‘Bad Monkey’ Episode 6 Recap

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Bad Monkey Episode 6.

“On a scale from one to ten, how screwed am I?” Vince Vaughn‘s Andrew Yancy anxiously asks his lawyer. When he is met with the reply of “A million,” Yancy fittingly rolls his eyes and responds, “You don’t think I understand that ten is bad?” The dry and comedic interaction kicks off Bad Monkey‘s trailer and, in Episode 6, we finally see how it came to fruition. Apple TV+’s Bad Monkey Episode 5 saw Yancy being broadcasted as a wanted man for Dr Israel O’Peele’s (Zach Braff) murder on the news, and the show takes a wacky turn into legal thriller territory as Yancy tries to stay abreast of the law and his investigation. While he sorts out his ever-dramatic issues, Bonnie’s (Michelle Monaghan) storyline dips into the stunning ecological message and appreciation that Bad Monkey subtly advocates for, leaving us with one of the most memorable visuals of natural beauty.

Rogelio Sets Yancy Up in ‘Bad Monkey’ Episode 6

After facing Rosa’s (Natalie Martinez) mother’s disapproval, Yancy needs to find another place to lie low, so he calls his dear friend Rogelio (John Ortiz). However, Rogelio was facing immense pressure from their boss, the chief Sonny (Todd Allen Durkin), in the previous episode. With his job and livelihood on the job, and needing to take care of his family and the mortgage, Rogelio decides to set Yancy up, and informs Officer Mendez (Gonzalo Menendez) about the meeting. Yancy is promptly arrested and Mendez begins building a case for Israel’s murder against Yancy, hinging on the eyewitness we found out about in Episode 4. Rogelio takes a lot of the heat for his decision, as Yancy, Rosa, and even his own boyfriend, Montenegro (Victor Turpin), are deeply disappointed in him — but at least he has Sonny’s seal of approval.

While there isn’t any concrete evidence, it doesn’t look good for Yancy, and his straightforward manner, which can be taken as disrespectful, doesn’t help his case. Not only is there an eyewitness who places him near Israel’s apartment during the gunshot, but Yancy also has Nick Stripling’s (Rob Delaney) finger in his back pocket after using it to unlock his phone. As a dirty cop, Mendez turns the tide in his favor as he hides Nick’s phone — making Yancy’s possession of the appendage even more questionable. With Montenegro representing him, Yancy’s absurd tale of Nick being alive also becomes difficult to prove, as there doesn’t seem to be any proof that Nick, his private plane, and the hangar even exist, despite Montenegro’s valiant efforts. Essentially, Yancy is royally screwed at this point — a solid ten on the scale.

Neville and Rosa Intersect in an Unexpected Way in ‘Bad Monkey’ Episode 6

Meanwhile, Neville (Ronald Peet) is still on the run from the relentlessly pursuing Egg (David St. Louis). With nowhere to turn, he decides to seek shelter and help from the Dragon Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith), only to peek through her window and witness something deeply shocking. He finds her intimately bonding with Egg — as Tom Nowicki narrates, “his hunches were as bad as Yancy’s.” This is also when Driggs (Crystal the monkey) doles out vengeance for abandoning him and screeches when he sees Neville, exposing him to Egg. Neville manages to escape, but not without a bullet wound in the shoulder, leaving Egg antsy about getting his hands on him again.

Ever vying to take action, Rosa comes to Yancy’s legal aid by trying to prove the existence of the plane that Nick and Eve Stripling (Meredith Hagner) escaped on. While she is snooping around in the hangar, the plane disembarks a group of drug smugglers — it seems the captain is experienced at giving his passengers the utmost privacy. She is nearly caught by them and decides to pause her investigation to wait them out. Towards the end of the episode, she finally gets access to the plane and hears noises coming from inside. Suddenly, the door slams open and Neville lurches out, injured and barely conscious. However, he recognizes her as the woman he served at his sister’s cafe — coffee with milk and two sugars. This is the first tangible and exciting way the Bad Monkey storylines cross over so far.

Rogelio Finds Redemption and Yancy Becomes a Free Man in ‘Bad Monkey’ Episode 6

As the case around Yancy unfolds, and he is submerged in deeper trouble, Rogelio’s guilt for his contribution steadily rises. It comes to a head when he sees his boyfriend’s children’s stuffed turtle that was gifted by Yancy, jerking a memory out of the deep recesses of his mind. On Benito’s (Xander Mateo) birthday, Yancy gifted him the turtle and explained how the red lights helped the babies use the moon as a guiding light to reach the ocean. We realize that the importance of this recurring story in Bad Monkey is twofold. It not only subtly introduces the series’ ecological subtext, but also represents Yancy’s friendship with Rogelio, as he calls him his “guiding light.”

The heartfelt memory immediately galvanizes Rogelio into undoing his regretful actions. He decides his best course of action is to prod further information from Mendez’s witness, who reveals that she actually saw another one-armed man lurking around the apartment before the gunshot. Mendez had encouraged her to deliberately leave it out of her statement in an effort to frame Yancy, as per his vendetta. Rogelio sheds light on this information, leading to Yancy being relieved of the charges, especially as Mendez flees the building when his part in the set-up is exposed. When Rogelio shows up at the last second to save the day, Yancy instantly forgives him, cementing Rogelio’s brief fall from grace and eventual redemption arc.

Bonnie Faces Consequences in ‘Bad Monkey’ Episode 6

At the end of Episode 5, we saw Bonnie being confronted by a blast from her past — specifically the underage student she was sleeping with years ago, Cody (Alex MacNicoll). He had found Bonnie via the viral video of Yancy pushing her husband off the pier. At the beginning of Episode 6, before Yancy got arrested at Rogelio’s place, he had returned home to find Bonnie and Cody reuniting. While he questions her decisions, he instructs her to hide out in his dad’s cabin, since the feds are still searching for her.

At the cabin, Bonnie meets Yancy’s dad, Jim (Scott Glenn), who is just as non-committal as Yancy and also shares the same respect and admiration for the environment. As Bonnie begins questioning her relationship with Cody, Jim encourages her to go soul-searching beneath the tranquil waters of the lake next to his cabin, which was home to manatees. This leads to one of the more visceral, unforgettable, and breathtaking scenes of the series, as Bonnie comes face to face with a manatee. Granted, she does end up discerning the wrong message from this experience, thinking she is supposed to reignite the flame with Cody. But the underwater shot taps into the idea of surrendering to nature, and finding wisdom in its natural beauty.

Luckily, Bonnie’s delusions about a whirlwind romance with Cody are quickly shut down as she reads the novel he is writing about her. Being privy to his thoughts and descriptions of their relationship, it finally strikes her how childish and immature he is. She confides this in Jim, who also nudges her towards taking accountability for fostering Cody’s obsession with her. She had taken advantage of Cody while he was still in his developmental years and was highly susceptible — she may have moved on, but he did not. Despite her sobering realization, Bonnie is still free-spirited at heart, so when the feds track her down, she steals Jim’s boat and sails away.

‘Bad Monkey’ Episode 6 Reveals the Dragon Queen Isn’t as Invincible as We Think

At the beginning of the episode, the Dragon Queen is gifted a property after she brings peace to a dying man. After his funeral, it was officially transferred to her name despite his daughter’s protests, and ya-ya’s (L. Scott Caldwell) concerns about charging their clients too much. It also happened to be a property that Nick had his eye on as it was built on land that would be prime to extend their beachside mall too. The Dragon Queen finds out about his interest and uses her budding connection with Egg to get an introduction to the developer, determined to sell the deed so she can gather enough money to leave the island.

Nick and Eve are hiding away in their extravagant little corner of the world, fervently hoping that the case against Yancy sticks so they won’t have to deal with his interference anymore. When the Dragon Queen approaches them, they give her a low-ball offer they reserve for locals, inciting the queen’s fiery, yet controlled fury. She lives up to her name in a captivating and immaculate monologue — her enunciated and deliberately curated words dripping with malice and a powerful mystique. She reprimands them for disrespecting her and storms off, leaving a blazing trail in her wake. As mesmerizing as her display of power was, it lands her in trouble in the closing scenes of Bad Monkey Episode 6, as she is walking through secluded trees and a burlap bag is thrown over her head, dragging her off the screen.

The first six episodes of Bad Monkey are available to stream on Apple TV+, with subsequent episodes dropping every Wednesday.

Watch on Apple TV+