NOTE: this article contains spoilers for Snowfall season 6 episode 8, "Ballad of the Bear."
Franklin (Damson Idris) and Teddy (Carter Hudson) have been engaged in a game of cat and mouse for a while now, with each man wanting to kill the other. Well in the latest episode, everything comes to a head for the pair, with Gustavo (Sergio Peris-Mencheta) being the deciding factor. Louie (Angela Lewis) also plays a part in helping move this fierce rivalry to the next level.
Gustavo and Franklin make their pact official
Gustavo meets with Franklin during Jerome’s (Amin Joseph) repast, and the two men solidify their verbal commitment to help one another in the plot against Teddy. Tomorrow is the big day, and Gustavo tells Franklin he’s ready; however, the former wrestler needs a mysterious favor from Franklin involving the Saint plane.
After the two go off into their separate corners in the backyard, they reconvene as Franklin walks Gustavo out of the Saint family home. Franklin gives his new partner the money and passports Gustavo requested for his family.
Louie picks Franklin over Teddy
Also at the repast, Louie confronts Franklin about the conversation they previously had about her willingness to help him conspire against Teddy. He puts his cards on the table and claims his plan won’t work unless she agrees to help him. She reluctantly teams up with her nephew but makes it clear she is only doing so to free herself from Teddy’s control.
Later that night at Louie’s home, she gets on the phone with Teddy and lies that Franklin approached her about a loan. She agreed to give the young Saint the money the next day, and during the exchange, she’ll have her people grab him. Teddy pauses before instructing her to bring Franklin to a specific location once she has him. However, he warns her to only bring one member of her security team when they meet, or else Teddy will think he’s being double-crossed.
Once Louie hangs up the phone, Franklin and Gustavo appear, having clearly listened to the conversation. While the others are apprehensive about the plan going forward, Franklin assures them both the plot should work as long as Gustavo shows up. If Gustavo doesn’t, Franklin knows he’s as good as dead.
The DEA arrests Gustavo
In between Jerome’s repast and the meeting at Louie’s, Gustavo has a face-to-face conversation with DEA special agent in charge Tony (Scott Subiono). Tony has noticed Gustavo’s behavior has been off lately and tells him that when Gustavo goes to meet the Colombians to pick up the cocaine, he’ll be accompanied by DEA agent Amanda (Danielle Larracuente). Gustavo isn’t a fan of the idea, but Tony claims he doesn’t trust Gustavo.
On the day of the drug exchange, Gustavo starts off his morning by saying goodbye to Xiamora (Joey Marie Urbina) and his nephews. She has the money and passports, and before she leaves, he gives her a piece of paper with the number to an answering service that only she now has. He says he’ll check for messages weekly, but if he doesn’t hear from her, he’ll assume she made it safely to her destination. After hugging goodbye, Gustavo walks out of the house and hops in his vehicle while being watched from a distance by Ruben (Alejandro Edda).
Somewhere in the desert, Gustavo and Amanda meet with members of the Colombian drug cartel. These dealers aren’t happy to see someone new and ask Gustavo who she is. He makes a flippant joke about her being the DEA, but the cartel thinks he’s being sarcastic. Gustavo immediately follows that up by saying Amanda is his cousin.
This remark unnerves the agent who later calls Tony about Gustavo’s reckless behavior. Tony tells her that on her way back to LA, she should make a call about the whereabouts of Gustavo’s family to see if something is going on.
After dropping off Amanda, Gustavo once again finds himself paired with Tony. On the way to take the drugs to Teddy’s warehouse, Gustavo stops by a pay phone. The first call he makes is to Franklin’s pager which is a signal that Franklin and Louie are good to go on with the next stage of their plan. However, making that call, Tony looks on suspiciously. A very nervous Gustavo then gets on the phone to call Teddy. In the process of that, Amanda drives onto the scene and tells Tony that Gustavo’s family is missing.
Tony feeling played by Gustavo arrests him on the spot. The DEA boss tells Gustavo his immunity deal is off the table and he’ll take care of Teddy himself.
Teddy kidnaps Franklin
CIA handler Steven Havemeyer (Matthew Alan) meets with Teddy and assures him that the agency is ready to welcome Teddy back into the fold as soon as he transfers over Franklin’s stolen money. It initially appears that Teddy is glad to hear this news.
Then while speaking with Parissa (Tiffany Lonsdale), a disheveled Teddy tells her that the CIA is no longer his future as he’s unable to hand over the millions. While he’s not entirely sure what his endgame is, he is certain about wanting to be with Parissa and proposes. She happily says yes.
Elsewhere, Louie and Skully (De'aundre Bonds) meet Franklin in a warehouse where the latter eggs them on to beat him up. In order for this scheme to look convincing to Teddy, Franklin needs to appear bruised and bloodied. Skully doesn’t take part, but Louie happily takes out her frustrations on Franklin’s face. Then after receiving a page from Gustavo, Louie calls Teddy who changes their original plan and wants her to just drop Franklin off in a remote location instead of making an exchange. She agrees.
Teddy waits until it’s pitch black outside before picking Franklin up without Gustavo, who’s been arrested. Franklin becomes frantic knowing he’s in trouble. Despite trying to plead for his life, Teddy isn’t receptive and knocks Franklin unconscious.
Gustavo rescues Franklin
Riding in the back of an unmarked car with Tony, Gustavo is handcuffed with no way out. In a big shocker, Ruben rams his vehicle into the car and causes an accident that seemingly knocks Tony out if not killing him. Because Amanda was driving the truck that was in front of Tony and Gustavo, she immediately parks the truck and goes to check on her boss’ car. As she approaches the accident and attempts to call for help, the KGB agent sneaks up on her and shoots her. He then drags Gustavo out of the car and takes him to Teddy’s warehouse.
At the warehouse, Franklin is tied up with wire dangling from the ceiling around his neck. The only thing preventing his hanging is the barrel Teddy has placed beneath his feet. Right in front of Franklin, Teddy is preparing a chemical cocktail to inject him with.
Then, just as Teddy is about to poke Franklin with a syringe, Gustavo busts through the doors with Ruben holding him at gunpoint. Ruben takes Teddy’s guns and instructs Gustavo to tie Teddy up to a forklift. The latter whispers to Gustavo that he has one more gun strapped to his ankle, but Ruben catches on and instructs Gustavo to get the gun and hand it to him.
Gustavo opts to tackle Ruben instead and an intense fight between the two breaks out. In the midst of the battle, the barrel under Franklin’s feet is knocked over, leaving the kingpin just hanging. Gustavo eventually gets the upper hand on Ruben, and knocks him out. Much to Teddy’s surprise, Gustavo’s next impulse is to rescue Franklin. The episode concludes with Gustavo asking Franklin what he wants to do next.
Snowfall season 6 continues to air on Wednesdays on FX. Episodes become available to stream the next day on Hulu.
