Trapped
Episode 7 of Dom Season 1 begins in the past as Pedro is rushed into hospital after being hit by a car. He’s in a bad way and despite the severity of his injuries, the doctors are concerned given he hasn’t cried. According to them, he has no sensitivity to physical pain, meaning he has difficulty distinguishing those barriers one should never cross. This seems to be a reasoning toward Pedro’s behaviour, and why he’s found it so easy to regress back into his drug-addicted state. Back in the present, Pedro Dom meets up with Jasmin. He apologizes for what’s happened between them and admits that he’s been sober for a year. Eventually her tough exterior betrays her emotion, as Jasmin smiles and welcomes him back with open arms. Only, things have changed for the group. They have a new member, Carlinhos. Things inevitably get hot and heavy, paving way for Viviana showing up and snorting coke right in front of Pedro. He continues to drink but can’t shake off how close the drugs are. And then it happens. Pedro regresses. He snorts a line and knocks everything back to square one again. All that hard work, all that rehab, all those difficult nights and rebuilt bridges burned in an instant. Speaking of fire, back in 1970 Victor gets close to the heat. He manages to avoid getting burned though, freed from jail and watching as his permanent record is ripped up before his eyes. However, when Victor returns to the favela, things are incredibly tense. Ribeiro has found Chora and believes he’s the snitch. To show how serious he is, he has Verdugo shoot him in cold blood. Victor sees all of this take place and breathes heavily, struggling to keep his composure. Ribeiro reminds Victor that he has a place in all this and a world order to restore. He hands over a gun and decides to give him a promotion. After seeing what’s happened to Chopa, it’s all too much for Victor and he decides to turn away and leave. He apologizes to Ribeiro who’s obviously none too happy with his decision. Victor heads home but his father finds the gun and case file tucked away in his gear. Victor is calm, telling him he’s part of the civil police and working to control the war on drugs. Paulo is having none of it though and claims he’s stuck in a dead end. “This is going to destroy your life.” He promises. Unfortunately that bit of foreshadowing is proven right, as Victor is wrapped up in undercover operations to hunt down and kill dealers. The line between right and wrong starts to blur, leading Victor to wonder whether he’s picked the right side or not after all. This eventually culminates in Victor forced to go after the “big dogs” in the favela. This sees him come face to face with Ribeiro but without the false pretense now. Victor puts him in handcuffs but the arrest is tinged in bittersweet poignancy, especially when he sees several of Ribeiro’s men have been killed in cold blood. Ribeiro too is executed soon after, with Victor seeing his body on TV and finally realizing the police are corrupt and responsible for this. Unfortunately this also marks the start of a brand new elite team of officers being ushered in, dead-set on cleaning up the streets. Meanwhile, Pedro Dom’s recklessness catches up to him. After a foolhardy robbery, Dom has his party crashed by police. They show up and notice the drugs – and match the witness’ description across to Pedro who now faces a lengthy spell in prison. Only, crooked cop Figueira has other ideas, forcing Dom to work with him to rob houses and jewelry, handing over a cut of the money in exchange for keeping him away from a prison cell. Months pass and Pedro is dubbed the “stylish burglar”. This eventually leads up to Rio in 2002 as Victor notices a newspaper with Pedro’s sketch on the front cover. He shows Laura but she’s not so sure. Victor however, is certain it’s him based off the eyes alone. Things go from bad to worse for Pedro as Figueira demands a 50/50 split. This is enough for Pedro to cave, refusing to be his lackey anymore. He can’t escape though, and these men bundle him into their car and drive away. They stop in front of a luxury penthouse, which Figueira wants him to target next. Apparently the owner is a currency dealer and he has $300,000 tucked away inside. Pedro is tasked with stealing it all. If he refuses? He’s set to face a lengthy spell in jail. The group make it inside and find the hidden stash of money. Only, there’s a problem. Sensing that they need a scapegoat, Dom sacrifices Carlinhos while the rest of them scraper to the elevator. As the doors look set to slide shut, they watch as Carlinhos is shot dead.
The Episode Review
The line between right and wrong continues to blur as we see criminals and crooks on both sides of this war on drugs. Caught in the middle of this is Victor, who finds himself flying too close to the sun and conflicted over the arrest – and subsequent death – of Ribeiro. Meanwhile, the devastating reality of Pedro hits home. He worked so hard to get sober and yet, now he’s thrown it all away only to find himself in a hole deeper than any he’s ever faced before. In a way, it’s hard to sympathize with his cause and I guess there’s only so much you can do to help someone. Although it seems like Victor’s investigation and Pedro’s misdemeanors and being forced to work for Figueira are about to collide in dramatic fashion in the next episode.
