Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Hot Tub Death Machine

Max’s secret has a seat at the table of a crime-solving dinner party on Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 5, “Hot Tub Death Machine.”

The episode, written by James Thorpe and directed by Alexandra La Roche, frames its procedural and serialized narratives through Ellis and Max telling George, Ricky, and Vivienne about the case of the week.

Wild Cards only streamlines both in the present when their work together inspires professional and personal breakthroughs. In turn, the consultant procedural drama finds a new wave of momentum in its midseason outing.

The season’s cases have been hit or miss so far, so “Hot Tub Death Machine” does a lot of necessary heavy lifting in pulling the procedural element back on track.

Part of that is because Wild Cards tells the story differently from its usual structure. That alone pulls a new level of engagement. It goes beyond that, too, because this episode strikes a finer balance with all of the season’s moving parts.

While there is still too much ground to cover, it’s a marked improvement that “Hot Tube Death Machine” brings Jessica back in a more active, on-screen role.

She last appeared on Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 2, “Quit Playing Games (With My Life),” and it only presented the relationship as solid and stable without really sitting with Ellis and Jessica to believe their connection.

As this episode — finally — pulls Max and Ellis closer, the show must make some sort of supportive case for Ellis and Jessica if there’s meant to be tension there. Otherwise, it won’t land that Ellis is genuinely torn between two people he cares about; that will only appear true about one.

So, “Hot Tub Death Machine” still struggles with Jessica and Ellis, but at least it recognizes Jessica’s skills as an investigative journalist. It’s also nice to see Jessica’s personality take a bit more shape in her two quick scenes.

This episode has a knack for pulling those out of characters through realistic yet surprising methods. Look no further than Yates answering strange calls about the full moon and dancing on a balcony when she’s meant to be paying attention.

There’s also a quick line from Li (“Love’s overrated”) in Act 4 that satisfyingly tugs on Wild Cards Season 2 Episode 7, “The Big Bang Theory.” 

“Hot Tub Death Machine” also addresses the fallout of everything with Commissioner Russo from Wild Cards Season 2 Episode 13, “Sunrise, Sunset.”

Understandably, this season is more focused on Vivienne’s reappearance and the diamond heist she brings with her. This episode reiterates that the Season 2 finale has more lasting implications for the city in which Wild Cards takes place.

The episode’s case of the week finds its foundation in the mayoral race that occurs in the wake of Russo’s corruption. That’s a fascinating plot that hasn’t emerged until now. Given that “Hot Tub Death Machine” marks the season’s halfway point, hopefully, this story won’t fall into the background again.

After all, that story is so pivotal to Ellis and his relationship to grief and justice. 

That familiarity folds into Ellis realizing that Vivienne — Well, Cheyenne, as far as he knows — is Max’s mother after she brings up the Dead of the Night books.

That detail calls back to Wild Cards Season 1 Episode 6, “Dead of Night,” and it’s so meaningful that Ellis hasn’t forgotten it. 

When Ellis arrives at Max’s place, she tells her mother that she vets him every day, signaling that she knows him. Ellis’s instant recognition of something so significant proves the same for him with Max. Even George and Ricky trust Ellis!

Those dinner sequences are so good — there’s so much in them. Ricky standing in the doorway while George and Vivienne share a genuine connection and the loving look Vivienne gives George when he gets lost in The Golden Girls element of his story are two examples of the show using this story to its advantage.

It’s also really exciting that “Hot Tub Death Machine” takes the lead of Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 4, “Dead Weight,” and puts Vivienne and Ellis in the same room. What results is a dynamic duel of intelligence and a shared love for Max.

That face culminates in that beautifully constructed scene between Max and Ellis where the truth — or at least part of it — comes out. Giacomo Gianniotti plays it so Ellis’s emotional response is never in question. There’s no anger, only hurt.

Meanwhile, this scene is the first time that Max has spoken so candidly about how she feels about Vivienne, signifying Max’s trust in Ellis. That emotional conflict snowballs with Max sharing that she intended to meet Ellis on his boat. 

The vision of what could’ve been sparks in Ellis’s eyes, while Max has already let go of it because of Jessica. The romantic tension is palpable. So, even as some truths emerge, there’s still a lie lingering between them, disguising their current feelings and propelling Wild Cards forward.

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Wild Cards airs Mondays at 8/7c on The CW.

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