I don't like sports at all, but I'm still going to review an episode of Running Point (2025), on Netflix, about a basketball franchise (a team in a league that is guaranteed to play regardless of performance).
The Premise: When Cam (Justin Theroux) of the Los Angeles Waves retires to go into rehab, he names his sister Isla (Kate Hudson) franchise president, to the consternation of her brothers Screw-up Ness (Scott MacArthur) and Micromanaging Sandy (Drew Carver). Both Scott and Drew have played gay characters, and I think they're both bisexual in real life, so there's a good chance we'll see some gay representation.
To increase the odds, I'll review Episode 1.7, "A Special Place in Hell," where "Jackie and Sandy's messy love lives catch up with them."
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Scene 1: Isla enters the franchise headquarters, narrating that since Coach Marcus (Toby Sandeman) gave Player Dyson(Uche Agade) the confidence to shoot free-throws granny-style, the team has turned around. They've won three games in a row. Hey, Isla's friend is Brenda Song from "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody"
In the office, she asks her assistant Jackie (Fabizio Guido) to refill her water jug, but he's not around. Cut to him in bed with a woman: "This is the best thing that ever happened to me, including finding out that I'm in a family of billionaires." But he's late for work, so he rushes out (underwear shot).
Back story: Jackie, who worked concessions at the basketball arena, recently discovered that he was the illegitimate son of the sibling's father, so their half-brother. They responded by giving him a job as Isla's assistant?
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Scene 2: Jackie trying to work and look at bikini girls on the internet. Isla wants to know where he was all morning. He had to stop and...vote. "Oh, we have to do that again?" Probably, but there will just be one person on the ballot.
The other brothers and the coach call her into the conference room to discuss "an existential crisis": Important Player Travis' overbearing Mom. She comes onto the court during games. She calls plays. They can't just send her back to Florida, because players idolize their Moms. They sacrificed everything to push them out of the hood. So could Isla tell her to tone it down?
Scene 3: Heading to the restroom, Jackie texts his girl an invitation to the Shake Shack. Inside, he literally bumps into the Very Important Mr. Ramirez (Roberto Sanchez), and praises him for all he has done for the Hispanic community. Mr. Ramireze then praises Jackie's father: "I never approved of his lifestyle, but seeing you makes me think that some good came from his proclivities."
It sounds like he's being homophobic, but he means that Jackie's Dad, the deceased franchise president, had lots of heterosexual marital affairs.
When Ramirez leaves, Jackie unzips at the urinal --- and screams! Well, it's your own fault for not wrapping it.
Scene 4: The team practicing. Travis' Mom drops by to water him, smooch him all over, and discuss how much she loves him. Ugh, a smothering mom.
After he leaves, Isla drops in to try to get Mom to lay off a little. She's one of those big, flashy, crass women you see on reality tv, maybe a parody of a Kardashian or something. I'll fast-forward over that section.
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Scene 5: Finally, we get to Sandy (Drew Tarver, right). He leaves a voice mail for Charlie, with whom he has had a falling-out. "I know we're not technically speaking, but I found the air pod you were looking for. I could drop it off anytime. Love you." After hanging up, he screams "F*ck!" in horror at how lame he sounded.
I'd identify him as gay, but I've been fooled before by women with men's names, so let's just wait.
Meanwhile, Jackie goes to his half-brother Ness's office: "When I pee, it feels like fire coming out." See a doctor. "You've got chlyamidia, dog." A common STD that spreads through unprotected oral, anal, or vaginal sex, although with gay men, it appears most often in the rectum.
Having sex increases a straight man's prestige, since presumably women have to be wooed and won, so. Ness congratulates and hugs him. "You'll be fine. Just go see the team doctor. STDS are like 80% of what they deal with."
More after the break. Caution: Explicit
Scene 6: Important Player Travis's apartment. More Mom stuff that I'm fast-forwarding past. Takeaway: Travis has a hurt knee, and his mother is providing him with pain-killing drugs. If the team finds out that he's in pain, he won't get an extension, which is really important. Google AI: A new contract signed by a player, so like keeping his job
Later, Isla yells at her brothers and the coach for thinking anything bad about Travis' Mom: she is a wonder.
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Cut to Jackie in the doctor's office. "Where you from, Doc?" "Just outside Philadelphia. Now let's see your penis." It's a legitimate request in this sort of exam, but it still sounds dirty. "You have chlyamidia."
Jackie wants a blood test, but the Doctor knows just by looking: "I've seen dongs of every size, shape, color, affliction." Hey, me too! "Take these pills, and call all the sexual partners you've had in the last 30 days." Even the glory hole guys?
Scene 7: Isla enters her office to find Travis' Mom lying on the couch with her shoes off, eating KFC. Fast forwarding to the Very Important Mr. Ramirez yelling at Isla because his daughter has to be tested for a STD. But Isla didn't have sex with your daughter. Why yell at her?
He explains: "Your brother gave it to her!" Maybe she gave it to the brother?
"Which one? Rehab, married, gay, or Jackie?" Aha, Sandy is established as gay at Minute 16.
"Jackie. I want you to fire him!" But...what does that have to do with his work performance?
Cut to Jackie in the hallway, still calling people he had sex with. Isla catches up and calls him "a disease-ridden skank." "You're gonna take responsibility and fix this." He called everyone; what else should he do?
She advises that since he's famous now, lots of girls are going to want to be with him. He has to be careful.
Scene 8: Mom filming her own reality show in the lounge. Sandy tries to pull her out, but she yells "Get your hands off me, gay man!" Sandy: "Technically not an insult, but I didn't like the tone."
Isla and Mom fight. Later Isla commiserates with the Coach, whom she has a crush on.
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Scene 9: Sandy goes out to dinner with his brother Ness, who tells him:
Ness; "I couldn't let you spend another night at home, being sad, jerkin' it."
Uh-oh, ex-boyfriend Charlie (Scott Evans) is there with a new guy! Ness drags Sandy over to say hello.
"Um...um...about your airpod?" Sandy begins.
"You can just throw it out."
Charlie introduces his date, Bryson, a personal trainer. Ness complements him: "You're in incredible shape."
Bryson is played by actor/model Ben Palacios (top photo and left)
Sandy tries to frame them as a couple of gym buddies grabbing a bite after their workout. No, they've been dating for three weeks. "But...we only broke up four weeks ago..." Rebounding, dude.
Ness tries to pull Bryson into advice about his "flabby lats." How do lats get flabby? But Sandy continues to be hurt. "My boyfriend of a year starts dating someone else a week after we broke up?" "Two weeks. We broke up at your sister's engagement party."
Ness pulls him back to the table, and we cut to Isla and the Coach flirting.
Scene 9: Jackie apologizes for his behavior by giving the Very Important Mr. Ramirez a fruit basket. He offers advice: Jackie can't act as irresponsibly as his brothers and sister. He's Hispanic, so he'll be judged more severely for his screw ups. Also: "Never see my daughter again, or I'll kill you. I'm rich -- I can get away with it." The end.
Beefcake: Not much. No locker room scenes.
Heterosexism: Jackie's many s*exual encounters are framed as irresponsible.
Gay Character: Sandy in the C Plot. He should have gotten more space, but his ex-boyfriend appears in five episodes, so maybe he gets an A Plot elsewhere.
My Grade: In a well-written episode, the three plots would have a thematic connection or otherwise be interrelated, but I didn't see a connection between Jackie getting a STD, Sandy upset because his partner has moved on, and Travis' Mom being overbearing. C+.
Bonus: Another Ben Palacios, and Justin Theroux, who plays the retired brother, below.
See also: With Love Episode 2.1: A gay bachelor party in Las Vegas, with Scott Evans' d*ck
"Is There Sex After Death?": A Gideon/Scotty story, with Scott MacArthur as Scotty Steele
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