The end of Hightown episode 3 featured a number of turning points for the characters. Renee and Ray finally gave in to the sexual tension between them and hooked up in the backseat of his car. While their chemistry is undeniable, are there ulterior motives there? Or could there be real feelings between them? That’s exactly what HollywoodLife asked Hightown executive producer Gary Lennon during the show’s virtual press junket.
“I do. I really do,” Gary told HollywoodLife about whether or now there are real feelings between the characters. “I think that you get into a situation that might happen out of your control, and you get in it and you live in it and no one can tell you what you’re going to do. As a result, she’s going to be toying with a lot of questions. Am I taking care of my son? Am I being alone for Frankie? Is this real? What I’m feeling, is this real between us? Is it not? Is it fabricated? Do I need to believe it? Do I need to delude myself into believing that it’s real until it’s not? All of those questions are something that she’s going through and that we’ll tease apart.”
Gary noted that the scene between Renee and Ray in the car is one of his “favorite scenes.” He added, “I also think that Riley [Voelkel], to me, is an actress who’s very much like a young Jessica Lange. You just never know what she’s going to do next. It’s awesome.”
Jackie also visited her ex, Devonne, during the episode. They hooked up and it’s clear there are real feelings between them. But Jackie’s not willing to change her ways for Devonne — not yet. “She knows that she always has that place to go back to,” Gary said. “It’s certainly a soft landing that’s familiar. Sometimes when someone’s good to you, it’s almost like you hate yourself. You feel like you have to push them away because you don’t feel you deserve it. That’s like the push and pull of their relationship. I think we’re asking questions like, can love save you? And the answer is different for everyone.”
As for Junior, Osito took him on a ride to “toughen him up,” per Frankie’s request. Osito told Junior to beat up a fast-food worker. After some hesitation, Junior did what he was told and a part of him seemed to enjoy the power he got from it. “I think it is definitely a turning point,” Gary teased. “It is the beginning of him being ushered into that world. And the question is, will he dive into that world headfirst? Or will he come to his senses before something else happens and he’ll have to pay a consequence for that action? That’s the dilemma he’s in. He’s exposed to this world. Is he going to basically double down and go full forward with Osito or is he going to have to pull out? That’s the question that the audience will be asking. We’ll answer that question in the next few episodes.” Hightown airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on STARZ.