This article contains spoilers for MGM+‘s The Westies Episode 7
The idea of loyalties and where they lie in each of us is present at all times, and in every episode of The Westies. Through the first six episodes, the powers that be talk the talk, but it’s the men beneath them who have the real loyalties. Meanwhile, the bosses trade loyalties in behind-the-scenes meetings.
Still, with drugs now in the mix, things have changed. In Episode 7, “A Boy Made of Trouble,” certain decisions crossed lines that cannot be crossed. Now both the Gambinos and the Irish are ticking time bombs, ready to go off.
Jimmy and Sweeney’s Alliance Reaches a Breaking Point
The catalyst this week for getting the chaos ball rolling was Sean (Rohan Mead), one of Jimmy Roarke’s (Tom Brittney) men under the leadership of Eamon Sweeney (J.K. Simmons), being arrested for possession by two undercover cops. This sparks another disagreement and divide among the Irish about whether Sean will keep his mouth shut, as he’s facing at least five years in prison.
Jimmy and Mickey Flanagan (Stanley Morgan) stand by him, while Sweeney and his henchman aren’t so sure. Will he remain loyal or cave under pressure?
Meanwhile, Glenn Keenan (Titus Welliver) begins his plan, backed by his FBI masters, to pressure Sean into giving up some information. When that fails, he turns his attention to Jimmy, hoping to get him to turn on Sweeney. Keenan knows Sweeney well and knows he cares more about the big project in Hell’s Kitchen, the source of the supposed truce with the Italians, than anything or anyone else.
He wants power, the kind money won’t buy, and he’ll do what he can to get it. Keenan approaches Jimmy and begins planting seeds of doubt in his head, using some info that is actually true and some Jimmy already suspected.
The big plan to detonate the car bomb and kill the target is now a failed memory, so the IRA, with Bridget (Sarah Bolger) still involved, begins a new plan. Bridget convinces the unstable Brendan Cahill (Allen Leech) to let her take the lead. Disguised, she goes undercover and has a conversation with the target, the man who had a hand in her parents’ deaths.
The two leave together after drinks, headed to his room, with who knows what thoughts running through Bridget’s mind. She is torn between the IRA, revenge, and Jimmy, but deep down she seems to feel she can’t move forward without some form of closure with her parents. Killing seems her only option.
Sweeney and John Gotti (Hamish Allan-Headley), both aware that things could spiral out of control, meet to discuss it. Gotti, fresh from a visit by the feds, wants reassurance that Sean won’t talk, which Sweeney confirms. However, the more they talk, the more Sweeney realizes the risk that Sean will talk at some point is too great to ignore, and he tells Gotti he’ll take care of it.
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If the past is any indication, Sean is as good as dead. We see yet another example of the men in charge being only interested in themselves, with loyalty be damned. Before you know it, Sean is meeting with Sweeney and his men. After being escorted outside, he is killed, and his body is to be cut up and disposed of.
The meeting between Gotti and Sweeney was recorded by the FBI. While they look the other way, Keenan borrows the tape of the conversation and plays it for Jimmy, also informing him that Sean never showed up to turn himself in. It fuels Jimmy’s already mounting distrust of Sweeney, and he confronts him, eventually pulling a gun on him.
He doesn’t kill him and leaves, but nothing will ever be the same between them again. It leaves an interesting question hanging. Both of these men can no longer be in each other’s company, so one of them has to go. The question is, who will it be and how will it be done?
The Westies Episode 7 Builds Toward a Dangerous Season Finale
Another week, another great slow-burn performance from Welliver, with Simmons as well. Both actors grow more comfortable in their roles with each episode, especially Welliver. The show benefits from it. The Westies works best when the internal conflict is ongoing, and we’ve had plenty of that lately.
However, while Bolger is great as Bridget, the IRA storyline can pull one out of the episode. Here’s hoping there’s a payoff there, maybe even a crossover with the main storyline.
There is no doubt this week’s episode crossed many lines, especially on the Irish mafia front. That makes next week’s finale even more intriguing. There are more than a few storylines to wrap up, and undoubtedly a few characters who won’t make it out alive. Everything points to an interesting finish. Let’s hope the powers that be can bring it home with a coherent, well-thought-out episode.
The Westies Episode 7 is now streaming on MGM+. New episodes premiere every Sunday through August 23.
