The Fear

"The Fear" is the third episode of Coach Season 3, and the 15th episode overall of Coach. It first aired on July 10, 2021.

## Story

The episode opens with a flashback to "Years Ago", with Chomas and a mysterious character playing chess in the Void. As they're playing, Chomas chats freely, even as the other person stays silent, and recalls an encounter he had earlier that day when venturing out of the Void and into the Crawlspace.

A flashback begins within the flashback, showing a kid wandering through the woods alone and hitting plants with a stick. Chomas comes out from behind a tree and greets the kid, who introduces himself as Reginald. Chomas asks Reginald about his family, and Reginald talks about his parents and brothers. (Reginald doesn't think his parents hate him, but it's suggested that Gus is the favorite child.) Chomas then claims that his parents don't love Reginald, and are thinking about giving him away. Reginald bristles at the idea and holds out his stick. Chomas notices the stick, and offers to give the kid a sword ("sharp stick"). As Chomas claims that it's "just a toy" and can't actually hurt people, Reginald takes the sword and excitedly runs off.

The chess game continues, and Chomas is confident that he has the upper hand until the mysterious person announces that he's checkmated, thus winning the game. Upset, Chomas vows to get out into the real world, then walks off. The mysterious person cleans up, then asks Lommy (sitting near a wall) if he wants to play. Lommy agrees.

Some time later, in the real world, Tom and Tohm are talking in the kitchen. Chomas and Lommy watch through a screen in the Void. Chomas is frustrated that Tohm and Junior have been in the real world for so long, and have been "making a mess" of things. Lommy comments that Chomas leaves the Void all the time, and Chomas explains that the real world is more difficult to reach compared to the Crawlspace. Getting to the real world requires either the Crawlspace door being open, or gaining strength using emotions "right from the source", meaning Tom himself. Lommy expresses interest in going to the real world, but Chomas rejects this idea and walks away. After Chomas leaves, the mysterious figure, hidden in the shadows of the Void, reassures Lommy that he can find a way to the real world. As he watches Tom sit at the dining table alone, late at night, Lommy finds himself feeding off of Tom's sadness and depression.

A montage plays of various events from Coach Season 2: Chomas escapes the crawlspace, kills Tohm and Junior, and terrorizes Tom, attempting to gain complete control. Tohm and Junior find a way to return, and together the other 3 are able to send Chomas back into the crawlspace.

Chomas wakes up. After realizing that he's stuck back in the Void, he knocks things over, angry that he came so close to carrying out his plan, only to fail at the very end. He's greeted by the mysterious figure, again in the shadows, who mocks his failure. Chomas then realizes that Lommy is missing, having escaped the Void himself and ended up in the real world. Chomas is upset that the other person let Lommy leave, since it potentially endangers those in the real world, and Chomas's goal is to keep Tom safe. Suddenly, the air grows cold, and the mysterious person tells Chomas that he's being pursued (by Tom and Tohm). He suggests that Chomas should run, which he does.

Chomas walks up to a previously unseen house in the Crawlspace, entering through the back door. Some time later, he comes out again. It is left ambiguous what Chomas did, found, or saw in the house.

There is another montage, showing Chomas's role in the East Saga: He recruits and possesses Rocky, using him to try to eliminate everyone. He only partly succeeds, and at the end of the season Rocky gets shot as Chomas watches from afar. The next day, Wildflower watches the woods from the deck, while Chomas watches the deck from the woods. The two see each other, but don't talk to each other. Chomas decides it's "time to pivot", and later he stands outside the AFC East's house, practicing until he's able to mimic Carl's voice. Bruce and Springsteen, inside, are unaware that Chomas is nearby.

Chomas returns from the Crawlspace to the Void, where the mysterious figure asks how his plan is going. Chomas answers, “When there is no one left, I will be all that remains … and then I will kill you.”

In the real world, Lommy talks to his stuffed lion, whose name is revealed to be Calvin. Junior checks in on Lommy to make sure he's okay, and says that he has to livestream. After Junior leaves, Lommy vows, "We're never going back in there."

## Trivia/Speculation

* This episode reveals Wildflower Turquoise's original name, which is Reginald.
* This episode also reveals that Lommy's lion has a name: Calvin.
	+ This is a reference to retired Lions wide receiver, and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Calvin Johnson.
* When Chomas and Lommy watch the screen in the Void, clips are reused from Coach Season 1 Episode 4, The Dinner.
* When Lommy shows up in the real world, footage is reused from the Coach Season 2 finale, The Switch.