Saagar Kote
Apple TV+’s ‘Stick‘ navigates the complex emotional dynamics between Pryce Cahill, a down-on-his-luck veteran golfer, and Santi Wheeler, a prodigy with an attitude. The two navigate the world of golf while also attempting to find companionship, love, and redemption. The previous episode ended with a dramatic twist, where Santi hugs his father, Gary, who makes a sudden appearance at the breakfast buffet. As Santi moves to second on the leaderboard of the Ready Safe Invitational, he must navigate the difficulty of talking to his father again. Mitts and Elena’s budding romance threatens to change the group dynamics, while Pryce worries about the new complications that Gary could cause in the already chaotic group. The futures of the prodigy and the former champion golfer hang in the balance. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Surprising Arrival of Gary Leads to Emotional Complexities
The episode begins with Gary talking about his experiences in Germany and his desperation to make it to the Ready Safe Invitational, hoping to see his son play. He asks Santi to visit him in Germany, extending the invitation to Zero. The long-lost father apologizes to Santi for being away for so long and wishes him luck. He proceeds to thank Elena for getting Santi back in the game. Santi asks Pryce to get Gary a pass for the tournament, after which Gary promises Pryce that he will not interfere in the coaching and conveys his gratitude for being able to see his son play again. Elena expresses her desire to see Gary leave, but Mitts and Pryce convince her to stick with Santi and support him.
The final round of the tournament begins, and the commentators praise the play of Collin Morikawa, the two-time major champion, and also mention Santi’s achievements. The crowd gets behind Santi, as Morikawa takes a brilliant swing 318 yards into the hole. Santi proceeds to take his shot, with Gary in the crowd, and proceeds to hit further than Morikawa. The two top players in the tournament begin to counter each other with many brilliant shots, one after the other. Santi moves up to one shot within Morikawa’s range and scores an eagle, sharing the lead with Morikawa.
A thunderstorm causes a delay in the play, and Santi takes a breather. Gary brings his son a sandwich, talks to him about their past, and tells him how he kept going, even as a kid. He tells him he can win the Ready Safe Invitational, without a doubt. In an emotional moment, the man apologizes to his kid again for leaving him due to his own mental issues and regrets the fact that he can’t be on the field with him. Santi privately talks to Pryce about allowing Gary to be a caddy for the rest of the tournament, but Pryce worries that it will change the way the tournament is going, and reluctantly agrees to Santi’s request.
The Past Catches Up with Santi at the Wrong Time
After an hour’s delay, Santi and Morikawa start playing again, with Gary replacing Pryce as caddy, worrying Elena. Despite Santi choosing to strike with a particular club, his father tells him to use a different one, effectively meddling with Pryce’s plan that had worked till that moment. Santi takes a wild swing, but manages to clear the water, as Pryce watches the action from a TV near the bar. In an attempted risky swing, forced on him by Gary, Santi hits the ball towards the treeline. Gary goes back to his old habit of aggressively motivating his son, which leads to a disastrous shot.
In an attempt to impress his dad, Santi finds himself in a spot of bother, with his past trauma catching up to him due to Gary’s insecure and risky style of golf. Mitts leaves the field and goes to Pryce, asking him to help Santi in his moment of need. Pryce says Santi is the golfer, and he’s just a caddy. However, Mitts tells him that Santi is not a golfer at this moment, but a kid who needs help. As Santi plummets down the leaderboard with another shot, he is scolded by Gary. Pryce realizes the gravity of the situation and runs to Manny, a gardener responsible for the golf course, and asks him for help.
Gary continues to misguide Santi, and he drops further in the leaderboard. The father proceeds to emotionally bully Santi, who asks him if he would abandon him again if he quit the tournament right away. The arrogant man tells his son that he’s not giving him many reasons to stay, just as the sprinklers start spraying water (because of Manny) on the course, delaying the play. Pryce steps in and tries to calm down Santi, but Gary intervenes, trying to get Santi away from his coach’s influence. In a decisive moment when a tournament staff member asks Santi to choose one of the two men as his caddy, Santi chooses Pryce, realizing his father’s negative influence.
A Friend First and a Coach Next
As the angry father walks away, Elena tells him to stay away from the family. With Pryce by his side again, Santi says he’s clueless about what to do next. In a pivotal and emotional moment, Pryce tells Santi that he’s been playing golf for the wrong reasons till now, hoping to impress others like Elena, Pryce, Zero, and now Gary. The coach tells his student to swing the club for himself again, like he did when he first saw him. Cahill comforts his young friend and promises to carry his bag as long as Santi plays for himself. The former golfer tells his confused student that he cares more about him than his golf.
In a hilarious moment, Zero starts to sing the song “Cecilia” to inspire Santi to play, with the rest of the crowd joining them. Santi gets ready to play and hits an unbelievable shot, clearing the trees and landing the ball very close to the 18th hole. When it’s time to hit a near-impossible 35-foot double breaker, Santi putts away from the hole and swings it back on to the hole in a purely genius shot, leading to even Morikawa appreciating the unbelievable move. The commentators describe it as a work of genius, and Morikawa walks up to Pryce, calling him a legend, as Santi hugs Zero and Elena, celebrating his victory.
To Pryce’s surprise, Clark Ross starts to wholeheartedly applaud him, amidst the cheering crowd of fans who love Santi. After a few days, the newspapers celebrate Santi’s achievements and victory. Pryce and Santi walk a golf course, and the prodigy tells his coach that if the former golfer gets back into shape, he can play again. However, Pryce says that he’s too old to play again. Santi playfully challenges Pryce to a match between the two of them, and the unlikely friends start swinging their clubs, not for money or a tournament victory, but for their love of golf. Pryce plays a brilliant shot, and Santi sees that his friend is still a great golfer.
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