by Tim Gordon
The third episode of Season 3, Run This Town, finds Jax caught in the kind of storm that tests her on every front: as a lawyer, as a mother, as a wife, and as a daughter.
Eddie’s Return
Jax’s estranged father, Eddie (Richard Brooks), makes a surprise appearance, claiming he wants to reconnect. Both Jax and Lewis meet him with skepticism. Years of drug abuse and absence have left scars that no apology can easily heal. Jax dismisses him outright in the moment, but the encounter lingers, rattling her beneath her poised exterior. Eddie’s reappearance threatens to pull up old wounds just as her plate is already overflowing with crises.
Ozzie’s Trial Heats Up
The Ozzie case takes center stage, and the circus around him is growing. Out on bail, Ozzie (Kyle Bary) flaunts his celebrity with the paparazzi, landing himself on house arrest. Jax’s frustration boils over because her client is his own worst enemy. She lays out a careful strategy: plant seeds of doubt in the jury’s mind, manage the narrative in the press, and hold the partners at the firm at bay. But the partners’ unusual interest in the case makes her uneasy, as though they’re waiting for her to fail.
She assigns Daniel (Tim Jo) to “babysit” Ozzie, keeping him from further self-destruction. Daniel uses the downtime to bond with Ozzie’s sister, and sparks of intimacy begin to fly. That brief calm is shattered when Ozzie nearly overdoses, confirming he’s more than just a liability; he’s a time bomb. Jax calls in her trusted friend Autumn (Tiffany Yvonne Cox), a therapist, who coaxes Ozzie into revealing a devastating secret: he was sexually abused as a child. The revelation reframes his erratic behavior, but it also gives Jax more responsibility to manage than she bargained for.
Naima’s Rebellion
At home, Jax and Lewis are blindsided when their daughter Naima (Aderinsola Olabode) is arrested for shoplifting. Though the act was little more than peer pressure, the fallout runs deep. Suspended from school, she’s forced to spend the day with Lewis, where their simmering tensions erupt. Naima confronts him about the “crazy work” rumor, his affair, and the existence of a secret child. Lewis denies it, but his denial only fuels her suspicion. Later, he confesses the conversation to Jax, and the two scramble to contain the fallout. Their marriage, already strained, teeters on the edge as secrets they’ve buried start surfacing where their daughter can see.
Office Politics
The firm’s politics grow thornier. Jax faces veiled hostility from colleagues who suggest she only wields power because she’s the “token” Black partner at the table. Her fiery response is vintage Jax: sharp, uncompromising, and laced with truth. “If you’ve got questions about this case,” she tells the room, “you can check the letterhead.” Still, the confrontation underscores the fragility of her position.
Meanwhile, Bill (Joseph Sikora) finds himself squeezed between his failing marriage and the firm’s power games. The partners approach him with a dangerous offer: spy on Jax and share intel that could bring her down. In exchange, they’ll clear his path to partnership. Bill tries to cozy up to Jax, and she, perhaps too generously, takes him into her confidence. Whether he’ll stay loyal remains an open question and one that could define her future at the firm.
Closing Moments
The episode closes on cliffhangers across every front:
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Eddie pleading for one last chance to prove he’s serious.
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Naima closer than ever to unraveling her parents’ secrets.
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Ozzie is implicated further as new evidence emerges, and Jax uncovers a trail that may lead to the real killer.
Final Thoughts
Episode 3 piles on the pressure with family betrayals, legal landmines, and workplace conspiracies all closing in on Jax. Even with her name on the letterhead, it’s clear the partners won’t stop until they drag her down. Naima’s rebellion threatens to blow open secrets Jax and Lewis have tried to bury. And with Bill dangling in the middle, Jax may not see the knife aimed at her back until it’s too late.