Summary
Bad Monkey is a bit too relaxed in its third episode, but it does feature a great Zach Braff cameo and build to the most substantial twist yet.
Bad Monkey is even more relaxed than usual in Episode 3, which is both a good and a bad thing. The upside is that it allows space for more flirtatious banter between Yancy and Rosa and a very fitting Zach Braff cameo. The downside is that the pace of the investigation slows down, almost to the point of being frustrating.
But not to worry – the episode also builds to a cliffhanger revealing the most significant plot turn of the season yet. So, every cloud has a silver lining.
An Odd Couple and a Crossover
Yancy and Rosa’s relationship gets much more development in this episode than it did in the two-part premiere because we pick up where we left off, with the two of them working together already. There’s a recurring joke throughout of Yancy trying to flirt by guessing how Rosa likes her coffee, which he gets completely wrong. Still, though, he stays the course. You’ve got to fake it until you make it.
This is also the first time that the two core story strands properly overlap, since when Yancy has to do some restaurant inspecting it’s in Neville’s sister’s café, and Griggs and Neville are in the kitchen. It’s a nice moment, and the two men have a brief, positive interaction, but the narrative tracks part ways again immediately after.
For now, anyway.
Madeleine Is A Runner (And Reveals A Secret)
Yancy and Rosa’s first port of call is Madeleine, the girlfriend of poor Phinney, the deckhand who was killed in a drive-by shooting by Christopher. There’s a funny moment that shows Yancy’s experience and Rosa’s lack of it – he says Madeleine is a runner, Rosa doesn’t believe him, and Madeleine immediately sets off running at the first sight of them – which is welcome since it’s usually the other way around.
Madeleine, once caught, confirms a theory Yancy has that Phinney was paid to use an old fisherman’s sleight-of-hand trick to pretend that the severed arm had been fished up from the sea when really he had been given it in advance. This means they need to deduce who gave it to him, so Yancy impersonates a federal agent – the only thing he does to complete the disguise is put a tie on – at his former workplace, Midwest Mobile Medical. Yancy and Rosa don’t find any mention of Christopher, but they do find multiple prescriptions written out by a doctor named Israel O’Peele who turns out to be Zach Braff.
Oh, Hey, It’s Zach Braff
Zach Braff as Israel O’Peele in Bad Monkey Episode 3 | Image via Apple TV+
Most people knew Braff’s cameo was coming in Bad Monkey Episode 3, but it’s still a pleasure to see him, especially since he fits into this world so well. His character does, too. Israel is a complete conman who worked at Midwest Medical Mobile to write out fake prescriptions and give the place a veneer of legitimacy so that it could bill Medicare for imaginary equipment and steal IDs and checks from unsuspecting older patients.
Since then Israel has been pickling in a cocktail of alcohol and prescription drugs, but he’s not willing to say much without complete immunity, which obviously Yancy, now a restaurant inspector, can’t give him. But he does reveal an important clue about Eve and Nick – they were totally loved up, apparently – and Yancy finds a brochure for Curly Tail Lane, which is Christopher’s development that’ll displace Neville.
Unfortunately, Israel doesn’t survive the episode. After Yancy’s initial visit, he called Eve, worried about his safety and potentially being ready to talk. By the time Yancy gets back to him, he has been shot dead, and Yancy’s presence at the scene implicates him in the crime.
Neville Takes Matters Into His Own Hands
Neville doesn’t get much focus in Episode 3 of Bad Monkey, but his screen time is nonetheless pretty important. He’s still a little frustrated with how long the Dragon Queen’s curse is taking to affect Christopher, especially when he goes looking for his skiff and Christopher takes potshots at him until he leaves. But the Dragon Queen and Ya-Ya are adamant that this isn’t quite how these things work, and that Neville’s persistence is actually disrespectful to their practices.
Nevertheless, the Dragon Queen is willing to accept a show of faith by Neville sacrificing something he cares about, which turns out to be Griggs. But Neville still won’t wait, so he breaks into Christopher’s office and finds a USB drive. He’s just able to get out again after a disagreement with Christopher’s hired lackey, Egg.
The Ending of Bad Monkey Episode 3 Upends The Case Entirely
Charlotte Lawrence as Caitlin in Bad Monkey | Image via Apple TV+
I mentioned at the top that the ending of this episode revealed the most significant twist yet. As it turns out Christopher and Nick are one and the same.
The way we arrive at this point is through Caitlin. Earlier, Rosa had the bone fragments from Eve’s house tested, and the lab results revealed they were a match for Nick Stripling. Yancy told Caitlin that her signing off on his death being an accident was a mistake, and so Caitlin went to visit Eve with a gun, seemingly armed with the proof that she murdered her father.
But she didn’t. When Chris sneaks up behind Caitlin it looks like the worst is about to happen, but Caitlin spins around and calls him “Dad”. They embrace, and we see that “Christopher” is missing an arm. He is Nick Stripling, or Nick Stripling is Christopher, and Eve wasn’t cheating on her husband after all.
Things just got a lot more complicated.
And Another Thing…
Some additional notes from Bad Monkey Episode 3:
- We don’t see much of Bonnie/Plover in this episode, but she does call Yancy briefly. She justifies her sexual assault charge by claiming the so-called “victim” was almost 18 and “knew more positions than she did.” Rosa is appalled.
- Speaking of Rosa, she admits towards the end of the episode that Yancy got her coffee order right the first time and she was just pretending to like it black. Sparks are flying!
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