Summary
Stick gets clever with its structuring in Episode 8, and it all pays off well in terms of both plot and character.
I knew this already, but Stick is a nice reminder that nobody plays smug better than Timothy Olyphant. His character, Clark Ross, has been briefly mentioned and glimpsed before now, but Episode 8, fittingly titled “Clark the Mark”, is a proper introduction to him, first as a wheeling and dealing businessman, then as a slightly more sinister rival, and then, finally, as a stunted man-child who has never quite gotten over the moment that made him – but also left a question mark on his reputation.
These are exactly the characteristics that Pryce knew he could exploit when, at the end of the previous episode, he planned to con Ross into providing Santi with a sponsor exemption to play in a PGA pro tournament. “Clark the Mark” smartly elects to show this heist from Clark’s perspective, with our familiar characters weaving in and out in slightly different roles that we know are components in the scheme. There’s a distinct Ocean’s flavour to it, even though the stakes are comparatively small and the centre can’t hold for very long. But it gives Stick a loose, enthusiastic energy that it hasn’t really had before, even when it has excelled in its character writing and emotional depth.
It also helps that it isn’t immediately clear, even to the audience, what the plan is. Zero shows up first, posing as a sports journalist who secures an interview with Ross; the fact that he’s willing to give her the time the moment he finds out she’s an attractive young woman speaks to his character without being too obvious about it. On the contrary, in the episode’s early going, Ross comes across as charming and patient.
When he encounters Pryce, for instance, he’s pleasant. Pryce is playing himself, to be fair, which is key to the whole thing, since Pryce going postal during a tournament that Ross went on to win helped Ross build his career, but also left behind a lingering doubt that he’d have been able to do so if Pryce had continued to play. Ross offers Pryce free drinks and food, clearly as a way to rub his success in his face, but deep down, he’s still stinging about so many people believing Pryce was always the better golfer, and that Ross owes his career to his crash-out. This comes up later.
The initial phase of the plan is for Santi to present himself to Ross while he’s dining with Zero, bragging about his recent amateur accomplishments and pushing for a sponsor exemption. The assumption is that Ross will get so sick of the interruptions and will be so eager to impress Zero by being charitable that he’ll grant Santi the exemption, but that isn’t what happens.
This is when Pryce intervenes and starts pushing Ross’s buttons, goading him into a silly putting game in the middle of the restaurant. Mitts and Elena both feature here, ostensibly as punters who reflexively bet on each man to convince them to play. It’s a scam Pryce and Mitts worked back in the premiere. But, again, it’s not the endgame. Or at least, it doesn’t seem to be.
Timothy Olyphant in Stick | Image via Apple TV+
Interestingly, Stick Episode 8 isn’t totally clear about which elements were planned in advance and which are the plan falling apart. The assumption would be that it’s all intentional, but that’d be a little tough to swallow. Instead, you can take Santi ruining the whole thing by becoming jealous of Zero’s closeness with Ross, even though it’s part of the plan, as a logical outgrowth of his character’s anxieties and the still tenuous relationship between the two characters. It works both ways. It doesn’t particularly matter, since Ross ultimately spots not only a business opportunity in Santi, but also a way to get one over on Pryce and address the only stain on his golfing legacy. Thus, the terms of the deal are set. Pryce and Ross will compete in a one-shot game on one of his academy courses. Whoever’s closest to the hole wins. Ross wants to sign Santi to his academy on a long-term deal. Pryce wants the sponsor exemption. Everything’s to play for.
Ross’s gradual unravelling is played so well by Timothy Olyphant that I quite liked him right up until I didn’t. He’s affable and charming at first, but then you see a flicker of malice when he physically manhandles Pryce when he’s making a scene, and then you see the childishness of how easily he’s roped into risking everything. But his true nature comes out during the final game, when he starts taunting Pryce about the loss of Jett and the fact that he has always been a loser. The mask slips. And it’s a key moment for Pryce, since it’s the point when he can give in to his emotions, as he has consistently ever since Jett’s death, or knuckle down for Santi and do what he needs to do.
He chooses the latter, and hits a mythically lucky shot with a totally unsuited club to win the game and secure Santi’s sponsor exemption. It’s a ridiculous moment in many ways, but it’s undeniably crowd-pleasing where it counts, and Olyphant even sells Ross’s incredulous reaction. But Stick Episode 8 is smart to end on a moment of warmth between Santi and Zero, reminding us that at its core, this show isn’t about golf or professional rivalries, but earnest human emotion.
It was still good to see Pryce make a point, though.
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