'Ballers' Recap: Charles Pushing Cars Is a Metaphor

Are all the ballers on ‘Ballers’ still ballin’? Fuck yeah they are. Ricky is busy trying to win Bella back, Charles is pushing trucks and SUVs around the dealership while employees place bets, Spencer is finally “facing the music” with Angie, and Joe is plotting leaving Anderson Financial after Anderson calls Joe out for the lavish party he had on the company yacht. Everyone is feeling the heat, and a few of our ballers are struggling to make big plays in these high pressure situations.

This episode kept most of the plot lines chugging along, though Spencer’s CAT scan results came in as a surprise. He’s completely fine, and he celebrates by dancing in the car to “Shake It Off.” (Same.) However, this stress release is triggering some of Spencer’s baser instincts; he’s crushing it, business-wise, but he still feels the pull of painkillers. His meeting with Angie — who is revealed to be a somewhat scatterbrained ex — finally comes about, and Spencer navigates the situation flawlessly with advice from Tracy.

Charles’ subplot is still ridiculous — he spends half the episode literally pushing trucks around on a car lot — but he finds hope when a Dolphins lineman goes down, opening up an opportunity for him to return to football. Others turn tough circumstances into opportunity. Joe races to keep Victor Cruz’s loyalty as he eyes the door at Anderson, and Cruz vows to stay with Joe (though Joe gets a caricature of Cruz’s touchdown dance tatted on his shoulder).

Stuff on the field is turning around for Ricky, but his relationship with Bella is fucked. (When Ricky is making gift baskets for women he’d like to keep quiet, he mentions that it worked for Jeter; “Derek Jeter? You ain’t even Derek Fisher!” he taunts his friend. BURNNN). Ricky hits the jeweler to pick out a ring for Bella, but she calls his bluff when they meet up; it’s a bullshit apology, not an actual proposal, and she hucks the ring into a fountain. “That cost four hundred thousand!” Ricky yells. “Kobe spent 4 million!” Bella responds. “He makes more money than me!” yells Ricky as Bella storms off.

We’re eight eps into ‘Ballers’, and it seems unlikely that we’re ever going to see any football. Maybe it’s better that way. True Detective is over, but Ballers is just getting started.