Dope Thief Episode 3 Review

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Dope Thief episode 3.

Dope Thief episode 3, “Run, Die, or Replace”, carries the momentum of last week’s two-episode premiere of the promising new Apple TV+ crime series. As a gritty and violent drama at its core, Dope Thief impressively knows when to allow some room for levity, creating some comedically charged moments between its two leads, Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura, while also maintaining the chaotic suspense of the main narrative.

Moura’s Manny doesn’t appear in the first half of the latest Dope Thief installment, handing the spotlight to Henry’s Ray, a man so desperate he has no issue repeatedly lying to his adoptive mother Theresa, mostly for her own safety. Nearly all the characters in Dope Thief are strong-willed to the point of stubbornness, bound together by loyalty and shared struggle rather than genuine compassion or interest.

The hardened Philadelphia street landscape is felt in every frame of Dope Thief, even when the series steps away from Ray and Manny to focus on two DEA agents also looking to recoup the money and drugs the leading pair stole. As things begin to look even more grim for Ray in episode 3, the unpredictable overtone of the series keeps us on the edge of our seats.

Ray’s Desperate Plight Against Insurmountable Odds Is Fascinatingly Entertaining

Ray’s Surprising Complexity Makes Him A Compelling & Potentially Tragic Figure

Ray and Manny’s decision to hang onto the large amount of cash and drugs they stole has fascinated me since the first episode. It reveals so much about their characters, particularly Ray, as they continue to hold out even though the threats continue to escalate to the point of violence. While their desperation is obvious, Ray’s exhaustion from life is not made clear until episode 3 as he accepts death by walking out of his father’s – played by a perfectly cast Ving Rhames – federal prison to face a group of unfriendly bikers.

Ray struggles to abstain from substances that Manny uses to escape his reality. He quickly becomes the most riveting character in Dope Thief because of his unexpected complexity.

Ray hardly batted an eye when his father’s life was threatened, resulting in a prison stabbing, but cowered over an apparent old flame from his time in prison. Ray’s emotional outburst to the attorney Michelle at the end of episode 2 offers a glimpse of his human side that he is never able to nurture, confined in his seemingly infinite survival mode. Ray struggles to abstain from substances that Manny uses to escape his reality. He quickly becomes the most riveting character in Dope Thief because of his unexpected complexity.

Even with all these conflicts and chaos, Dope Thief intentionally carves out room for banter and humor, which makes for a rewarding watch through three episodes. Although Manny and Ray aren’t walking hand in hand throughout episode 3, some of the funniest moments – like Ray forcing Manny’s proposal to Sherry – become instant highlights.

Dope Thief’s First Three Episodes Are Rooted In Dramatic & Comedic Absurdity

Watching Ray & Manny Dig Themselves Into A Deeper Hole Is Wildly Entertaining

Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura walking away from a fire in Dope Thief

Many Dope Thief viewers may be wondering why Ray held onto the money and drugs. He was given the opportunity to walk away scot-free by the Whitey Bulger-sounding mystery kingpin on the other side of the phone. What may be missing at this point in the series is a clear motivation for Ray and Manny to fight against a dangerous criminal organization, besides the obvious. I look forward to finding out what Ray might hope to do with all that cash and discovering if he ever carved out time to dream outside his environment and circumstances.

As more people around Ray and Manny find themselves in harm’s way because of their screw-up, viewers may have to question why they would root for such a self-interested, heartless duo.

Ray and Manny’s unpredictable actions and decisions in Dope Thief lean into the absurd in both hilarious and tragic ways. Manny hiding out in Theresa’s attic (Ray’s bedroom) while Ray searches the city looking for him is funny and unfortunate, since Ray asking about Manny’s whereabouts led to a weapons store owner getting his head put into a cardboard box. As more people around Ray and Manny find themselves in harm’s way because of their screw-up, we may have to question why we would root for such a self-interested, heartless duo.

Brian Tyree Henry looking over his shoulder in Dope Thief

Dope Thief Season 1 Review – I Wanted More Of The Crime Thriller’s Premise But It Doesn’t Hold Brian Tyree Henry & Wagner Moura Back From Greatness

A show that has greatness in it but may have miscalculated its climax. Either way, Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura are excellent.

With Ray’s dad injured and potentially on his way out of prison thanks to Michelle, the next logical step is for this “Zero F–ks Given” white supremacist gang to go after Theresa or Sherry. This shouldn’t be hard to do considering they know Ray’s name and address, even after the DEA remarkably steps in to arrest several members at the end of episode 3. This could buy Ray and Manny some time on a clock that already feels like it has been out of time for a long while.

Watching Ray and Many dig themselves into a hole was sometimes funny but often subliminally tragic, and I hope Dope Thief maintains some of its lightheartedness as Ray and Manny try to outrun an imminent and life-threatening storm.