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The third episode of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed concluded with a shocking and intense cliffhanger, leaving audiences anxious about the survival of a key character. Rather than let viewers stew in anticipation, we reached out directly to the Apple TV star for insights.
Warning: Spoilers for Episode 3 of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed follow.
In the latest episode, Paula (played by Tatiana Maslany) finds herself juggling a significant proposition from Karl (Jake Johnson) while also attempting to uncover her blackmailer’s identity. Meanwhile, Dennis (Murray Bartlett) is on a mission to locate her. To do this, he cleverly plants tracking devices in four pairs of pink soccer cleats similar to the ones Hazel (Nola Wallace) misplaced, distributing them at local elementary schools. His scheme partially succeeds as he tracks Hazel, but it turns out Paula isn’t the one driving her after soccer practice—it’s Mallory (Jessy Hodges).
Under the impression he had found Hazel’s mother, Dennis tails Mallory during her park bike ride. As the episode nears its end, he leaps from behind a bush and assaults her. After she crashes to the ground, he places a black plastic bag over her head and prepares to stab her, only to realize she’s not Paula due to the absence of an ankle tattoo he had noticed on Paula in a previous encounter. Adjusting his plan, Dennis stages a robbery by stealing Mallory’s watch and jewelry, then escapes, leaving her injured and struggling for air under the plastic bag. The episode ends with Mallory gasping for breath, raising the question: is Mallory dead?
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Episode 3 Ending Explained: Is Mallory Dead?!
Are you searching for clarity on the ending of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Episode 3? Curious if Dennis actually killed Mallory, or if she might recover in Episode 4? We spoke with Jessy Hodges to discuss the episode’s tense finale, her excitement upon reading the script, and Mallory’s fate.
“I was very excited when I saw that,” Hodges said when asked about Episode 3’s intense ending. “From an actor perspective, it was so much fun to shoot. I got to work with Murray for a little, and I was biking around I think it’s called Forest Park for like ten hours one day in the most beautiful weather.”
From a character perspective, however, Mallory will absolutely be traumatized by the experience. Though the situation is dire when Episode 3 ends, she is still alive when the credits roll. “Chunnel” saw Mallory and Karl inviting Paula a move to Boise, Idaho with them so Mallory could accept a big career opportunity and Paula wouldn’t have to be apart from Hazel. But Paula refused to accept the olive branch and vowed to fight to keep Hazel in the city with her, her friends, her soccer team, and her routine.
Assuming Mallory recovers from the attack, which it sounds like she does, Hodges told Decider that the scary experience will only accelerate her desire to leave the city and likely add more fuel to the fiery dynamic with Paula.
“I think it actually intensely shifts the way that she’s thinking about New York City, and therefore, what ends up happening throughout the rest of the season with their family,” Hodges told Decider. “I think everyone has a New York moment where it’s like the straw that broke the camel’s back. Like, ‘I can’t be here anymore.’ And I think that’s Mallory’s, when you have something violent or dangerous happen to you.”
Tune in next week to see what Episode 4 has in store for Mallory and the rest of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed‘s characters. While you wait, be sure to read our interview with Murray Bartlett about his standout Episode 3 performance.
New episodes of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV.