Jeanette
Jeanette continues to continues to obsess about the workers who died in the fire. She continues to talk to her husband about it. He doesn’t want to hear it and wonders why she continues to get herself worked up about it. Jeanette takes to the yard to work off her frustrations with some planting. Her husband comes home to tell her that he talked to his mother and brother and they have decided to do a “policy review.” It’s like he really believes this is helpful. Jeanette wants to help and her husband reluctantly agrees.
When Jeanette goes to talk to JD about helping, he says that Laurie Ann is not going to do anything. He says this has been going on since he was a boy. This was not the first fire. Nothing is ever done. Jeanette suggests he stop drinking and that they work on things together. She seems to want to help him as much as the immigrant workers. The episode ends with Jeanette and JD at a meeting listening to a speaker talking about the horrific conditions of the migrant farmers. Her husband didn’t want this issue to come between them. It seems now like he might be concerned about Jeanette and JD bonding. Whether that is the concern or not, it seems obvious that’s the script.
Luis
Luis is finally working at Hemsly Farms. He’s asking around for Teo but the workers are very afraid to talk to him about anything. Luis finds a guy who saw his kid. He says he worked on the other side of the farm and was always happy. He last saw him a month ago. If he is still around, he’s staying with Jorge who houses all the single men. Later he goes to see Jorge and asks for a bed. Jorge says he doesn’t have any available, but when Luis says he can put up money for the month, Jorge suddenly has a place for him. Luis needs to be careful flashing around money. Jorge wants $200 a week for a shithole. Luis decides to just ask him about Teo. He implies that he owes him money.
Jorge tells him wait while he goes to get something to show him. If Luis wasn’t played by Benito Martinez, I’d be expecting him to be killed right about now. And just like that, here comes a henchman to strangle Luis. Jorge wants to know why he is looking for the kid. The kid owes him money too. He disappeared without paying. A woman comes out and asking him why he is looking for Teo. People go missing all the time and no one cares. Why is he here? Luis breaks down and screams, “He’s my son.” He goes on an emotional plea begging for information. The woman says he was there, a few months ago he disappeared. There was a issue with a Nahuatl girl, Itzol or Itzel. Luis takes off. Likely in search of the girl.
Somehow he arrives at a bus that people are living in. He asks for Teo but he’s not there. He asks for Itzel and the kid takes him to her and her child in a neighboring camper. Itzel doesn’t speak Spanish to the kid translates. When she is asked where he is, she says that she didn’t do anything wrong. The kid doesn’t translate that and just tells him this is not the time for questions. Luis leaves. This is where you spend your money Luis, on the girl and the baby that is probably your grandchild. Once she puts the baby down she comes out to talk. She says that she was in the fields working with Teo, she liked him because he made her smile. The boss saw her smile and got angry and threatened to wipe the smile off her face. She started pulling her out into the fields… Luis asks why, she says they call the fields The Green Motel. Teo tried to protect her from the rapist. The rapist dragged him off and she never saw him again. Luis asks which boss it was. Of course it was the rapist. I’m pissed that Luis didn’t give the girl some money, he passes it out to everyone else.
Shae
Shae is in the shelter where she is randomly drug tested on the way to her mandatory morning chapel services, then she is shipped off to scrub an industrial kitchen. That’s quite a drastic change in her life.
Shae attends an NA meeting. Shae tells her story of why she stayed with her pimp. Her dad apparently got her pregnant. Her dad’s girlfriend treated her like crap and made her have an abortion because she thought she just got pregnant somewhere because she wanted attention. She misses Billy, her pimp because he was the only one who ever gave her anything. She says she is pregnant again. The baby is not Billy’s and she’s not keeping it. Shae wishes the baby was his and that Billy was not in jail. She wishes she could have a family with him.
Despite the fact that Shae actively participated in group and showed up to all her required appointments, she is already in trouble for stealing a phone and hiding it in her belongings. The head of the shelter wants to throw her out. She is squandering her opportunity when so many women desperate for help are on a waiting list. Kimara tries to fight her battle. But the plot is very clear, I said before Shae would end up living with Kimara. And now I think she is going to try to adopt her baby. Shae stole the phone to take photos. She has no one to call. It’s unclear what the photos are. Kimara meets Shae after work and sneaks her a camera. She tells her to hide it good.
Kimara
Kimara talks to the guy she asked to be a sperm donor, Reggie. He doesn’t want to do it. He says he can’t father a child and not help raise it and be involved. He says that the reason they broke up in the first place was because she was never there. Even though his wife gave her okay, he just can’t make the commitment he would need to make to be comfortable with the situation.
Kimara sees a young girl down on her luck in a convenience store and gives her her card, “just in case.”
Coy
This week’s episode began with a woman being silently raped in the fields of Hesby Farms by one of the field bosses. Coy, the white kid with the drug problem is aware that it happened.
The rapist realizes that Coy knows what he did so he calls Hector over to let him know that Coy was nosing around the farm early this morning. Hector says he pays him extra to come in early and aerate the soil. The rapist is pissed Hector is paying him for extra work. Hector says he is just trying to help him make extra money. The rapist says he is too soft, he is not supposed to be paying people and he’s too soft.
Coy talks to Hector about dying on heroin. It’s scary. He talks about shooting up near the fire houses so that the fireman will come and shoot them up with narcan. Coy says he has died five times. Hector is angry. He says dying is easy for Coy. Hector throws money and drugs at him and storms off into the fields.
Later, the rapist is hassling Coy again. He tells him his basket is not full and repeatedly dumps it out and makes him pick it up. Hector is yelled out for trying to help him. Eventually Coy refuse to continue to pick up the fruit. The rapist slugs Coy and tells Hector it is his fault. Coy mocks Hector for not being about to stand up to the rapist and tells him to do something. Coy storms off. Hector goes after him in his truck. He stops and beat the living fuck out of Coy while Luis, the rapist and another guy watch. Coy looks like is is dying for the sixth time.
Next Week: It looks like Shae gets kicked out of the shelter because she is telling another social worker that she would be in danger if her parents found her. Timothy Hutton is finally making his appearance. He’s playing Russ Skokie, I’m not sure how he fits into the story just yet. Luis tells Coy, he doesn’t have to subject himself to the farm. He needs to get out while he can. He’s a citizen.
The way Hector beat Coy at the end was sad, I really hope all the help Regina King is giving Shae pays off in the end. I really like Luis and I hope his son is still alive, this show is so damn good.
The best thing about this show is the interplay of good versus evil in each individual character. Hector has the most interesting mix. He goes off to bring back the area misfits and migrants to the farm, knowing full well what is in store for them, long days of work, horrific and dangerous living conditions, unfair pay if they get paid at all after paying for their smuggling…etc. Then he tries to help the drug addict kid survive. He seems unsure whether it is worse to give the kid drugs or watch him go through the ugly, horrific stages of heroin detox. He tries to give him a side job so he has a bit of cash. Then the kid seems to be betraying him so he loses his shit and beats the fuck out of him.
With the scene filmed in the distance you might wonder if Hector was the one getting beat, because Hector seemed to be trying hard to save the kid.
Hector has a very difficult path ahead…one of the worst. And you will be rooting for him because the good will out weigh the evil.
The same things will happen with Jeanette I suspect. Felecity’s characters are often people that on paper you should be rooting for, but they always seem to somehow do the right thing in a very bad and detrimental way.
In all three seasons, there are not good people (the poor workers, the women who are trafficked, etc…) and the bad people (the callous farmers, the pimps, the people who hired illegal nannies) there are people who are complex. Just like real life.
Timothy Hutton’s character and his wife hire a nanny from a foreign county via a legal work visa. That is all I know. But they are on this show for a reason and by mid season these people will all be woven together somehow. Watching that happen, is why I watch a show with multiple storylines I find upsetting.
I was very impressed with how the rape was shown. The point was made, The despair was evident without the writers taking the easy way out showing every graphic detail. We got it. We got that she was used to it. And they moved on.
The show is just brilliant.
Hector is interesting in real life as well. In 2015 He was interviewed on ET during the first season of American Crime. He grew up in East LA and had parents who were active in a gang. He followed them into the lifestyle and was incarcerated at the age of 13, for theft. He later became addicted to crack, was arrested several more times and ended up in jail until he was 25. After his release Cabral was trying to turn his life around, his friends recommended he seek out the services of Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program based in Los Angeles. Between 2009 & 2015 he had a few bit parts and a Bruno Mars music video under his belt when he was hired for American Crime. In his first extended role he was nominated for best supporting actor. Homeboy Industries is an amazing program that has helped many former gang bangers leave the life. Hector has done an amazing job.
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I feel like I read this last week. His name is Rich Cabral.
Not watching yet, but I am reading and enjoying your recaps.
This show is good but like you said TT, it’s hard to watch at times. I don’t want to give anything away but it looks like some street justice might happen next week. If it’s what I think it is I am glad. I guess I should say farm justice. Jeannette/ Felicity Huffman seems almost mentally challenged in some way in how naive she is regarding the workings of the farm. Looking forward to seeing Timothy Hutton next week. I have no clue who he plays but he is such a good actor.
Me too! These recaps are making me more excited to finally watch. At the beginning of the season I had to choose whether to watch or record Feud/American Crime. Watching Feud was the right choice, it’s deliciously campy and highly entertaining, won’t have trouble sleeping after watching. American Crime is so hard to watch, but soooooo worth it. Can’t wait!! And with Timothy Hutton being one of my favorite actors…this will be an eight-course meal that I’ll savor every bite. Thanks, TT!
Speaking of Feud, I record it because it goes over the hour time frame. It reairs like four or five times right after the first airing. So you can tape it. But I understand not wanting to watch American Crime last thing. It’s really sort of riding the rail of upsetting,so that unless it is a hormonal time for you, you’ll probably be okay. 🙂
I’m usually more hormonal than not, lol. But thanks for the clarification; “riding the rail of upsetting” is so descriptive.
Yay, forgot this was on last night. So good. Still trying to figure out how to watch season one. Can’t find anywhere.
Do you guys think Teo is alive somewhere?
I’m really hoping he is
I think he must be alive since he has become so prominent in the storyline. All this trouble just for him to be dead seems like a waste.
See, I’ve always thought he was dead. I never expect happy outcomes. Ever.
Also I have seen a lot of rape scenes on shows and movies, however this scene was particularly jarring in it’s silence.
My feeling is Teo may have died in the fire.
I thought Teo was the male prostitute who was interviewed early on by the caseworker who said his “Cuz” takes care of him?
WOW! I was so excited about this comment that could hardly wait for my first recap of this season to pop up. Here is what I said about that guy.
http://tamaratattles.com/2017/03/13/american-crime-alamance-county/
Next we meet Kimara Walters (Regina King) a social worker who is desperately trying to get her cable TV turned on after a long outage but she gets a call for a new intake and has to leave. The new intake is Ishmael, a young male prostitute. Kimara is there working for a victim’s assistance program. Ishmael says he is not a victim. He refuses to answer any questions. Kimara begs to get Ishmael into a shelter but nothing is available. She takes him to a diner. He tells her that his cousin Marquis is not a pimp. Kimara tries to point out that he is, in fact, pimping him out. He asks what happens if he leaves, he tells her she doesn’t care about him. Kimara says she is not the police, he’s free to go. He gets up and walks out. She’s lost him. At least for now.
So then I went to IMdb to check the cast list, because I can’t ID faces well. IMdb is very spoilerish as each character is usually listed, even non speaking extras. There I was able to confirm that Ismael and Teo are not the same person. We will never see Teo again, and we will find out in epidsode 8 the fate of Teo. I still don’t know whether he is dead or alive, but I don’t want to know.
There are ten episodes. This was episode 3.
Thanks for the comment. It got me all excited. I am very into this show!