Summary
Episode 3 leans heavily on the conspiracy as we begin to see the plot unravel with intensity.
This recap of Amazon Original Goliath season 4, episode 3, “Signed, William Hamilton McBride,” contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the second episode.
One of the main drivers of Goliath is this idea that the audience is watching a conspiracy unravel as Billy calmly navigates information. The final ever season plays on this strengthened theme well. It’s addictive and enticing — the characters are blessed with a great script.
Goliath season 4, episode 3 recap
Episode 3 opens with a flashback — it’s Rob and Samantha’s engagement party; this is their romantic history. Samantha watches the footage from the party and speaks to Tom True about it excitedly. Tom raises how there’s a whistleblower in their hands, and there are potentially billions at stake. Samantha protests reopening cases against the Big Pharma companies and asks him to drop it due to the risks involved. Tom can sense she is compromised.
In the present day, Rob, Patty, and Bill vet the jury — Billy accepts the jury without an analysis that shocks Tillenger Health’s defense. Billy, however, requests that Greg Wetzel is on the panel as part of the acceptance. In private, the defense lawyers offer a settlement of $160million, but Billy and Patty reject it — Billy asks for $1billion, and they settle on $600milllion with Tillenger Health. The case with Russell Drugs is still not resolved. The law firm celebrates the apparent victory, and Samantha gives a toast. Billy tells Patty that he thinks Tillenger Health settled too quickly. As he leaves the party, Samantha asks him for dinner.
Episode 3 ventures into Billy’s subconscious again; his daughter Denise appears in the western black and white film — she asks her father if he’s trying to kill himself. It then turns into a classic Hollywood movie with Denise driving Billy in a car — she drives fast before putting on the brakes, and then she disappears. Billy then witnesses multiple people kill themselves by jumping off the Golden Bridge. It then flits to a bar, and Billy is doing a crossword puzzle — he’s spelling the word “resent.” On the television, Billy can see his daughter Denise jump from the same bridge. When Billy wakes up from this dream, he rings Brittany and asks her if Denise is still alive. Brittany is worried about him. Billy is suffering from an abundance of guilt and regret and is worried his daughter will resent him.
The older man and neighbor (Frank), who will not stay out of Billy’s business, joins him at the bar for a drink. He asks Billy if he has nightmares and states that he should sleep in his bed rather than his chair. They then talk about their daughters and the regret of not speaking to them — Billy tells Frank he was not easy to be around after he got shot because he was in a lot of pain. Soon after this strange conversation, Billy learns that Frank owns the whole block.
As we reach the halfway stage of episode 3, we see Zax Labs — a scientist named Katie (George Zax’s niece) is under pressure from George to get results on an opioid drug. Later on, Billy jumps into Katie at a restaurant. George Zax makes Katie aware of who Billy is, and he tries to shake his hand. They do not shake hands, and George reminds Billy that the case against his company is settled. It’s awkward and tense between both men.
At the same restaurant, Billy and Samantha have their meal at the bar. They talk about settlements, and Samantha tells Billy that she is relieved how the cases are almost over. Billy raises how those settlements will help her firm’s finances, and she is shocked how Billy intuitively knows they are struggling — she calls him an asshole and raises how her father died, and everyone left. She calls herself “damaged goods” with her health conditions, but Billy refutes that idea. Samantha continues to dive into her situation and how she was meant to be dead by now, which scares people off — the doctor gave her three years to live, but it’s been a little more than that since. The conversation turns intimate, and Samantha leans in to kiss him, but Billy does not react. Ashamed of herself, Samantha asks Billy to leave. There’s never a simple scene in Goliath, which makes it even more brilliant.
In the same restaurant, George and Katie talk about an addictive solution, but Katie raises how the long-term side effects will not comply with FDA regulations. George Zax tells her to “try again,” and he is unhappy with what she is saying. Katie then changes her tune and states that the drug will be FDA-approved and ready for the market. This is a chilling scene and kudos to J.K. Simmons for pulling it off.
The ending
As the episode ends, Billy learns more than he bargained for. Late in the night, Tom True meets Billy at his apartment and asks him how he got to where he is today. He shows Billy a letter from 25 years ago that is signed by “William Hamilton McBride” (Billy) to Zax Pharma — the letter says their opioid drug was proven to be unsafe — Billy used to work for Zax Pharma, so he will not be able to work on the case as he will be disqualified. Tom True tells Billy that they wanted him to find Greg Wetzel to swat him away. Billy tells Tom that this setup is smart — he knows he has been used to settle against Tillenger Health. The men then talk about Samantha, and Tom says he loves her like his own daughter, but all she wants to do is save her father’s firm — he feels it is too late to save her. Billy and Tom agree to work together. In the apartment across from Billy’s, Frank picks up the phone to update someone.
We are surely going to witness the best from Billy McBride now — the conspiracy begins!
Additional points
- Patty negotiates her equity partnership with the firm. She rings Billy and she is pumped. Later on, she sees a young child and helps them, but after, she cries to herself in the elevator. She still hasn’t grieved.
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