out that, by helping Genesis, he could get back in Saxton’s good books. He suggested that they crash Daphne’s wedding, and he was ready to help the lovers elope. Genesis thought it was a wild idea, but anything was better than sitting at home and regretting not taking a chance.
Jim grabbed his tuxedo, and in a dapper suit, he was ready to crash the wedding. Daphne’s stepmother, Bobbi, was supposed to escort Daphne out of the bridal suite, so Jim focused on distracting her while Genesis tried to track down her girlfriend. It didn’t take Jim much of an effort to keep Bobbi busy. While Jim was more inclined to keep it flirty, Bobbi was not in the mood for a tease. Meanwhile, Genesis found her way to Daphne’s bridal suite and convinced her to run away with her. Daphne was glad that Genesis came for her; deep down she knew she couldn’t pretend to be the woman her dad wanted her to be. Jim got a little caught up with Bobbi, but thankfully he managed to leave as soon as Daphne and Genesis made it to the parking lot. Jim had his Duster ready, and the girls hopped in. Daphne’s father had his men follow Jim’s car. They were desperate to stop Jim, and they started shooting at the red Duster. Genesis fired a few shots, but when the bullets couldn’t keep the men away, she used the fireworks Jim had in his car. It was the 4th of July, and Jim had brought the fireworks for his daughter, but given the situation, he didn’t have a choice but to let Genesis use them. The fireworks kept the men away, and Genesis and Daphne finally found their happy ending. Saxton was overjoyed when he learned that Genesis had crashed Daphne’s wedding. He knew how important the wedding was from a business perspective, and he was proud that his daughter had stopped what could have been a monumental agreement between the two families. Genesis added that she didn’t do it for the business but for love, though it didn’t really matter to Saxton. Before leaving, Genesis added that none of it would’ve been possible without Jim.
At the end of Duster episode 5, Jim was finally free, and he decided to spend the rest of the evening with Luna, but by the time he drove to Izzy’s house, he saw Luna, Izzy, and David setting off fireworks and enjoying themselves together as a family. He’d come to realize that, given his line of work, he would always be caught up with one thing or another, and it would always leave Luna disappointed. He was happy for Luna and Izzy, but he so wished he could be there with them instead of David.
Was Nina appointed as Saxton’s interpreter?
Since Jim no longer had access to Saxton, Nina asked him to get his father involved. Jim was hesitant at first, but even he knew there was no other way. When he discussed with his father that Saxton might have been involved in Joseph’s death, Wade refused to believe him. He had been friends with Saxton since their army days, and he couldn’t imagine Saxton betraying him. Wade thought Jim was being manipulated by the new FBI agent, and he refused to be unfaithful to his friend simply because someone had a hunch that Saxton had killed his son. But Nina never took no for an answer. She had learned after Breen’s death that he was regularly dosed with psychedelics, and that had an effect on his brain. Breen was not mentally unstable; there was a whole group of people who made sure that he couldn’t speak coherently because he possibly had found out secrets that he shouldn’t have. This was enough to compel Nina to dig deeper and to get closer to Saxton. She decided to directly approach Wade and explain the situation to him. He was obviously disinterested at first, but Nina worked her charms. She explained how her father was killed even though he and Saxton were close friends, simply because he had expressed that he wanted out of Saxton’s business. She had arrived in Phoenix with one single mission—to punish the man who’d wronged her father. She added that while she, as an FBI agent, might be Wade’s enemy, Saxton was far worse. Wade finally agreed to have a word with Saxton, but he warned Nina that she had to be brilliant to convince the gangster. He could spot a liar very easily, and if she failed his test, there was no way she was going to come out of the mess alive. And needless to say, Wade and Jim would also have to face similar consequences. Nina was unafraid; she could speak fluent Russian, and she knew this was the only way she could nab her father’s killer.
Wade met Saxton at his office, and while Saxton assumed he would want to discuss Jim, he stated that he simply wanted to catch up with his old friend. Wade repeatedly brought up Joey in their conversation. He mentioned that he missed his son, and he had never really gotten over his death. Saxton was surprised when Wade mentioned that he was keen on digging deep and finding out if his son was actually killed in an accident. Saxton thought it was unnecessary, especially after he did his best to get to the bottom of the truth. Saxton offered to have Wade rejoin his company, stating that he needed his help now more than ever. Wade quickly used the opportunity to ask him about the Russian deal. Saxton complained that his interpreter was arrested for tax fraud, and he was in a bit of trouble because of it. Wade offered to help him, and Saxton was glad to have found an option.
Nina, aka Nina Saint James (the interpreter), received a call from Saxton’s company, and she was asked to stop by for an interview. Nina, dressed in a suit, arrived at Saxton’s office. She was first interviewed by Saxton’s assistant, who had her talk over the phone to a Russian speaker. There was no doubt that Nina knew the language very well, but could she be trusted? Well, to solve that mystery, Saxton entered the conference room. Presumably Nina experienced a range of emotions the minute she shook hands with Saxton. She seemed a little too enthusiastic at first, but she gradually managed to get a grip on her nerves. She explained that her father was in the Air Force, so she grew up on bases. He was stationed right outside Hamburg when he decided Nina must learn the enemy’s language, and that was how she ended up taking classes to learn Russian. When asked about her take on violence, Nina stated that she preferred staying away from it, but in case she came face-to-face with it, she always kept calm and found a way out of the situation logically. Saxton was impressed with Nina’s answers, and at the end of Duster episode 5, Saxton introduced Jim to Nina. He had called Jim after the wedding fiasco and welcomed him back to his team. He made it clear that he needed his best men for the Russian deal, and he wanted Jim by his side. Jim was pleasantly surprised to see Nina at Saxton’s office—their plan was finally working!
Does Chad Grant work for Saxton?
By now it has become evident that the government worked closely with Saxton. When the Howard Hughes car went missing, it became a topic of discussion in the Oval Office. Saxton was a firearms dealer, he was shaking hands with a high-profile Russian mobster; are we about to witness an American conspiracy? There is clearly a close connection between the Russians, Xavier (in particular), the government, and Saxton, and in the upcoming episodes we’ll hopefully get a clearer picture.
Nina’s name has cropped up for obvious reasons—she was the one shaking things up, and it could pose serious damage to what seems to be a high-stakes deal. It was decided that someone had to stop Nina, and we see the government official from episode 2 arrive at Phoenix. Surprisingly, he was accompanied by Nina’s colleague at the bureau, Chad Grant. The fact that Chad was among the many within the system helping Saxton does not come as a shocker. He had repeatedly warned Nina to stay away from the Saxton case, so it was obvious that he had some personal interest in ensuring that Nina didn’t dig too deep. Grant was keeping a close watch on Nina; clearly, he was one of the many reasons why no one dared to crack the Saxton case. He was instructed by the higher-ups to inform them if he noticed something odd. The minute he saw Nina all dressed up in a suit leaving the office, he suspected that she was up to something. Nina had asked for 48 hours, which meant that they had to stop her before she nabbed Saxton. Will Nina meet the same fate as Breen? Well, given how the entire system was working to cover Saxton’s tracks, Nina needs a lot of luck to pull this off.
