‘Phony’ Episode 4: Whose Dead Body Is That In the Woods?

After a night of testing childhood memories, first times, and bodily harm, Sonny (Sam Nivola) is still convinced that his real mother is missing, and a party in the woods might finally give him some answers. After sneaking out of the house following an incident in which Ellen (Connie Britton) cuts her hand, Sonny heads to Shovel’s (Nation Sage Henrikson) dead body party, hoping to find out if the mysterious corpse everyone is talking about might actually be his mom. Warning: Spoilers ahead for Phony Episode 4 “The Vibes are Rancid.”

When Sonny arrives, the party is already underway, with teenagers building a scarecrow and generally behaving like miscreants in the woods. But Sonny isn’t there to have fun. He’s asking everyone about the dead body, all while becoming increasingly paranoid that people are watching him and whispering behind his back. He’s also seeing disturbing visions of his mother, which certainly aren’t helping matters.

Mallory (Grace Brennan) and Weldon (Colter Lee) are also at the party, and Mallory seems to be getting along with Shovel, who is tripping. Weldon tries asking about the body, but Shovel is more interested in tickling him than answering questions.

Unfortunately, Sonny’s attempts to get information from Shovel don’t go nearly as well. His constant questions put Shovel on edge, and he accuses Sonny of being his mother’s “creepy little spy.”

It turns out Shovel has a serious problem with Ellen, claiming she previously called CPS on him over a simple one-hitter. Sonny points out that Shovel was also dealing drugs out of the house with his dad, which doesn’t exactly improve the situation. Shovel calls Sonny a “little b*tch” and brings up how he took a cheap shot at Vogel (Maliq Johnson) before hiding behind his mother.

With Shovel refusing to cooperate and Chloe (Mahaela Park) ditching him to hang out with her friends, Sonny is ready to leave. Even Vogel, who approaches Sonny looking for advice about a girl in a move that can repair their friendship, can’t distract him from his mission.

Sonny eventually heads down to the lake, where he runs into Mallory and asks her to help him get information out of Shovel. But Mallory isn’t interested. She’s finally making friends and doesn’t want to ruin her chances of fitting in by being the weird pastor’s daughter.

Disney/David Astorga

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However, Mallory eventually comes around and manages to convince Shovel to show Sonny the body after she “explains” the situation. Unfortunately, the whole thing turns out to be an elaborate joke by Shovel’s friends. Even Shovel immediately regrets it, admitting that he doesn’t find the prank funny. He did see a body at one point, but wasn’t able to find it again. So his buddies made one.

Before Sonny can get any more answers, the police arrive to break up the party, sending everyone running into the woods. Weldon manages to avoid getting caught by hiding, but Sonny isn’t so lucky.

Ellen shows up to collect Sonny and Chloe, and she’s not happy with either of them. But Sonny refuses to get into the car with the woman he believes is impersonating his mother. Instead, he walks away and heads to Vogel’s house.

Disney

And while the dead body at Shovel’s party might have been a joke, the episode ends with someone digging a grave somewhere else. So, while Sonny might have been chasing the wrong corpse, it seems there’s still a very real dead body mystery waiting to be uncovered.

Phony, Tuesdays, Hulu