WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Dope Thief episode 2.The 2025 crime thriller seriesDope Thiefmade a strong first impression with its two-part premiere on Apple TV+. InDope Thief’s first two episodes, the show gave a wild and emotional introduction to its gripping drama about Ray (Brian Tyree Henry) and Manny’s (Wagner Moura) war with a drug cartel after a robbery gone wrong. However, episode 2 left viewers off with a lot of hanging plot threads waiting to be unfolded throughoutDope Thiefseason 1, increasing the urge to stay tuned to Apple TV+’s new crime series.
After the first episode ended with Ray and Manny escaping from a burning meth lab, they go into hiding after the lab’s leader, the head of a major drug cartel, learns they aren’t actual DEA agents. As Ray and Manny try to discover the identities of those stalking them,the duo scramble to protect themselves and the people they care aboutfrom the cartel’s wrath. When it is revealed that the cartel knows who they are, Ray and Manny’s fight to survive becomes even more difficult, raising even more questions about the story so far. The thrilling tension is one of the many reasonsDope Thiefhas such a great Rotten Tomatoes score.
How Does The Drug Leader Know Who Manny & Ray Are?
Ray’s Father Inadvertently Gave Him Away To The Cartel
A good portion ofDope Thiefepisode 2 revolves around Ray and Manny investigating who could’ve revealed their identities to the drug cartel after them, suspecting their accomplice Rick was responsible. After meeting with Bart (Ving Rhames) in prison, Ray learns that his fathertold a recently released convict named Danny Loebsack about him. Since Danny is said to have worked with a gang called “Eden’s Gardeners,” the show implies that Danny gave away Ray’s identity to the cartel.
Why Mina Puts Herself In Custody
The Undercover Mina Hopes To Protect Herself From The Cartel
After being shot while undercover at the cartel’s meth lab, Mina (Marin Ireland) remains in the hospital as she recovers from her injuries. Though she made it through surgery, Mina is left unable to speak for now. Hoping to maintain her cover and protect herself from the cartel, Mina urges her superior, Mark Nader (Amir Arison), to put her in custody to make her appear like she’s a criminal. Though this means Mina won’t be back on the field for a while, she will surely continue to support her fellow DEA agents in investigating Ray, Manny, and the cartel.
How Could Bart Be Released From Prison?
Michelle Could Get Bart A Compassionate Release From Jail
Though Bart is imprisoned after a history of drug abuse and domestic violence that has clearly traumatized Ray, Theresa has tried to hire lawyer Michelle (Nesta Cooper) to help him get out of prison, despite Ray’s disapproval. At the end of the episode, Michelle meets with Ray, saying it is possible to get Bart a “compassionate release” from jail despite the reason he was convicted.
Dope Thief Cast & Character Guide
Led by Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura, the cast of Apple TV+s Dope Thief has many capable actors who bring life and drama to this TV crime series.
As she discusses the case with Ray, Michelle reveals that Bart has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, meaning she can get him out of prison so he can get medical aid and better living conditions in the last days of his life. At this point, it’s unknown how or if Ray’s feud with the cartel will affect Bart’s chances of freedom or jeopardize his life even more.
Why The Bikers Kill The Loebsacks
The Cartel Sends A Message To Ray And Manny At The Loebsacks
After learning about Danny Loebsack from his father, Ray visits the former’s house with Manny, only to find Danny and his family dead after a brutal massacre. It’s a gruesome scene that shows Ray and Manny ambushed by a couple of bikers working for the cartel trying to kill them. Ray understandably asks why the cartel would kill the Loebsacks after Danny gave up Ray.
Clearly,Dope Thiefshows that this cartel is a ruthless and dangerous threat with the Loebsacks' murders.
Manny explains that the murders were meant to send a message to him and Ray about who they’re dealing with. Clearly,Dope Thiefshows that this cartel is a ruthless and dangerous threat with the Loebsacks' murders. In fact, Manny was so terrified that he immediately called Sherry and told her to leave her house for her safety after seeing the Loebsacks' dead bodies. All in all, this mass murder was the cartel’s way of upholding its fearsome image to everyone else, asserting its dominance to anyone who dares cross their path.
The Biker’s Ringtone & Deeper Meaning Explained
The Ringtone Adds Levity To A Heavy And Nail-Biting Episode
After killing one of the bikers at Danny Loebsack’s house, Ray takes one of the biker’s phones and holds onto it. Throughout the rest of the episode, the phone plays a ringtone that Ray struggles to identify the song it’s from. It is only in the final scene that Michelle identifies the ringtone as “Bat Out of Hell” by Meatloaf, which the episode is named after.
At first glance, it seems like this ringtone has no great significance. However,Ray learning what song it’s from gives him reliefin the episode’s last scene as he laughs in response. Considering his meeting with Michelle began with him breaking out into tears after avoiding death multiple times, this revelation relieves a lot of the fear and pressure building up inside Ray throughout the episode. The song’s lyrics also reflect Ray’s situation as someone trying to escape a dark and dangerous world while hinting at a tragedy that may befall him and Manny.
Where Is Manny Now?
Ray’s Friend/Partner Is Nowhere To Be Seen
Since Episode 2 ofDope Thiefshows Ray and Manny trying to go into hiding from the cartel, when Ray searches for Manny in the latter’s apartment,it’s no surprise that Ray sees his friend is nowhere to be found. Before Ray can find any leads to Manny’s whereabouts, he flees from a group of men from the cartel trying to kill him. The episode ends without revealing where Manny is now. However, since Manny told his girlfriend Sherry to leave her home, it is implied that he is hiding somewhere with her and thatDope Thief’s third episode will return to them there.
