All’s Fair Season-Finale Recap: Partner in Crime

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Okay, I’m just going to say it: All’s Fair is a masterpiece, and I’ve always felt that way. I get it if you thought I’d lost it, especially with the show getting so…out there. But honestly, it wasn’t until the season one finale that everything clicked. It finally embraced its wildness, perfectly blending its over-the-top camp with genuinely soapy drama. What finally made it work? Was it the shocking opening? Or Niecy Nash-Betts having a moment on a private jet? No, the moment I knew this show got it was when Carrington and her baby daddy started quoting Postcards from the Edge while watching Postcards from the Edge. Seriously, hearing Sarah Paulson as Carrington yell, “I did not lift my skirt, it TWIRLED UP!” isn’t just a great moment for representation, it’s genuinely perfect television. It’s just…brilliant.

Honestly, I think this show has finally hit its stride because it’s stopped pretending anyone but Carrington is the main character. I knew from the beginning she was the one to watch, and now the show finally agrees, centering the finale around her story. Before we even get to her career moves, there’s a hilarious scene where Sebastian asks about her love life. He imagines her with a Hugh Grant or Hugh Laurie type, and her response? Gold. She deadpans that “people named Hugh are, 90 percent of the time, swishy queens.” Seriously, that line is brilliant and deserves to be replayed endlessly. Then, she casually drops that her current crush, Chase Munroe, reminds her of her first crush: Jesus Christ. And then… the kicker. She admits, “I used to rub one out to Jesus. Sunday school was my steam room.” That’s when it clicked – that’s why this show went from good to absolutely phenomenal. Five stars, all the way!

Consumed by a powerful infatuation, Sebastian tasks Carr with a provocative challenge: to seduce Chase. Though he still hopes to win back Allura, Carr finds Chase easily susceptible to her advances. She lures him back to her office, initiating a brazen encounter with a shockingly direct invitation. The scene is both outrageous and surprisingly effective, even with Carr initially remaining fully clothed. A later encounter escalates further, involving elaborate role-playing – Chase arrives dressed as a firefighter, while Carr sports a provocative nurse outfit. Their intimacy is immediate and raw, lacking any traditional foreplay. The graphic nature of the scene is shocking, bordering on the absurd, and evokes comparisons to a horror film. The bizarre dynamic continues as Carr compels Chase to refer to himself as Jesus. Amidst this playful role-playing, he momentarily slips and calls her Allura, revealing a lingering connection to his former love.

That initial mistake turned out to be a hint of what was to come. After a season of being rivals with Allura’s firm, Carr is unexpectedly considered for a partnership – an idea Dina proposed, much to the disbelief of the other partners. Despite their dislike for her, they decide to interview Carr if her abilities are strong enough. Instead of trying to make amends, Carr arrives dressed as Allura Grant, clearly intending to provoke and boast about a past relationship. She explains this is about finally getting some “closure” after years of feeling rejected. Even with this outrageous behavior, Carr manages to impress them during a mediation by revealing damaging information about their client’s ex.

Even though Chase made a strange, cold-cut version of beef bourguignon, he ends their date, and the episode finishes with Carr and Sebastian watching The Devil Wears Prada. While watching, Carr surprisingly argues that Miranda Priestly is the true hero and Andy is the villain – a perspective that mirrors how she views this whole situation. She then chillingly reveals her plan: to join the law firm, expand it massively, and ultimately destroy it from the inside.

The season’s last episode dives further into Carr’s mind, revealing her disturbing thoughts of harming women – specifically, she confesses to her therapist about wanting to kill them using their Hermes scarves. She’s meticulously planned this, even keeping a notebook called “Final Revenge” detailing everything.

The first priority is getting Liberty on board with Carr joining the firm, as she’s been strongly opposed to it. To do this, she visits Liberty and subtly creates tension between her and the other partners, playing on Liberty’s existing fear of being seen as an outsider because she’s British. It’s amusing to watch, especially considering Liberty’s worry about not fitting in despite her privileged background, and I hope the show continues this storyline. She exploits this insecurity by gifting Liberty a rare Princess Diana plate, a clear attempt to appeal to her British sensibilities. She also helps Liberty choose bridesmaids dresses with a traditional British style, knowing the others will dislike them – and they do. The dresses make Liberty’s colleagues look strangely unsettling, and she’s hurt when they can’t help but laugh at how awful they are.

Everything goes smoothly with the plan, and when the partners secretly vote on whether to hire Carr, she gets two votes in her favor. However, that’s not enough to decide the outcome, so they’ll vote again in 48 hours. During that time, they can discuss the decision, but they aren’t allowed to reveal how they originally voted.

During a lunch scene, Carr asks Dina if she secured the partnership, a nod to Glenn Close’s famous role in Sunset Boulevard. However, there’s a shocking twist: Dina reveals she didn’t vote for Carr and doesn’t want her working at the firm. Dina explains she realized Carr was behind the drama with the bridesmaid dresses and refuses to let her continue causing problems. She coldly tells Carr that she only ever felt pity for her, delivering a crushing blow. In a moment of explosive frustration, Carrington throws her wine at Dina – a satisfying display of the show’s newfound energy. A soaked Dina storms off, promising to actively work against Carr, leaving her alone and heartbroken.

Carrington Lane is fiercely determined and won’t hesitate to retaliate, escalating conflicts dramatically. Driven by a long-held desire for revenge, she cleverly approaches Alura with concerns about Dina’s mental state. Alura initially dismisses her, but Carrington, a skilled lawyer, presents a convincing case backed by evidence – including potentially fabricated text messages and statements from a witness. Alura, unfortunately, is easily fooled and falls for the deception, leading to a firm-wide meeting to address the supposed issues with Dina. While the show has focused on the romance, it’s now shifting towards conflict and betrayal.

One of the most compelling moments in the finale is when Dina, initially lighthearted, asks, “What the hell is this?” when presented with texts supposedly sent from her account, which she claims were the result of hacking. However, the situation quickly escalates as more evidence emerges. Carr dramatically shifts the blame, accusing Dina of throwing the wine and alleging she had dementia medication in her bathroom. He even calls in Dina’s housekeeper, Esperanza, who shockingly accuses Dina of violent choking – an accusation Dina believes Carr prompted with threats of deportation or a financial bribe. But the most damaging claim is Carr’s assertion that Dina left Esperanza a substantial inheritance in her will, a change to the document Dina has no recollection of making. This inconsistency forces Dina to question her own memory, and the more she doubts herself, the more suspicious she appears.

Dina’s partners don’t even have to finish her off, because the scene is quickly interrupted by a detective arresting her for the attack on Emerald. It’s a wild turn – just moments ago, the show was making Dina believe she was losing her mind, and now she’s being charged with murder! I’m thrilled by the chaos. But did she actually do it? Or is this a mistake by the police, or is Carr pulling the strings in an even more elaborate way? It’s hard to know, as Sarah Paulson delivers a flawlessly stoic performance. Either way, the show has finally reached the point of complete and utter madness it was always building towards.

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2025-12-09 21:55