DTF St. Louis Recap: A Little Suburban Danger

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The next-to-last episode of DTF St. Louis revisits the dating app that kicked off the series. Flashback to 2018: what begins as a normal romance between neighbors quickly spirals into something much more complicated. A local weatherman concocts an elaborate scheme – he hires someone to pose as a fake online match to arouse his friend, an ASL interpreter. To make things even more tangled, the weatherman is also having an affair at a nearby hotel.

Ultimately, DTF offers a surprisingly insightful and unique look at the growing problem of male loneliness and how dating apps have changed relationships in recent years. However, the way the story is presented – as a murder mystery stretched over seven episodes – doesn’t really add much depth. While it fits the mold of a typical, easy-to-watch drama for streaming audiences, it feels stretched and repetitive. This week’s interview with Clark, even with his lawyer present, follows the same pattern: he’s initially reserved, something reminds him of Floyd, he starts to open up, and then we see another flashback.

The flashback sequence is substantial and reveals the moment Clark decided to be unfaithful. It’s presented through a bizarre scene where Clark awkwardly shouts “BEWARE!” while delivering a weather report, complete with the strange karate kick-punch and yoga pose we saw earlier. This seemingly normal, yet unsettling, moment highlights Clark’s underlying anxiety and isolation. He later realizes, while braiding his daughter’s hair, that this pent-up emotion was preventing him from fully engaging with life. Essentially, when he couldn’t focus on simple things – like the weather or his daughter’s stories – without thinking about infidelity, he felt he needed to act on those impulses. This leads to an encounter with Carol Smernitch, and soon, we see her uncomfortable reaction to her husband’s advances from within a hotel closet. Clark calls it “a little suburban danger” – his plan, until he unexpectedly befriended the man he was having an affair with.

It’s a shame that the growing connection between Floyd and Clark has overshadowed Carol’s character development. The detectives, Homer and Plumb, are trying to uncover details about Carol’s past conviction, which has been sealed. They plan to use a fake job application to access this information and see if it connects her to the mysterious bicycle seen in the surveillance footage. While I understand the show is aiming for a realistic portrayal of suburban life and that Carol’s character is intentionally complex – shifting from a seductive figure to a relatable woman struggling with everyday problems – her role as the prime suspect has made her increasingly unclear. Meanwhile, Floyd and Clark have become much more defined characters as the season nears its end.

Things really take a turn when Clark tries a desperate plan to make Floyd feel appreciated. He creates a fake profile on a dating app, calling it “Tiger Tiger,” and sends Floyd, who goes by “Rocksolid,” a message. As always, Harbour delivers a powerful performance, showing both the sadness of a man feeling invisible and the humor of rediscovering attention. Floyd’s reaction to the message – admitting he feels seen again if someone finds him attractive – isn’t what Clark anticipated, but Clark, driven by his desire to reconnect with his friend and boost his confidence, decides to go through with a real meeting with the person he invented.

This week’s episode of the show truly showcases Jason Bateman’s talent, particularly in a hilarious scene at a Denny’s in Chicago. While the show’s writing can be hit or miss, Bateman consistently delivers, and this week was no exception. His deadpan delivery of the line about Floyd “helping the deaf” was a highlight. The scene, where Clark attempts to subtly woo a young man using only Denny’s menu items as code, perfectly captures the awkwardness and loneliness of modern dating. It’s a small, unsettling moment that speaks volumes about connection in the 21st century.

The episode features a particularly clever sequence: a failed business pitch is immediately followed by a surprise encounter with Chris Perfetti from Abbot Elementary, who’s been secretly observing. Perfetti agrees to participate in a plan (playing ‘Tiger Tiger’) and meet with Floyd, but he gets hesitant after traveling to St. Louis with Clark and witnessing Floyd injure himself while running. The storyline culminates in a comedic yet heartbreaking exchange reminiscent of Abbott and Costello, where Clark and Floyd sign messages back and forth from a distance. Clark expresses his affection and support, but Floyd is deeply insecure, having just seen Perfetti reject him from afar. This leaves Clark, who isn’t equipped to handle the situation emotionally, to desperately try to lift Floyd’s spirits. Next week’s episode promises to reveal the consequences of these events, including what ‘pops,’ who is responsible, and ultimately, the fate of Floyd Smernitch.

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2026-04-06 05:58