Government Cheese Episode 6 Recap: Parable of Drawing in the Net

Apple TV+’s ‘Government Cheese’ follows the story of Hampton Chambers, who has come out of prison to start a life without crime, but somehow, he ends up falling back into the same cycle. In the previous episode, he brings his son, Harrison, for a fishing and camping trip. But that is just an excuse for him to rob a synagogue with his best friend, Bootsy, who disappears mysteriously. Meanwhile, Hampton returns to the camp to be with his son, but the next day, he receives one sign after another, suggesting that a higher power is looking down at him and his actions. As a result, the day after the robbery turns out to be even more chaotic than expected. SPOILERS AHEAD.

The Chambers Fishing Trip Takes an Unexpected Turn

After spending the night robbing Temple Hillel, Hampton is next to his son the next morning. Harrison is not in a good mood, but his father tries to cheer him up in his own way. They see an owl sitting at a distance and looking at them. After Hampton takes its picture, the owl flies away, which is when his son comments that seeing owls is a bad omen. He believes that this is a sign that Hampton should change his ways. Even though he has a hint of what his son is talking about, Hampton shrugs it off and takes Harrison to the market to get the fishing equipment. While Hampton is in the shop buying the essentials, Harrison sits outside and is approached by a man who introduces himself as his father’s friend from prison.

The man is Jean-Guy, who is in the neighbourhood due to a water problem in their orange fields. It seems that the place they get water from has been cordoned off, restricting their access. While his brothers figure out what is happening, Jean-Guy sees Hampton walk into the shop and leave his son behind. He talks with Harrison, which is when he discovers that Hampton has not told him about Rudy’s death. Before Jean-Guy can reveal anything or find out anything else, Hampton notices him and immediately interrupts the conversation. He sends his son away and tells the guy that he has the money he owes the Prevost brothers. However, Jean-Guy refuses to take his money and instead asks for his drill.

Following the conversation, an angry and anxious Hampton walks into a man’s fishing net, which leads to a tussle. When Hampton’s roll of money falls out, the man takes it, but before he can walk away with it, Hampton notices it missing. Once again, it leads to a tussle, where Hampton manages to get his money back, but as he walks away, the man tells him to “go to Nineveh.” The whole thing is too weird for Hampton to take seriously, so he goes to the boat where his son awaits him. Together, they ride the boat into the water to the point where they cast their fishing lines, and unexpectedly, Hampton’s trap catches quite a big fish.

Hampton Meets God Inside a Fish

When Hampton goes to the shop to get fishing stuff, he is told that the catch has to be a specific size for it to be caught. It must be allowed back into the water if it is smaller than the mandated size. While fishing, Hampton feels something tugging at the fishing rod. At first, he is happy, believing their catch is quite big. But then, it turns out to be so big that it pulls Hampton into the water, leaving Harrison helpless on the boat. When his father disappears right before his eyes, Harrison returns to the shop, where he informs the receptionist about what happened to Hampton. The rangers are informed, but the thought of his father dying takes hold of his mind, and he is unable to quiet himself. He returns to the camp, where he thinks about ways to find his father, and the only thing that comes to his mind is to blow up the fireworks they bought the previous day.

Meanwhile, Hampton finds himself in front of a huge catfish. He tries to swim away, but the fish is quicker, swallowing him whole in one go. If there was ever a time when he thought he would die a gruesome death, this is it. Hampton prays to Yahweh to let him live this once. He promises to change his ways for good, and even speaks about doing away with the money he robbed from the temple. As he rolls around the insides of the fish, he thinks about all the bad he has done and all the good things he could turn towards. Eventually, it seems that god has heeded his prayers, and he is thrown out of the fish. By the time he comes back to the surface, he discovers that his son and the boat are gone.

While he tries to swim, a lot of his strength has been swept away inside the fish. Fortunately, he finds a box floating around and uses it to keep himself afloat. He has no idea that the box belongs to the same ranger who tried to cut off the water supply for the Prevost brothers. While Jean-Guy tries to reason and negotiate with him, his brothers aren’t keen on conversation. They shoot him in the foot, throw all his stuff, including the box, into the water, throw him into the back of the truck, and ride away. Later, Hampton uses the same box to keep himself from drowning and get to the shore, where he sees the fireworks lit by his son, leading him back to the camp.

A Mysterious Disappearance and Reappearance Mark the Ending

When Hampton returns, Harrison is glad to see him but also overwhelmed. He had been anxious about his father’s safety, but seeing him safe and sound in front of his eyes brings out the emotions that he had been trying to bury, or at least, keep hidden. Hampton tries to cheer him up by cracking jokes, but he can see how disturbed his son is. Before they can talk about it, a cop shows up asking about a man who went missing. Harrison interprets it as the report he filed with the shop owner shortly after Hampton went into the water. When he mentions that, Hampton assures the officer that he was reported missing and has been found. Still, the cop’s appearance rattles Hampton because his friend, Bootsy, went missing the night before, and he hasn’t been heard from ever since.

So, his first thought turns to that, while also wondering if the robbery has been reported and the cop is there to arrest him. Another possibility neither considers is that of the forest ranger who has been taken away by the Prevost brothers. In any case, the cop is convinced, for now, and as he walks away, Harrison and Hampton are relieved. Meanwhile, an old lady calls 911 and complains about a man in his chimney. The person on the phone doesn’t take her seriously because it seems that the woman has made her fair share of complaints in the past. This time, however, even she confesses that it is different, as there is a shoe on her fireplace, which belongs to a stranger, and confirms that someone slipped in from the chimney or tried to leave from it. In any case, the woman believes there is still a person in there, and the shoe suggests that it could be someone we have seen before.