Dusty Finish

**Dusty Finish** is the second episode of the first season of the Starz original wrestling drama *Heels*.

## Synopsis

As the wrestlers at the DWL worry about the fallout from the previous show, Jack struggles with what direction to take the narrative and the league, especially after an enticing offer from the FWD's Charlie Gully.

## Plot

Ace and Crystal have sex in his bedroom. Meanwhile, Jack heads over to his day job at STIHL hardware store.

Diego and Rooster watch another one of Gully's promotional videos directed at the DWL, declaring that the south belongs to him, however, Apocalypse isn't as amused as his co-workers. Bobby Pin joins them covered in blue body paint after returning from Atlanta to be an extra in a superhero film. While he actually never got on camera, he has taken a liking to his new appearance and has decided to make it his new character — "Turquoise," but Willie turns him down as she enters the locker room to fix the smoke detector. The guys have yet to hear from Jack and tickets haven't been put on sale, so they're concerned, but Willie assures them there will be a show. With Ace gone and Jack MIA, Rooster and Diego are worried, but Apocalypse is certain they'll be fine. Still, Rooster isn't convinced, considering how Jack treated Ace.

Timmy is trying to persuade a customer to buy a riding mower and calls Jack over for the assist, but he fails to close the deal. While Timmy's grandfather admired Jack's flair for sale, he reminds Jack that he now runs the store and that they do things a different way.

Staci asks Thomas to help her write a song, but he asks if it can wait until later. Staci then goes to investigate a noise she hears in the attic. A squirrel lunges at her and she falls off the ladder, telling Thomas that they need to get rid of them, not keep them as pets.

Jack returns home from work and Staci tells him that his mom called to talk to him about Ace, but Jack is preoccupied with the script.

Ace has been calling Wild Bill for two days now without response. Crystal begs him not to call again, but Ace is desperate. When Bill doesn't answer, Ace gives him another call.

Ace sits down for dinner with Carol, who only prepared enough for herself and Ace, and so Crystal heads home, receiving the message that Carol doesn't want her around. However, Carol follows her out to ask about Ace, though Crystal isn't quite sure how he's doing. Carol advises her to leave Ace alone if she truly cares about him. Carol also wants Crystal to deliver a message to Jack and Willie that Ace is going to make a clean break and start building a regular life for himself. Crystal simply replies that Ace is lucky to have a mom who cares so much.

Willie meets with Gully in a diner to discuss Jack and how he's losing his mind after having turned their one star, Ace, into a joke with the fans while Bill was present. Gully then reveals that he wants to buy the Dome, as he needs a base in Georgia for his expanding empire and is even willing to give Willie a job. While the Dome isn't for sale, Willie suggests that Gully possibly invest in the DWL, but he refuses after Jack attempted to ruin his brand by bad-mouthing him on two different wrestling podcasts. Willie gives Gully a bit of advice, explaining that the reason his business sucks is because he's not from there and thinks the people in town are dumb and only seek violence when in reality, they want a good story, which is why they come to the DWL every week. While that may be, Gully advises Willie to jump ship before the DWL falls due to Jack's ego.

While having dinner with Staci and Thomas and discussing the squirrels in the attic, Jack gets a call from Willie, who reveals that Gully made an offer to buy the Dome, which enrages Jack, though he does inquire about how much Gully offered, but Willie isn't concerned with Gully, only the DWL, telling Jack that the new script better be great. As for Jack and Ace, Willie wonders where they stand, to which Jack replies "Ace isn't on the card."

Crystal returns home and joins a couple of the neighborhood boys on the trampoline.

Ace finally gets a call back from Wild Bill, who reveals that the incident between Jack and Ace in the ring has slowed down their progress, as it wasn't a good look for Ace, who cried after the fact. Bill advises Ace to hop on a rival promotion like FWD and Charlie Gully.

Staci suggests that Jack take a break from wrestling after this week to recharge and spend time with Thomas, who now likes soccer, but doesn't even know how to play. However, Gully is in the middle of attempting to initiate a war, and Jack can't allow that. Staci reveals that she went over to Carol's just to check on Ace and he wouldn't even come out of the room, but Jack doesn't want to talk about it. So, Staci asks why Jack even did what he did to Ace and tells him to apologize to his brother since he ruined Ace's chance at the big leagues. Upset at Jack for refusing to acknowledge his misdeed, Staci decides to sleep on the couch.

Carol calls Jack to tell him that Ace is missing and that Melanie has gone into labor. She's worried that Ace may do something and asks Jack to look for him. Jack arrives at his mom's to find Carol and Crystal waiting on the porch. Carol blames Jack for not coming sooner to check on his brother. Jack suspects that he went to Lucky Stand and goes after him, with Crystal joining him.

A drunken Ace walks down the road with a bottle of alcohol in hand. He tosses the bottle at the Duffy town sign and runs down the street howling.

Jack reveals to Crystal that Lucky Stand is a piece of property that belongs to a friend of their dad's, and they used to hunt there as kids. When things got bad at home, sometimes Jack and Ace would go there to hide out. However, when they arrive, they find no sign of Ace having ever been there.

Ace arrives at a sports bar, where he finds Rooster singing karaoke on stage with Denise. Rooster approaches Ace, who is clearly drunk and offers to call him a cab, but Ace wants to put his name down to sing a round of karaoke.

Ace stumbles out the bathroom and on to the stage to perform, where he is ridiculed by Travis Davies for having cried after his fight with Jack. Ace then proceeds to sing, but just barely, as he is too drunk to carry a tune. Travis and the crowd begin to boo him before further instigating a fight with a drunken Ace, which turns physical, forcing Jack to intervene and drop Travis on his back. This results in an all out brawl that ultimately results in Jack, Ace, and Crystal being kicked out. When Travis follows them out and refers to them as "pu\*\*ies like your old man," Crystal intervenes and flips Travis on his back with a head scissors.

Staci rehearses her new song while waiting for Jack to return.

After stopping at Krystals, Jack reveals that Melanie went into labor and that she and Big Jim are at the hospital. After an oddly specific and dark discussions about a scenario in which the world was to be consumed by a black whole, Jack brings Ace home and lays him in bed. On his way out, Ace tells Jack that he hates him.

Jack reveals to Crystal that Ace didn't want to wrestle, but Jack pushed him into it after their dad died, which is now coming up on a year. While what Jack did was a dick move, she thinks it could be good for Ace's character after seeing him at the bar; he'd make a great veal, she remarks.

Jack returns home, battered and bruised, and reveals to Staci that Gully wants to buy the Dome, which he's considering. He and Staci then begin to have sex in the kitchen, blaming the noise on the squirrel.

The next day, Jack, Staci, and Thomas arrive at the hospital to see Melanie and Big Jim. Rooster, Apocalypse, Diego, and Bobby Pin are in the gift shop, watching FWD promos and buying a gift. Rooster has grown tired of waiting for his chance at the belt and is willing to at least consider switching sides to join Charlie Gully. However, Apocalypse is loyal to the DWL and the Spades, as he once was champion until needing to go to rehab, and after getting clean, Tom Spade took him back, as did Jack. Apocalypse simply suggests that Rooster talk to Jack about his aspirations.

Jack heads outside the hospital to talk to Ace about how they're both nobodies outside of wrestling and how it is simply not enough for Jack. Ace declares that he will be scouted again, and if he does return to DWL, he wants a say in his character and the storyline. And when Wild Bill comes back, Jack promises that he will support Ace. Lastly, Ace doesn't want to ever get booed again, to which Jack agrees will never happen. The two of them head inside, where they join everyone else huddled around Big Jim, Melanie and their newborn baby. Crystal arrives not long after, and Jack passes her the baby.

Jack reveals to Staci that he no longer plans to sell the Dome, though he has been thinking about taking a vacation and then asks Staci for help putting makeup on his eye to cover the bruises, but ultimately decides against the makeup and heads into work without it.

For the first time, Staci watches the video of Ace crying in the ring after Jack nearly broke his arm. She then heads into the attic with a BB gun to kill the squirrels before joining Thomas in the yard to mow the grass while he kicks the ball around.

## Cast

* Alexander Ludwig as Ace Spade
* Alison Luff as Staci Spade
* Mary McCormack as Willie Day
* Kelli Berglund as Crystal Tyler
* Allen Maldonado as Rooster Robbins
* James Harrison as Apocalypse
* Roxton Garcia as Thomas Spade
* Chris Bauer as Wild Bill Hancock
* Robby Ramos as Diego Cottonmouth
* Duke Davis Roberts as Big Jim Kitchen
* Alice Barrett-Mitchell as Carol Spade
* Erica Pappas as Melanie Kitchen
* Mike O'Malley as Charlie Gully

Co-Starring* Steven Reddington as Tim Root
* Daniel Norris as Travis Davies
* Joe Foley as Roughneck
* Rolando Fernandez as Dwight Nolan
* Deena Beasley as Old Biker Chick
* Christian Adam as Gabe
* Jef Holbrook as Todd
* Alton Williams as Aiden
* Thomas Williams as Kingsley

## Gallery

### Videos

'Dusty Finish' Ep. 2 Preview - Heels - STARZThe Cast Discusses Ep. 2 - Heels - STARZ-2‘It Is Not Enough’ Ep. 2 Clip - Heels - STARZ‘Bar Fight’ Ep. 2 Clip - Heels - STARZHeels Free Full Episode 2 - 'Dusty Finish' - Season 1