Can you ever really know someone?
On Stumptown Season 1 Episode 5, Dex learned just how much she doesn’t know about Grey and that realization shook her to her core. Meanwhile, Hoffman was questioning just how much he himself is capable of.
What truths came to light? Read our review to find out.
Finding out that the one person you thought you could trust has been hiding things from you is devastating.
Dex learned just how devastating when the truth about Grey’s past came to light.
Grey has gotten relegated to the goofy best friend role until this point. Yes, we knew he was a criminal, but to find out that he is an explosives expert and a professional thief? That is a whole other story.
Watching Grey in his element working on the job, it was easy to see that it is part of who Grey is.
Even as Kane was threatening people or sucker punching them into submission, it didn’t seem to phase him.
It was easy to imagine before now that Grey was just Nick from New Girl reincarnated, but Grey is no Nick.
Related: Stumptown Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Family Ties
That’s the thing though, none of us are just one thing.
Grey is still that goofy, funny guy who runs Bad Alibi, is a fierce friend to Dex, and an incredible male role model to Ansel. He is also a talented criminal who blows up things.
We are all a sum of our parts, and sometimes some of those parts of us aren’t so pretty.
Hoffman was doing his best to convince Dex that Grey isn’t the person she thinks, and unfortunately for Grey, he made a dent.
Dex is one of the most brutally honest characters on television. Even after knowing Grey for only a very short time, she showed up at his house drunk and laid all her messiness out on the table for him to see. Why would Grey not do the same?
Dex is the last person who would judge anyone for their demons because God knows, she has enough of her own.
Related: Stumptown Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Rip City Dicks
I couldn’t imagine that Dex would feel any differently about Grey if she knew the extent of his crimes.
What happened in Grey’s past doesn’t change who he is now in the present. All of his mistakes lead him to where he is today.
In the end, it wasn’t the truth that hurt Dex, it was the fact that Grey wasn’t the one to share it with her.
Dex can claim that she was upset because she and Ansel were in danger because of Grey withholding the truth, but it seemed very clear that it was more than that.
If Dex knew the truth, it wouldn’t have changed very much of anything.
Dex could have known about Kane, and known about Grey’s history, but that wouldn’t have stopped Frank from taking Ansel, and it wouldn’t have stopped her from going to the diner to confront him.
Related: Stumptown Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Missed Connections
Those things were an inevitability, given the situation. So yes, Dex can be upset that Grey and his involvement with Kane put Ansel and her in a dangerous situation, but short of defriending him if he had told her the truth, it would have been unavoidable.
No, Dex is upset because Grey didn’t trust her enough to come clean about who he is and trust that she would still love him anyway.
Since learning about Dex and Grey’s history, it has seemed like their initial feelings for each other have been lingering just beneath the surface.
Dex’s emotional reaction to Grey’s betrayal was like a flashing neon light that confirms that is the case.
You don’t usually cry when you find out your friend is a bank robber, but you might if you find out the man you love is and didn’t tell you about it.
Then there is the Hoffman of it all.
Related: Stumptown Season 1 Episode 1 Review: Forget It Dex, It’s Stumptown
That man is determined to throw a wrench, a screwdriver, a chainsaw, pretty much any tool, in the relationship between Grey and Dex.
Hoffman isn’t stupid. He can see what the audience sees, and he knows that if he wants to have a chance with Dex, he needs Grey out of the way. If not, Grey will be a shadow hanging over their relationship.
Grey’s lies might have given Hoffman the small window of opportunity he needed.
Hoffman has managed to prove himself dependable, and that is something that Dex values and Grey is lacking.
Hoffman has some demons of his own, though.
There was a genuine possibility that Hoffman could have pulled the trigger on Kane if he got left to his own devices.
Hoffman is a good man, but guilt can do crazy things to you, and Hoffman’s guilt has been eating away at him for a long time.
If killing Kane could have made that guilt go away, and allowed him to feel that his friend’s death was avenged, it might have been worth it.
Being willing to take justice into your own hands once, though, is opening up a can of worms.
What is stopping him from getting to that point again with another criminal whose case he gets too personally involved in?
If murder can be justified, does that make it okay?
The fact that even though Hoffman completely disobeyed Cosgrove’s orders, almost killed a man, and got praised instead of reprimanded, does no one any favors.
Now Hoffman can think that this type of behavior is okay. That as long as there is a good outcome, who cares how you get there? It is a slippery slope, and it will be interesting to see if it plays out any further.
Other thoughts:
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Dex is officially a P.I. Raise your pineapple Bloody Marys and toast to the new boss in town. Kudos to them for a great cameo to get it done. Janeane Garofalo was a nice touch, and I can’t blame Dex for being nervous around her.
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Tookie is the perfect comedic relief on the show. Hopefully, he’ll come back for more laughs.
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The scene at the table in the diner with Dex, Ansel, and Frank was played to absolute perfection by all parties involved. Who would have thought you could have a sweet brother/sister moment with a knife to someone’s leg?
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What is the story with the engagement ring? Was that what Dex was hinting for Grey to come clean about?
- They continue to kill it with the music, but the magic mixtape was definitely missed.
What did you think TV Fanatics?
Do you still love Stumptown as much as we do?
Make sure to watch Stumptown online and then hit up the comment section with your own thoughts about the episode.
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Meaghan Frey is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.