Episodes

Several months have passed since the end of the last episode. Matt's show "The Box" is now a runaway hit. Unfortunately for Matt, this means he is now only thought of as a gameshow host, his years as an actor completely forgotten. Matt's agent tries to persuade him this is all for the best: "Can't you just think of it as reinventing yourself?" Matt shoots back: "As a shittier version of me?!" The success of "The Box" also means that Matt must have daily contact with Merc Lapidus. If anything, the animosity between the two has only gotten worse over time. As Matt is the star of the show, he would seem to have some leverage over his producer. But then he makes a decision that puts him right in the palm of Merc's sweaty hand, Sean and Beverly are forced to work for Sean's loathsome ex-partner Tim. Helen has put Tim in charge of "The Opposite of Us". So Sean and Beverly must endure his utter lack of humor or talent as they watch him slowly destroy their show. Carol has been in a tailspin since she walked away from her position at the network. Unable to find another job, she spends her days at home smoking dope and watching real estate shows. No amount of urging from Beverly can get her to leave the house. So Beverly brings her bagels.

Matt's tryst with the Danika, the girl in the box, has gone viral. By the next morning, the sex tape has already gotten millions of hits. The network is freaking out. No amount of damage control can contain this. Sponsors are pulling their ads. The FCC is threatening to take action against "The Box". And yet it's Christmas morning for Merc who hopes to use this as the excuse to get rid of Matt once and for all. At first Matt refuses to accept the gravity of the situation. It's all his agent and publicist can do to make him realize his little dalliance may cost him both his job and his reputation. Matt tries to take matters into his own hands by calling Elliot Salad, the head of the network, to plead his case. He ends up getting much more than he bargained for. Meanwhile, life goes on for the rest of the world. Sean and Beverly endure a disastrous casting session with Tim. And Carol gets stoned with her maid.

Matt is back on top. He's leveraged his newfound celebrity to get a guaranteed new series from the network. He tries taking pitches from various writers, but ends up convinced that his best chance for success is to do another show with Sean and Beverly. The Brits are reluctant to abandon "The Opposite of Us", even though they're still miserable working for Tim. So Matt continues to woo them. A large stuffed gorilla is involved. Meanwhile, the fallout from Matt's tryst with the girl from "The Box" isn't over. He gets a call from his ex-wife Diane. It seems his two young sons have seen the sex tape on line. Diane insists that Matt talk about it with his boys. It quickly becomes clear that father-son chats are not Matt's strength. Beverly convinces Carol to finally leave her house. After weeks curled up on the sofa, nursing her depression, watching real estate shows, Carol ventures outside. Unfortunately, a simple trip to the donut shop ends up being more traumatizing than she ever could have imagined. Carol is convinced her life is over. However, a misdialed phone call leads to a life-changing evening.

Back on the hiking trail for the first time in months, Carol confesses to Beverly that she has again found happiness in Merc Lapidus's arms. As appalled as Beverly is, she agrees to support her friend. Her support is quickly challenged when she discovers that Merc is two-timing Carol with surgically-enhanced actress Morning Randolph. To make matters worse, Morning reveals that she and Merc have recently become engaged. Beverly can't imagine how she's going to break this news to Carol. Sean insists that she shouldn't tell Carol at all. It can only end badly. As Sean tells Beverly, "There's a reason ‘hug the messenger' is not an expression." It's a work weekend for Sean and Beverly. Matt takes them to his ranch to try and come up with a new series for him. No surprise, having Matt as part of their creative process in no way makes it easier for the two writers. The weekend quickly devolves into rural chaos, involving gunplay, horse dung and Matt's ranch nemesis, a wild boar.

Carol reveals to Beverly that she's pregnant. Even more significant, she's planning on keeping the baby. Beverly now feels she has no choice: she breaks the news to Carol that Merc is not only sleeping with, but engaged to Morning Randolph. Carol is obviously distraught, but much of her anger is directed at Beverly for withholding this information for over a week. Meanwhile, Matt, Sean and Beverly are still struggling to come up with an idea for a new show. In the midst of their brainstorming, Matt's phone rings. It's his father's girlfriend calling with news that Matt's father has just dropped dead while shopping at Target. Matt is suddenly thrust into a nightmare of logistics, as he — and a reluctant Sean and Beverly — try to deal with the disposal of his father's remains. Whatever pain or grief Matt might be feeling must take a back seat to the enormous hassle of his father's passing. Death was never more of a pain in the ass.

Sean and Beverly pitch their new show to Helen who buys it on the spot. The celebration is short-lived when they find out that Matt is demanding a credit as co-creator. Sean and Beverly refuse to give it to him. They insist he doesn't deserve it. They came up with the premise for the show, created the characters, developed the storyline; Matt just supplied office supplies! Matt is equally incensed when he hears they're balking. He feels completely entitled as he was in the room when they came up with it. Also he bought all the pads and pens! Neither side is willing to give in. The conflict becomes increasingly fraught, finally coming to a head in a very public way. Even though Carol's affair with Merc is over, she's determined to keep the baby. She's decided to leave television, move home to Michigan and raise the child on her own. What will she do for money? She's suing Helen and the network for sexual harassment.

Sean and Beverly have just learned that Matt has passed on the show they created for him. However, he has offered them no explanation. He refuses to answer their calls or emails or texts. So Sean and Beverly are forced to go to "The Box" to confront him in person. When it becomes clear that their show with Matt is truly dead, the two Brits must figure out what lies ahead for their careers and their lives. Carol continues to pursue her lawsuit against Helen and the network. But an encounter at her deposition may take her life in an entirely unexpected direction.

The cast and creators - Matt LeBlanc, Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan, John Pankow, Jimmy Mulville, Jeffrey Klarik, and David Crane - discuss their sentiments regarding the final season of Episodes. Starring Matt LeBlanc.