Two Doors – The episode begins by showing how the Chambers became a family and bought their home.
After Hampton Chambers (David Oyelowo) learns that Astoria Chambers (Simone Missick) is out with a guy named Ronald, he races over to the restaurant. Meanwhile, Ronald and Astoria are shown cozying up at the restaurant.
When Hampton shows up at the restaurant he can’t get in, so he goes into a door next to it. This leads him to what appears to be a ceremony hall. While there he finds a lady stuck in the air conditioning vent. He tries leaving but she asks him to stay with her. He stays and talks to her about his life. Not long into their conversation, the lady sends him after a coat hanger in the powder room. She uses it to get free and then introduces herself as Edith. While shaking her hand, he notices that she has the same tattoo as Rudy (Adam Beach). When he mentions this, Edith tells him that his friend forgives him.
Edith tries talking Hampton into staying for a drink but he isn’t interested until she asks what he is going to say to his wife when he sees her. He doesn’t have an answer, which prompts him to stay for that drink and see what she has to offer. She asks him what the most salient memory from his childhood is. He doesn’t want to answer, which leads to her sharing a bit about her childhood and being poor. After he still doesn’t answer she talks him into playing a game for the memory.
Edith coaxes Hampton into playing a game of archery for his memory. After she wins, he tells her that he never knew his dad, his mom remarried when he was 8, and his stepdad was an a**hole. This led to him being shipped off to juvie. She tells him that it all makes sense but he doesn’t have a clue what she is talking about. After telling her so, she gives him the bow and an arrow again and tells him he had no control over what happened because he was just a kid, so he now tries to control everything. This time when he shoots, he nearly gets a bull’s eye. She tells him to stop trying to control everything and takes him to Astoria.
As Hampton watches Astoria dance with Ronald he realizes that he hasn’t made her laugh in such a long time. At the same time, Ronald asks Astoria to spend the night at his house. She turns him down because of Hampton. Edith tells Hampton that if he wants his wife back, he needs to do whatever is needed to protect her. This is when the entrance to the club opens but he chooses not to go in. Instead, he returns home where he is jumped by the Prevost Brothers.
All of a sudden, Hampton wakes inside the car outside of the house and realizes that he has been dreaming. He goes inside and calls Bootsy (Bookeem Woodbine) and tells him that he is in. This is where the episode ends.
Government Cheese Season 1 Review
It was pretty obvious that Hampton was going to get in on the job with Bootsy. I was just a bit surprised at what led up to it. I won’t say I was blown away by it but I was a bit surprised. I didn’t much care for the episode because I’m not big on fever-dream-like episodes. That said, I won’t fault the episode too much for that because it was nice to see Hampton and Astoria get most of the attention in this episode. It was nice to learn a bit more about their relationship and for that, I’d have to give it a 5.6 out of 10.
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