The Rubicon is the tenth episode of the the first season of Snowfall. It is the tenth episode overall and season finale.
Outline
Franklin solidifies his future. Teddy’s hand is forced. Lucia decides between business and family.
Summary[]
Franklin[]
Franklin dropped off at Jerome's home by Rob. Franklin then points Rob in the direction the freeway and enters his home while Rob drives off. Jerome is in his dining room counting the cash from the crack deal and he and Louie discuss with Franklin on finding a place to cook and store the crack. He then suggested to Franklin making him a partner instead of his 2 buddies, Leon and Kevin. Jerome then reminds Franklin he knows the game and has street cred. Franklin points out it was his connect, his product, and his process and has Leon and Kevin to watch over. Instead of the 50% he offered his Uncle Jerome, he offers 10% seeing how Jerome turned down his offer over the past. Jerome haggles to 40%. Franklin then goes to 20%. As soon as Jerome says 25%, Franklin calls it a deal and they shake on it. Jerome exits and Franklin tell Louie that Ray-Ray is considering the offer. Louie also reminds Franklin of the promise he made to her in which he didn't forget.
Teddy[]
Alejandro is now a marked man as he realizes Teddy was unable to halt Victoria's hunt for Kristen and now there's a photo of him on a wanted poster and a cash reward for information leading to him. Teddy tells Alejandro he will make all this go away but asks for him to leave town first for at least a month or two. Alejandro is not satisfied nor does he agree with Teddy, who in turn, points out that the flyers she put up with Kristen is far less damning than for him to spend the next couple of months ducking and running in LA. Alejandro reminds Teddy that he has a deal to uphold in 2 days and can't disappear, nor will Teddy have a pilot to fly him. Teddy then states he can find another pilot and Alejandro can fulfill his deal with the Colombians, just not in LA. Alejandro makes another suggestion to kill Victoria. Teddy didn't like the sound of that and explains that offing now would escalate things much worse, he then tells Alejandro he would use all CIA resources available to discredit and bring her back to square one begs Alejandro to let him do his job. Alejandro reluctantly agrees while staring at his wanted ad which Teddy takes from him.
Lucia[]
At the Villanueva villa, they are holding a funeral for Don Mauricio Villanueva, and Ramiro approached Lucia to inform her that her cousin Antonio just graduated and will be the one running the number for the cocaine business. Lucia is not interested in talking business, especially at her father's wake, and tells Ramiro she will let him know when she is ready to take one a newcomer. Ramiro found that answer a bit offensive. Lucia's mother, Mariela, has arrived to the villa. Mariela approaches Mauricio's coffin inside the house with Pedro nearby and Lucia and Ramiro watch as she kisses Mauricio on the head. Both Ramiro and Pedro offer their condolences to the matriarch and Lucia hugs her mother as they mourn Mauricio.
Franklin[]
Cissy is in her room crying and hears Franklin entering the house. She then wipes her face up and sees her son. Franklin asks her what she was doing home and she asked where he was last night. Franklin tells her he was sleeping at the Volpe residence the night before and sees there is something wrong with his mother. As Cissy heads to her living room, Franklin begins to apologize for lying to her on numerous occasions while following her. Cissy finally tells her son that Tulf fired her. She tells her son she called out and demanded he put her on the Westside Property as he promised her he would. Cissy then tells Franklin how her boss told her things had changed and had to sell it, and stated how she lashed out at him, and now she's out of a job. Franklin tells his mother in his own words 'Fuck him!' and states this was a good thing. Cissy didn't accept that answer as it was her job and how she slaved to satisfy Tulf, and now she has no way to cover any bills or mortgages. Franklin tells his mother how she doesn't have to worry about that no more and hands her a wad of cash. Cissy however throws down the money and tells Franklin she would never accept drug money and walks away. Franklin is then in his room loading up a duffel bag filled with necessities. He then walks into the dining room where Cissy is at and places the money she turned away on the table and leaves.
Teddy[]
Teddy is back in his apartment finishing a conversation on the phone and opens up a steel suitcase to find a few items missing from inside. Teddy then quickly attempts to call Victoria and instead hears only the greeting message she left. Teddy is now aware Victoria is in danger. He grabs his sidearm and rushes out of the apartment.
Gustavo[]
Gustavo is informing Stomper, Memo, Hernan, and Ephraim that Lucia's father passed and they are holding a funeral. Stomper informs Gustavo it changes nothing and some of the Los Monarcas leadership states hitting them at the funeral would be terrific and easy come. Gustavo is not happy to hear that. Stomper then tells Gustavo to check out the place and find out how many men they would need. He then tells Oso 'Don't bitch out now'.
Teddy[]
Teddy arrives at Kristen's apartment and knocks to see if Victoria is home but no answer. He then picks the lock on the door to the apartment and enters. He sees that the living room is dark but the television is on and hears a power tool. Teddy draws his weapon and sees lights on in the bathroom which is where the power tool sound coming from. He opens the bathroom door and finds Victoria dead in the bath tub and Alejandro cutting her up. Alejandro then tells Teddy to leave. Teddy, now rife with disgust, then raises his sidearm at Alejandro and states he can't do that. Alejandro turns and calmly tells him it's the easiest thing in the world and to just shut the door and leave. Alejandro then tells Teddy that this is a war, and they are to do where is required of them. He then tells Teddy that Victoria's death is his gift to him and all he has to do is accept it. At that point Teddy just stares at Victoria's lifeless body. Alejandro then tells Teddy he's doing great and calls him a hero and will see him soon. Teddy then exits the bathroom in complete shock as Alejandro continues butchering the body. Instead of leaving the house, Teddy returns back to the bathroom and this time places a couch pillow in front of his sidearm. Alejandro then stops cutting and turns around, but before he could react, Teddy fires a suppressed bullet into Alejandro's head and killed him, leaving Teddy 2 bodies to dispose of.
Franklin[]
Franklin, Jerome, and Kevin are at Avi's mansion. Avi is counting the money Franklin handed him and Jerome asks Avi what's in the crates in his home. Avi then snaps and yells for Yuda to come to the table. He then points out to Jerome that Franklin saved Yuda's life at one point. Avi then talked about how he offered Franklin some drink, blow, and poon, and was turned down each time. He then asked Franklin why he brought Kevin to his home. Franklin explained that business is growing and soon enough someone else will be doing the runs instead of him. Avi then pointed out it's only Franklin he likes and trusts and orders Yuda to bring the boys 2 kilos of cocaine. Jerome then attempts to haggle with Avi and suggests shaving off the price a bit, however, Avi then suggests he shaves off Jeromes eyebrows and tells him to go suck a donkey's dick. While Franklin assures Avi than 12 grand is fine, Avi then accuses Franklin of bringing his buddies to his home and attempting to strong-arm him. Avi then informs Franklin that thanks to Jerome's big mouth, he is raising the price to 13K a kilo and is willing to go up a kilo if anyone wants to make an objection. Franklin accepts and leaves with the bricks, but is none too happy with his uncle. He showed his frustration to both Kevin and Jerome at the front entrance and they started making excuses about Avi being crazy and racist. Jerome then states there is another way to acquire kilos of coke at cheaper than 12K, and suggests having someone staking out his place to see who comes and goes and go straight to the source. Franklin then points out to Jerome that they can't do something like that since they would get arrested in no time within that neighborhood. Kevin, however, points out Franklin knows someone that may be able to pull it off.
Teddy[]
Teddy returns back to his apartment after having to deal with the fallout of what happened at Kristen's home with Alejandro and Victoria. He heads to his bedroom and strips down to his underwear. He then sees a missed message on the message machine and plays the message. It's Julia, and she's reminding him that she hasn't been hearing from him or him returning her calls and was checking up on him and can hear her talking to Paul while he is starting up the shower.
Lucia[]
Lucia is fixing her and her mother shots of tequila and speak about the suit that was picked for Mauricio on his funeral. Mariela states she hates it but it is Ramiro's style and then asked Lucia what she plans to do with the house. Lucia, of course, asks her mother if she plans on sticking around, but Mariela plans to depart after the funeral service and suggests Lucia return to Mexico with her and let Ramiro run the business. Lucia disagrees and doesn't like being out of the loop with the business. She then points out that if she were a man, she would have inherited the Cartel without question, yet she had to be the one to deal with Ramiro and Pedro. Mariela then declares she is exhausted and takes off.
Gustavo[]
Gustavo is in his hotel sleeping only to wake up to headlights glaring in his direction. He discovers Lucia pulling up in the parking lot and walking to his door. The next morning, they are in Gustavo's bed and Lucia tells Oso that Ramiro is bringing in someone to work the books. Gustavo, however, laughs and Lucia doesn't find it amusing, even though he was right. Gustavo tells Lucia he believes in her, that they can run the business together, which is why he never left. Lucia then tells Oso if he is going through with the hit, she must be present to see it happen and requests a meet with Stomper.
Franklin[]
In the Projects, Franklin and Leon are exiting the apartment and Franklin informs Leon that everything is set up with Ray-Ray. Leon tells Franklin he wants to be there, however, Franklin refuses to allow that, believing Leon to be a liability and requested him to sit this one out. Leon then reminded Franklin of how he had his gun on Karvel and didn't pull the trigger and advises him that when he deals with Lenny and Ray-Ray, he is to think about family and friends and everyone he loves, and to eat them or they will eat him. Franklin assures Leon they will be good.
Teddy[]
Teddy is lying on the ground in his boxer shorts in his apartment play classical music on the radio. There is a knock at the door and Teddy shuts off the radio then answers door without bothering to put some clothes on and sees James outside. His boss then informed Teddy that Julia has tried multiple times to get ahold of him and was worried about him. Teddy was unable to provide James an answer for that. James then tells Teddy to get dressed in which he does. They are at the bar and James asked about the classical tunes he heard earlier in his apartment. Teddy then tells James he doesn't believe he's the right guy for this line of work. James advices Teddy to let things go and he did, of course, brings up the Tehran incident that could have been prevented but there was no action. Teddy, expecting relief from James, hears something he wasn't expecting, which was the money and guns flying south and the contras are now on the offensive. James even pointed out that the CIA director and President Reagan are pleased with Teddy's work. Teddy then told James a story about how his father brought him to the White House as a boy and they even had the privilege to meet President Kennedy. Ballard then states the work Teddy put in has been working and asked would it be working because of him or will it be because of someone else.
Franklin[]
Franklin, Kevin, Jerome, and Louise arrive at a vacant house they just bought. Kevin is ecstatic as he suggests as he suggests pimping out the place and turning it into some kind of lounge. Franklin then informs Kevin the place will be a cook house and nothing more. He states they need to the gas turned on and Louise informs him they'll have that ready the next day. Franklin then gets a page from Ray-Ray and prepares to depart with Jerome.
Gustavo[]
Gustavo arrives at Stomper's place with Lucia in the truck. Stomper is none too pleased with seeing Lucia with Gustavo as they approach his front porch. Lucia then tells Stomper they need to talk about how to avert a war.
Franklin[]
Franklin and Jerome are at the oil field waiting and sees Ray-Ray pulling up in Lenny's car. They hop out to meet meet him, but Ray-Ray is unnerved to see Franklin with another person. Franklin tells Ray-Ray that Jerome is family and states he wants to sees Lenny. Jerome walks over to the car as Ray-Ray is preparing to open the trunk while Franklin is thinking long and hard about what he is prepared to do. The trunk is opened and Jerome and Ray-Ray pull out Lenny who is bound and throw him in front of Franklin. Jerome holds Lenny's head up as Lenny calls Ray-Ray a Judas. Ray-Ray then asks if they-re good. Franklin tells him they aren't yet, he informs Ray-Ray he needs to know word of this is never getting out and pulls out a switchblade. Ray-Ray realizes Franklin wants to kill him. He refuses and states he only agreed to bring Lenny to the spot. Franklin then gives Ray-Ray an ultimatum to either kill Lenny or both of them die and throws the switchblade to his feet. Lenny then starts begging. Ray-Ray then states that wasn't part of the deal. Franklin tells him it's the deal now and even tossed him a wad of cash while offering a possible future for him. Ray-Ray then picks up the weapon as Lenny begs him not to go through with it. Ray-Ray then tells Lenny he told him to let it go and walks toward him. As Jerome pulls on Lenny's chin to expose his neck, Franklin draws his gun on Ray-Ray's head and orders him to go through with it. Ray-Ray hesitates but manages to takes the weapon and slashes Lenny's throat open. Franklin just stares at Lenny as he is dying and states 'For Leon, motherfucka!' He then tells Ray-Ray should he ever want to makes some ends, he should find him. Franklin and Jerome ride off leaving Ray-Ray to deal with an already dead Lenny.
Teddy[]
Teddy arrives at a luxury hotel and as he reaches the Presidential Suite. He pulls a file out of his briefcase and knocks on the door. A bodyguard answers the door and Teddy hands him the file stating it's for Diego and Danilo. After shutting the door, the bodyguard reopens it, pulls a gun on Teddy and tells him to enter. He takes Teddy to the dining room where the Colombian brothers are enjoying a nice dinner and staring at the file. They are introduced to Teddy and the first thing Diego does is knock Teddy to the ground and places a gun in his back. Both brothers begin arguing about whether or not they should off him or let him live, until Teddy says Alejandro's name. The nonsense stops and Teddy tells a white lie about Alejandro receiving help from the DEA in trafficking drugs across the border and was prepared to set them up and offers them protection from the DEA and local police and provide details about border security and where to smuggle their product at as long as they provide Teddy pure cocaine at a price that could 'hurt their balls'. Teddy then tells the brothers he represents the United States Government. Teddy is then seen leaving the hotel with 2 full duffel bags.
Lucia[]
It's the day of the funeral and Lucia just stares at Ramiro as he's having a drink. Mariela then exits the house and Lucia walks toward her to learn she's already taking off. Lucia then implores her mother to stay with her in LA and help her out, but Mariela tells her she couldn't. She then tells Lucia that Mauricio never though less of her, but was afraid of how ambitious she was and what kind of damage she could bring upon the Cartel. Lucia scoffs as she finds that answer to be ridiculous. Mariela then hugs her daughter good-bye and tells her should she find need anything, she knows where to find her. Mariela then takes off.
Franklin[]
Franklin is at Jerome's place just chilling with his uncle and Leon while Kevin is talking business with some guys or so he believes. He sees the ice cream truck pull up and the kids running toward the truck. Franklin jumps up and heads over there as well. As the driver asks the kids if they have money, none of them say they do. He gets ready to move on, until Franklin approaches the driver and states he should never stop in his neighborhood without serving the kids there, and even offers him cash. The driver agrees and starts serving the children, even his own crew is even taking notice to him.
Teddy[]
Teddy is back at his apartment and finally gets ahold of his wife, Julia. Apparently he tells her that things in LA have taken a drastic turn for him and states he has some bad news.
Lucia[]
Pedro approaches Lucia and attempts to apologize for everything. He states to her that he wanted to be just family again. Lucia then calls for her chauffeur, Jabali to drive Pedro home and make sure he arrived safely. Pedro hugs her and takes off. Lucia then approaches Ramiro and tells him she will get ahold of her cousin, Antonio on the next day and will go over the books with him. Ramiro is reluctant to hear that as Lucia returns back inside the house. Oso and the Los Monarcas await her call on a payphone and Lucia contacts them. She gives them Ramiro's location at the villa,
Rob[]
Rob Volpe is outside Avi's house in his truck observing who is coming and going from his place and sees Teddy leaving the house and driving off in his vehicle. Rob starts up his truck and prepares to follow.
Gustavo[]
Gustavo approaches the villa and Ramiro notices him as he approached him. Gustavo says he's unarmed and offers his condolences. Ramiro then gives Gustavo a chance to leave the property immediately and threatens to kill him should he even come near them again. Gustavo then requests to see Lucia to say good-bye and promises he would never have to see him again. Ramiro gives him permission and lets him in. Gustavo enters the office and finds Lucia waiting for him. They hear gunshots outside and when they exit there a bunch of men wounded or dead, including Ramiro, who is dying before her eyes.
Epilogue[]
Franklin is enjoying running his new cookhouse as well as Louie who is running the stove while Kevin and Leon are bagging up the rocks. Cissy is home by herself. Franklin and Jerome are counting the money from the success crack deals. Franklin has solidified his future and South Central LA's new drug pin.
Cast[]
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Episode Deaths[]
- Victoria Grelli - Butchered by Alejandro Ustevez
- Alejandro Usteves - Shot by Teddy McDonald
- Lenny - Throat slit by Ray Ray
- Ramiro Nava - Killed by Los Monarcas
Music[]
- Fantasy by Earth, Wind, & Fire
- California Dreaming by Lee Moses
- Hard to Know by Oneness
- Cold Blooded by Rick James