The roof of Zack’s shed is struck by lightning. He calls Ruth into his room to see the strange blue flame, and they have sex for the first time in years. She worries that the blue flame somehow means that Sully has died during the night.

As Ruth and Tina go to work in the diner, Ruth is appalled to see Roy coming out of Janey’s room. When Ruth tells him to leave, he brutally attacks her. She is rescued by Sully, who knocks Roy out with a skillet, severing part of his ear. Sully’s words soothe Ruth as she drifts out of consciousness.

On the radio, Charice informs Raymer that a photo of him dangling from her porch has made the front cover of the local paper. She left because Jerome was in the emergency room with a panic attack. The porch door was just sticky, not locked, and he had done nothing to offend her.

Raymer learns from Charice that Jerome is supposed to oversee a merging of public services in North Bath and Schuyler Springs, including the police department. The process is likely to lead to local job losses; Jerome will become the scapegoat.