Rooster episode 4 left viewers with a new version of Greg Russo - one that is more confident, takes risks, and does not hesitate to act on his wishes. Honestly, the last episode of HBO’s hit show was a breath of fresh air, with the whole thing being one crazy ride. The new episode certainly keeps that energy alive with a new twist for the dramedy that was a bit on hold in the last episode.

In the Rooster episode 5, the makers decided to drop a bomb named Elizabeth Stoddard, or simply Beth, who happens to be Greg’s ex-wife. The show pretty much already established how separation from her left Greg an emotional wreck - something he has not recovered from yet. Therefore, her arrival opens an entirely different Pandora’s box of repressed feelings and some unsaid things, making it a tricky situation for Russo but a fun one for the audience.

How Greg navigates this curveball and how his newfound confidence helps him in all this is the main focus of this episode, which starts with him on steady ground.

Riding high on his escapades from episode 4, Greg is seen having found some grip on his life at Ludlow College. Students have now taken a liking to his classes and have a more friendly rapport with him than before. It seems like he has finally managed to find a sweet spot between his idea of teaching and the contemporary sensitivities of the students.

The episode opens with him teaching the class and getting complimented at the end by the students for his improved sessions. He, however, notices that Tommy did not make it to his class and enquires about the same to Spooner, who does not have any idea about his whereabouts. Greg ultimately crosses paths with him on the campus and asks him about his absence, only for him to lie about the reason.

Greg does not really indulge much in the Tommy situation as he has to reach Walt’s office, where he has an awkward encounter with Cristle. Cristle, being Cristle, refuses to accept the hot chocolate he offers her since she does not want anyone to know that they both got pretty wild last night. When he enters a meeting with Walt and Dylan and is asked how he would introduce his ex-spouse, he gives a reply that was personal and not what they were looking for.

They want to figure out how to introduce Beth because they are organizing a dedication ceremony for her. Russo says he has not spoken to his ex-wife, but the specifics do not need to be disclosed. Then Crystal enters and remarks on Russo's two hot chocolates, asking if he is concealing anything. Cristle, with her one-liners like these, makes her short appearances in between scenes worthwhile for the viewers.

The scene shifts to Katie and Greg in his home, where she notices an unimpressive picture on a wall that definitely does not deserve a place there, but somehow Greg found it worthy enough to bring it all the way from Florida. The reason behind this will be revealed later in the episode, but for now, it is clear that it holds some significance for him.

Nevertheless, Greg steers the conversation to Beth’s visit, and Katie suggests that she would entertain her mother, as things are not really hunky dory between her parents since their divorce. But Greg suggests otherwise. He wants all three of them to spend some family time. Katie could not be happier and calls up her mother to let her know of the plan.

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How that plan is going to pan out for Greg will only be discovered after Beth’s arrival.

Before Beth’s dedication ceremony, Katie is seen talking to Archie, who is in a rather good mood after his intimate encounter with her in the last episode. Katie tells him that what happened that night will not happen again, only to jump his bones as soon as the lights went off as part of the green initiative.

The scene shifts to Beth’s dedication ceremony, and she was quite good at the stage, addressing the students until Greg’s phone rang, and a very inappropriate ringtone started buzzing loudly. What made the scene more hilarious was his reluctance to acknowledge that it was his phone ringing right until the last moment. When she resumed speaking, the phone rang again, which annoyed Beth further.

After the ceremony, the Russo family is seen on the campus talking about random things, and suddenly, a student refers to Greg as Rooster, and Beth finds it hilarious to know that students are relating Greg to his character, Rooster. Her disbelief is soon converted to surprise as Katie reveals that her father is a rockstar on the campus and that she pretty much caught him having a walk of shame the other day.

After making plans for a family game night, Greg escorts Beth to Walt’s office, where he again has an awkward encounter with Cristle. The episode really has these two character-banters that contribute to the majority of the show’s hilarious moments - one is Greg and Cristle, and the other one is Archie and Mo. The interactions between these characters are just too funny.

Coming back to Greg and Beth in Walt’s office, she absolutely loved to see a woman as the dean of faculty and suggested that someday a woman might take Walt’s chair, making him worried about Beth’s intentions. Anyway, Beth gets Greg into trouble with Walt by revealing his love for hockey, about which he had earlier lied to Walt. The revelation and Walt’s reaction to it were priceless.

On the sidelines, Katie and Archie have been going through their own mess that can wreck an innocent’s life.

Archie pursues a hooded graffiti artist he thinks has been responsible for the “For Katie” signs all over the campus. His only lead to identify this unknown person is pink canvas shoes. He sees Liv, one of his students, wearing those same shoes, and calls her to his office. Liv somehow sees this as an invitation for s**, and this does not go well for Archie. He finds himself in trouble with Walt and Dylan, who let him off with a warning.

On the other hand, Katie is not exactly having a good day herself. She has been looking for some advice from her mother after a conversation with Sunny makes her realize the mistake she has been making by getting involved with Archie again. She does not exactly get what she was looking for from her mom, as she might not be the right person for the matter. Actually, she was the reason that her marriage with Greg came crashing down.

What exactly happened is discussed, but not in the way both of them would have wanted.

While entertaining Dylan and Beth. Greg was kind of cornered by the two ladies into a conversation that talked about Greg’s one-night stand and made fun of his controlling issues. Suddenly, a conversation takes wind about the forlorn life Greg led and how he had only two friends to talk to back when they were married. This might have triggered some unresolved resentment or trauma, which led Greg to impulsively state that she slept with one of them.

The silence that followed was deafening, and from there, viewers got a front-seat show into the breakdown of their marriage. After Dylan left the scene, they were seen going into the reason for their split. Beth took full responsibility and acknowledged that her infidelity left Greg lonely and devastated, and said she was sorry for that. For her, her career was more important, and she could not be on the same page with Greg at the time.

Greg also apologizes to Beth, citing that he did not wish to ruin the weekend rehashing things from the past, at least not like this. He thought that he was ready for a platonic relationship with her where they both can be there for Katie, but he obviously is still not quite in that place, not yet.

Having made an epic mess of the weekend already, can Greg salvage whatever is left of Beth’s visit to Ludlow?

This is where the show packs a solid punch with its dramedy gloves. After sustaining an injury at the hockey practice he was supposed to supervise, Greg is taken home and is comforted by Beth and Katie. While things were going smoothly after Greg’s evening debacle, Katie brought up the same picture she saw at the beginning of the episode. Beth reveals that the picture was taken on their trip to Italy, and suddenly, the room is filled with the realization that Greg is still not over Beth.

Everyone is now at a loss for words, and Greg tries to break through the silence with some wine, but Beth declines and flees the scene. Katie feels guilty for bringing up the topic, and Greg, being the loving father he is, assures her that she is not at fault and that he is trying to get rid of his feelings for her mother, but it will take some time. The show obviously ends on a funny note when Greg reveals that Katie was conceived right after taking that picture.

The episode deals with some heavy emotions, and despite Greg finding a new version of himself at Ludlow, he is still not well-equipped to handle these complex feelings yet. On the bright side, his equation with Katie seems to be improving, and in the coming episodes, it might be even better.

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Do you think that Greg will be able to get over his feelings for Beth anytime soon? Share your thoughts in the comments.