By Sabrina Cognata

In case you forget, Michael Caffee (Jason Isaacs) is a bad guy.  The sort of bad guy that knows being bad is a way of life.  The sort of guy that knows being bad isn’t something you give up to get a desk job. Michael Caffee has started to face his own lifestyle choices as he deals with fatherhood hitting him in the face.  This is Mona’s third pregnancy & his first.  She knows what to expect and has a sort of calm confidence when it comes to prepping for the up and coming baby.  Now that Michael has been put on medication for his epilepsy she’s moving full speed ahead with plans for a nursery for the new baby. 

Meanwhile, Michael’s dealing with more than fatherhood.  He realizes any plans he has for the Hill will be circumvented by Freddie Cork being in charge.  When Freddie tells the banker that he wants his full take no matter what, and getting the entire take means cutting into Michael’s it becomes clear to Michael that the only way he’s gonna get head is neutralizing Freddie.

While Michael is looking for a way to get Freddie out of the picture, Declan (Ethan Embry) is collecting information about Michael and his cousin to pass onto the D.A. Too bad Michael already talked with them and has set up Freddie into incriminating himself.  When Declan returns to police headquarters to rollover on Michel he’s told that Michael is not longer important because he’s giving them Freddie.  Now Declan understand exactly how much trouble he’s in if Freddie goes to jail and Michael takes over.  Michael runs a much tighter ship and Declan may be of no use. 

Michael’s at Freddie’s house when the staties come in to arrest him.  Freddie might be a piece of shit, but that man cares about his family.  Earlier in the episode he tells Michael that being married comes at a price & that price is looking at women, enjoying that & never touching them again.  Then Freddie is arrested in front of his kids as they scream and cry.  Surprisingly, Freddie is a better husband and father than either Tommy (Jason Clarke) or Michael.  Tommy continues his affair as things are tumultuous and she’s becoming more and more possessive and upset over her relationship with Tommy & the general lack thereof as he’s married and it’s a dead end.  On the flip side, Tommy & Eileen are communicating again. Although there seems to be no actual steps towards mending & bettering their problems they two of started to talk and at the end of the episode Eileen takes Tommy’s head into her lap.  Sometimes, actions speak louder, you know? 

Finally, as the episode comes to an end, Michael faces the fact that he’s going to be in charge of the Rhode Island underground & now a family.  The thoughts of Freddie Cork’s kids seeing their father dragged away by the police are too much for him.  While working on the nursery with Kath (Tina Benko) he storms out saying he doesn’t want any of this.  Too bad he does want it, all of it, but he just can’t see what’s really worth sacrificing.