by Tim Gordon
“I Want Revenge” Explores Vanity, Power, and the Cost of Control
Episode three of All’s Fair, titled “I Want Revenge,” deepens the series’ emotional stakes as aging, ambition, and vengeance collide, pushing Allura, Dina, and the firm into morally fraught territory where control comes at a devastating price.
Mirror Reflections and the Fear of Time
The episode opens on a deceptively light note as the women compare self-care rituals in the firm’s breakroom. What begins as playful banter turns reflective when Dina Standish (Glenn Close) observes that every cream, device, and routine seems designed to reverse time. She wonders aloud when the chase for youth ends, confessing that her real secret to staying young is keeping pace with her colleagues.
The moment quietly sets the thematic spine of the episode: the lengths women go to preserve power, beauty, and relevance in a world that punishes aging.
The Case of Leann and Tommy
Dina’s case of the week centers on Leann (Jessica Simpson), a former model trapped in a marriage to rock star Tommy (Rick Springfield). Tommy pushed Leann into repeated cosmetic surgeries to maintain her image, only to later ridicule her appearance and stash his wealth in offshore accounts.
During deposition, Tommy humiliates Leann publicly and offers a settlement that barely scratches the surface of his fortune. Dina and her team uncover the deception and secure a $100 million payout. But the legal victory curdles quickly. In a shocking turn, Leann confronts Tommy at a restaurant, verbally destroys him, and throws acid in his face.
The act leaves the firm shaken. Liberty Ronson (Naomi Watts) and Emerald Greene (Niecy Nash-Betts) argue the case should have been settled sooner, sparing Leann from implosion. Dina counters that the law cannot always contain pain once it metastasizes.
Milan’s Baby Shower and Allura’s Defining Choice
Elsewhere, Allura Grant (Kim Kardashian) receives a surprise invitation to a private baby shower for Milan (Teyana Taylor). Despite their strained history, Allura attends. What begins awkwardly turns unexpectedly emotional as Milan admits regret over how things ended with Chase Munroe (Matthew Noszka) and urges Allura to release her resentment.
Their conversation opens a wound Allura has kept buried. In flashback, she and Chase prepare for IVF during happier times. In the present, Allura visits her doctor alone and makes a secret, irreversible choice: she forges Chase’s signature and implants two embryos without his consent. The episode closes on her face as the procedure begins, fear and resolve locked in uneasy balance.
Allura’s decision marks a dangerous new chapter, one fueled by autonomy and desperation in equal measure.
Dina and Carr’s Fractured Bond
Dina later meets privately with her former protégé, Carrington Lane (Sarah Paulson), hoping for a truce. Carr, however, comes armed. She reveals that the embryos Allura and Chase created are legally Chase’s property and could be weaponized in divorce proceedings.
Dina is appalled, accusing Carr of becoming someone unrecognizable. Carr responds with cold satisfaction, her resentment now fully personal. Dina warns her that obsession will destroy everything she has built. Carr does not disagree. She simply does not care.
Chase’s Double Life Unravels
Chase continues his downward spiral, meeting with Maria (Hari Nef), a trans sex worker who admits Allura approached her about testifying against him. Maria refuses, insisting their relationship is transactional, though her longing complicates the truth.
When Emerald uncovers Chase’s involvement with Maria, she and Liberty bring the information to Allura. Already devastated by Milan’s pregnancy, Allura struggles to absorb another betrayal. The women rally around her, urging legal and emotional protection. Later, Allura accompanies Milan to STI testing, an excruciating yet oddly tender moment between two women bound by the same man.
Dina’s Private Reckoning
At home, Dina faces her own impending loss. Doug Standish (Ed O’Neill) learns his cancer has spread and that time is short. Though he shields Dina from the prognosis, his gentler demeanor betrays the truth. The couple share a quiet moment of intimacy, unaware that tragedy is rapidly approaching.
Final Thoughts
“I Want Revenge” is a layered meditation on control over the body, identity, and legacy. The episode threads its themes through Dina’s introspection, Leann’s violent reckoning, and Allura’s radical assertion of autonomy.
Each woman confronts the limits of power. For Allura, motherhood becomes both rebellion and salvation. For Dina, aging and loss force a painful reassessment of mentorship and care. For Carr, revenge threatens to consume everything she touches.
As the episode ends, the emotional stakes feel heavier than ever. All’s Fair continues to blend legal intrigue, female ambition, and deeply flawed humanity, reminding viewers that every victory extracts a cost and that revenge, once chosen, always demands payment.
