Interlude III

Plot

In 2000, a young Judy makes an unwanted sexual remark toward a high school classmate, Trent, who responds by cutting her hair with scissors. She later tells him she loved him and destroys his saxophone. Eli and Aimee-Leigh face public scrutiny after warning about Y2K and profiting from selling survival kits, leading to protests outside their church. Jesse brings his girlfriend Amber to a family dinner; Judy steals Amber's grandmother's ring after it is left in the bathroom.

May–May and Peter, who lead a snake handling church, visit the Gemstone estate while hiding their disdain. Peter confesses to Eli that he is in financial trouble after spending $25,000 on the Y2K survival kits. Eli offers to buy back unused inventory, but May–May later refuses any money. Eli and Aimee-Leigh admit to each other they never believed in Y2K, and discuss Judy as a problem, unaware she overhears.

Jesse demands the ring back, and he and Judy bond over their conflicts. Judy returns the ring, while Jesse attacks Trent, shaving his head and spanking him. Eli faces protesters, admitting mistakes but asking for a chance. Peter decides to leave the survival kits in a storage unit instead of taking them to Eli, then attempts a bank robbery, killing a security guard and collapsing after being shot.

Reception

In its original American broadcast, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.240 million household viewers with a 0.05 in the 18-49 demographics, a slight decrease from the previous episode's 0.256 million viewers. The episode received extremely positive reviews from critics.

Matt Schimkowitz of The A.V. Club gave it a B+ grade, noting it provides context to earlier episodes while raising questions about Peter's secret investment and May–May's blame of Aimee-Leigh. Scott Tobias of Vulture gave a perfect 5-star rating, writing that the episode shows Judy as a misfit in a family without a succession track for women. Breeze Riley of Telltale TV gave a 4-star rating, calling it a standout flashback episode that sets up the feud between the Montgomerys and Gemstones while offering a heartwrenching look at Judy's youth.