‘Good Girls’ Season 1, Episode 4 ‘Atom Bomb’ Recap: Fake Money In, Real Money Out [SPOILERS]

On this week’s episode of NBC’s ‘Good Girls,’ sisters Beth (Christina Hendricks), Annie (Mae Whitman), and their friend Ruby (Retta) deal with small decisions they have to make every day. “Atom Bomb” shows the three moms deal with a child’s birthday party, school bullies, and rude customers. They also faced another struggle with Rio (Manny Montana), the gang leader who went after them for the money they stole from their grocery store heist.

Mysterious man at Beth’s house

“Atom Bomb” opens with Kenny urging Beth to throw a party for his birthday. Beth told him that they couldn’t afford it but promised to make it unique. Beth’s youngest daughter informed her that there is a man on her bed. Beth then rushed upstairs to check who the man is. What she found made her ask her child to go swimming at their dad’s place.
Ruby seems to be having a rough day at work as a rude customer insulted her. Ruby then called him ‘milkshake’ and told him about the tips he’s been putting at the bottom of his cup. Ruby continued and put the guy’s order in a sizzling plate at the table. As she leaves the table, the guy touched the plate and suffered a burn.
Sadie (Izzy Stannard) is throwing all her trousers away when Annie went to check if she’s dressed up and ready. Sadie says,’ ‘I hate everything.’ Annie asks her why she hates the trousers she gave her. Sadie confessed that someone pulled her pants down because they want to know ‘what’ she is. Annie wasn’t able to answer Sadie right away. When she does, she told Sadie that, ‘It’s no big deal’ and she’s going to buy her some new pinky and glittery belts.

Beth invites Annie and Ruby to her place and shows them the unconscious man lying on her daughter’s bed. Ruby sighed in disbelief and said, ‘Come on, I thought we’re done with that?’ Beth then confessed that he offered Rio they do another job for his business. Annie and Ruby couldn’t shut their mouths in astonishment. Annie then laughed while Beth says that they all still need money. Annie continued laughing, telling Beth, “I can’t believe it’s you, not me. It’s crazy.” Annie told them that she expects them to pick up another load of big money. Ruby said, ‘It’s drugs!’ Beth replied saying, ‘It’s paper. Literally paper.’ Beth asks them to help her with the man who’s still bleeding on his left abdomen. Ruby sarcastically told her she should tell her BFF and not them. Beth told Ruby that the gang’s not her BFF and she doesn’t even know them, Annie bets the man does.
Annie had the guts to approach the unconscious man and takes the gun from his back pocket. She handed Beth the gun and went back to the man’s cell phone. They opened the phone and looked for the recent calls and texts messages of the man. Apparently, the man knows Rio.
The three then confronted Rio. Beth insists that it’s not what she meant when she offered to do another job. Rio replied that they couldn’t choose what they want to do. Beth said that they aren’t qualified to take care of a gunshot victim and that the man needs professional medical attention. Rio told them he couldn’t go to the hospital because there are people after the man. To convince the three, he took out three bundles of cash out of his jacket. Annie asks when they could get the money. Rio told them they could get it by the time Rio picks up the man. They then accept the job

Boomer goes to FBI; Ruby faces unemployment, The man wakes up

Boomer reported to the NBI that she saw the girls stole a car and drove it to the border but doesn’t know what they did from there. The FBI agent, which appears to recognize Boomer already, told him that perhaps he’s doing it because he has a feeling for the one who works for him, Annie. ‘They committed a crime, and I can prove it, but I can’t,’ Bummer told the agent. Boomer shows the agent a picture of Rio, who apparently is on the list of FBI watchlist.
In a conversation with her husband, Stan (Reno Wilson), Ruby tells him about the rude customer whose mother is apparently suing for not warning the guy that the plate is hot. When the guy came back to the diner, he’s brought her mom with her. The two insists Ruby apologize in person and in front of her boss for what she did. Ruby lost her temper and apologized sarcastically. Knowing that she’s fired, Ruby went to clean her closet. However, Ruby keeps her firing from Stan.

On guarding duty, Beth stayed up all night while Annie slept beside her like a baby, holding a toy water gun. Ruby came in and saw them sitting on the stairs. They heard a loud, banging noise upstairs, check on the man, but he’s no longer in the room. Beth told Annie to get the man’s gun, but seemingly, the weapon was no longer where it was as the man held it up to her face. The man asks them where he is and Beth introduced herself as a friend of her friends. She explained that Rio thought that he would be safe there. The man then asks for Annie’s minivan.
The three sit for a drink to discuss the situation. Beth said that she’s tired of almost dying. Kenny entered the room, telling the three that his dad approved his request for a birthday party. Dean (Matthew Lillard) followed and told Beth not to be mad. Annie invites Kenny to play upstairs with Ruby and left the Beth and Dean to talk. In their conversation, Dean told Beth about Kenny’s birthday wish–that his mom and dad get back together. Throwing a birthday party is the least they could do for the kid.
Beth went to a Costco-like store to get the cheapest possible goods for the birthday party with Annie and Ruby. As they check out, the clerk told them that they have a 40-day return policy. Annie beams and they went back to the store to bet everything the party needs. At least they can get their money back, right?
Annie then receives a call from Sadie’s school. However, Greg already patched things up and Sadie’s back at her class. Annie told Greg about Sadie being pantsed by bullies. Greg wants to confront the school staff, but Annie convinced her not to.

Dean’s cancer

During Kenny’s birthday party, we see Annie and Boomer. He came with a 32-inch cake and bath essentials for Kenny. Annie asked why Boomer’s nice to Kenny. Boomer told her it’s his way to starting something fresh.

Right after Kenny blew his candles and wished that his dad could go home to their house again, the three saw Rio standing by Beth’s room. She rushed to him, and Dean saw it. Beth told Rio that he couldn’t be there, with a gun. Rio’s there to pick up his boy. Beth said to him that he left and got Annie’s minivan and that Rio should pay for the car. Rio asks ‘what payment?’ and told her that they only get paid when they do their job.
When Rio left, Dean talked to Beth thinking that Rio is the reason why she’s not wearing her ring anymore. The two had a small fight, and Dean told Beth that he has cancer. But later in the episode, it was seen that Dean is lying to Beth about his condition, and he doesn’t have a disease.

Fake money in, real money out

Like the previous episodes, hints of tearjerker scenes are also in the fourth episode. Beth cried to Annie about Dean’s cancer. In the scene, we see the two sisters supporting and motivating each other in time of need. Annie volunteered to return the things they got from the store and reminded Beth how happy Kenny is on his birthday.
The bleeding man returned to give the minivan back. The man told Annie that he owes her. And before the man could leave, Annie had an idea. She brought the man to Sadie’s school and let him talk to the bullies. He looked at the boy who pulled Sadie’s pants off and told them to stop what they are doing to Sadie. The boy threatens to tell his dad, but the man loses his temper, forces a piece of bread into the boy’s mouth, and broke his fingers.

The three had a talk with Rio towards the end of the episode. They invited him to brunch and told him that they want to take over the money-cleaning aspect of his operation. Rio says he’ll give it a try and agrees to share 12.5 percent of profit with them. Ruby, Beth, and Annie are now in charge of a money laundering operation. The episode ends with FBI Agent Turner going to Beth’s house looking for her.
“Good Girls” continues Monday, March 26th with “Taking Care of Business” at 10/9c on NBC.