Summary
The action finally ramps up in a promising installment, one that is brimming with tension throughout. Unfortunately, the show relies on far-fetched plot twists, and the melodramatic finale ruins all this expert build-up.
We recap the Apple TV+ series Truth Be Told Season 3 Episode 4, “Never Take Your Eyes Off Her,” which contains spoilers.
Truth Be Told Season 3 introduced viewers to the character of Eva Pierre (Gabrielle Union), the Principal at the local High School. She revealed to Poppy (Octavia Spencer) that she was a victim of sex trafficking herself. This revelation brought a more personal perspective to the story, proving that anyone could be drawn into this horrid world while highlighting the long-lasting effects of the ordeal. These traumatic memories come flooding back to Eva in “Never Take Your Eyes Off Her.”
Truth Be Told Season 3 Episode 4 Recap
Poppy worries that Markus and Zarina’s daughter Trini may be on the verge of getting swept up in the sex trafficking racket, with boyfriend Aubrey purposefully grooming the girl. Trini’s parents frantically search for their missing daughter. But they won’t even consider this possible outcome and they get rather defensive when Poppy suggests such things. Poppy talks with Eva about her latest theory, and they break into Aubrey’s locker at school.
How is Trini being groomed?
What follows is a cleverly edited montage as they discover their worst fears are coming true. Poppy and Eva ransack Aubrey’s locker, finding expensive shoes and items of jewelry inside. Whilst at home, Trini’s parents find a suitcase crammed with gifts. This is all interconnected with footage of Trini and Aubrey at an undisclosed location. Aubrey gifts Trini with nail extensions and a fancy, new dress. Then the teens pop some pills.
Momentum continues to build as the team regroups. The parents are in denial, although Poppy finds even more incriminating evidence, including hidden photographs of Trini in sexual poses. Poppy quickly rallies the troops, and a search party is formed. Shreve leads the Capstones’ search, and he talks in private with his own daughter. Poppy found out that Shreve wasn’t her biological father, yet she hasn’t told her other siblings this harsh truth. They decide to focus on the task at hand instead, but no one finds any clues to Trini’s whereabouts.
Poppy wants to use the podcast to reach out to the teens and even suggests media coverage, but the parents are still against such extremes. They worry that it will ruin Trini’s future plans, so Poppy decides to address Aubrey by a pseudonym. She talks of boys being conditioned to dominate and exploit females, then moves on to Aubrey’s story. She pleads with the teen to come home. Unfortunately, Poppy’s bosses discover the link and figure out who she is talking about. They try to manipulate the story and change the angle. Will Poppy succumb to Boisterous Media’s demands?
How is Trey manipulating Aubrey and the other teens?
While Poppy tries her best to reach Aubrey on a human level, they continue their investigation. She notices a photograph on social media of another teenager who also sports the same gold chain as Aubrey. Eva notices the teen is a graduate called Cooper. They question him straight away. He’s defensive at first but soon tells them some important information. He explains how he was taken under Trey’s wing, but it was all just a con. Trey said they owed him money and were then forced to trick high school girls into making sex tapes. Cooper also states that Trey has a boss he answers to and they may be able to find Trey at his recording studio.
Aames and Markus investigate the gold chains Aubrey and Cooper owned. It is revealed that a woman called Alicia Rodriguez had bought them originally. Eva overhears this information and is distraught, Alicia happens to be the woman that she is currently sleeping with. Eva tries to confront her at the fundraiser that night, but she calls in sick. Eva messages Alicia anyway and asks about the chains. Alicia admits that she bought them for Andrew Finney. The mayoral candidate is somehow involved in all this.
Who was Eva’s sex trafficker?
The fundraiser brings together the Hackmans, Shreve, and Eva. At this flashy event, Shreve steals the spotlight, jumping on stage before Finney’s big speech. He talks about another missing teen in the community and asks Lee Hackman to use his Questeur app to search for witnesses, anyone who may have seen Aubrey or Trini. Lee begrudgingly agrees, having been played in public. Then Eva locks eyes with Finney and here comes the biggest twist of the series so far. Eva confesses to Poppy that Finney was her sex trafficker. It’s quite the reveal, but it seems a little far-fetched overall.
Things escalate at the recording studio. Trey and Aubrey have an argument, and Trini watches as Trey strangles her boyfriend. Aubrey turns cold and aggressive towards Trini in response and forces her to change into her new dress. Trini finally looks overwhelmed by the situation and begs Aubrey for them to go home. Her boyfriend admits if she doesn’t do what Trey says, he will release the sex tape and kill Aubrey.
Truth Be Told Season 3 Episode 4 Ending Explained
In another emotive scene, Eva elaborates on the circumstances surrounding the Drea case and her involvement with Finney. She says how Drea’s case caused all these nightmares to resurface. She tried to contact Drea via the Questeur app, which explains why her handle was in Drea’s DMs. Eva explains that the needle and thread found in the motel room are used to brand the girls, with a make-shift tattoo.
Truth Be Told finally starts to heat up the action. Aames looks into Victor some more, seeing him as the prime suspect in the Emily Mills case. He searches Victor’s second home and finds Emily’s father’s jacket inside, on a chair. Aames ponders his next move, but Poppy contacts the detective in the meantime. The Questeur app put out an alert and has already gotten a response. They have a promising location to check out, which also happens to be a recording studio. Aames and his assistant head over immediately.
Markus and Poppy arrive at the studio, but he can’t wait for backup. The father breaks in and searches for his daughter. Trey is seen exiting the building and Markus follows. Poppy finds evidence in the studio that suggests Trini has already been branded by Trey. The pimp escapes, but Aames’ assistant stops the thug and shoots him in defense, stating that he drew a weapon on him first. Markus demands answers from Trey, but it is too late. Their prime suspect is dead.
What did you think of Truth Be Told Season 3 Episode 4? Comment below.
More Stories
