Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Lee Eisenberg, and David West Read, Apple TV’s ‘Brothers’ takes place in a fictionalized world built on a single anecdote about actors Woody and Matthew. In episodes 1 and 2, we see brotherly dynamics play out in both its highs and lows, and everything seems to be going well until Woody hears from Ma Mac that she may have been in a relationship with his father around the time that Matthew was born. In his hunt for the truth, Woody eventually runs into the Travis brothers, only to be rescued by Ma Mac. Meanwhile, Matthew, totally clueless about any of this happening, decides to run for governor and is met with challenges of his own. Episode 3 of the show, titled ‘Little Woody,’ carries this mental chess game forward, by introducing a new, adorable character to the mix. SPOILERS AHEAD..
Woody and Ma Mac Wrestle For Control at the McConaughey Ranch
‘Brothers’ episode 3 begins with the morning after Woody’s brief but terrifying run-in with the Travis brothers. With the bullet impression still lodged in his ribs, Woody cannot call last night a nightmare, but that only means that there are much bigger questions left to ask. Surprisingly, Ma Mac herself shows up at his doorstep, loosely threatening that he has shaken up the hornet’s nest and must face the consequences. By this, though, she really means that Woody should ditch his investigation into Matthew’s paternity for good. With Woody not budging an inch, however, things are expected to get messy, and Ma Mac decides to take the fight head-on.
Before Woody can handle Ma Mac, however, there is still the Travis Brothers to take care of, especially with them constantly calling Joy on the phone. This time, Woody asks her to pretend that he is already in Hawaii, and it appears that the Travis brothers buy it. However, Joy doesn’t seem interested in hearing about Woody’s Matthew situation, which takes him to the next best person, Olive, who actually takes the whole ordeal seriously. While the first thing they decide on is getting a DNA test done, that’s a process that requires several weeks, weeks that Woody might not have. On the other end of the McConaughey ranch, Ma Mac seems rather obsessed with smearing the Harrelson family’s name, seeing how much chaos they have been in since.
Woody Gets the Family a New Dog
While Woody is busy battling with Ma Mac, the story cuts to Matthew McConaughey making his first trip through local Texas in his run for Governor. While this seems to have attracted a lot of fanfare, Matthew cannot figure out whether it’s because of his fame as an actor or if people actually wish to see him in power. He gets stumped soon enough by a woman who asks an actually relevant question about her housing situation, which he is wholly unequipped to answer. Ms. Hillcrest Barnes-Davies is naturally left furious with this, but Matthew promises to improve and come back with a better response, which sets him on a journey back home, where he spends all day listening to podcasts about Texan law and regulations, while doing some good old house cleaning.
With Ma Mac hounding everyone in the family about how the Harrelsons have become a burden on the ranch, Woody realizes that he has to do something big to earn his place back, and that is when an idea strikes him. In a flash, he returns to the ranch with a new pet dog, leaving the kids and teens overjoyed, and the adults mildly annoyed. Matthew, in particular, seems adamant not to keep the dog, not just because they are high maintenance, but also because he intended to bring his kids a pet dog himself when he felt the time was right. It’s bad enough that Woody seems to have stolen that joy, but the kids seemingly name the pet dog “Kid Woody,” which adds salt to the injury.
Matthew Learns to Let Go of One Thing to Gain Another
Though Little Woody isn’t exactly a smash hit with Matthew, the dog seems to become the kids’ best friend almost instantly. This also gives Wyatt and Kai an opportunity to spend more time with each other, as he takes her to a forest to gift her acorns, which he considers a symbol of growth. Kai is visibly charmed, and this seems to be the start of a relationship that can very easily get complicated depending on what Woody discovers about Matthew. Meanwhile, an upset Ma Mac realizes that she is lagging behind in her efforts and decides to double down on an already weak link, Matthew. By spreading peanut butter over a fake jersey and then calling it Big Mac’s, she hands over a ready-made snack for the dog, and when it tears up the jersey, Matthew is pissed off enough to ask Woody to leave.
With Woody being forced to return Little Woody to the orphanage, the entire family seems to be in a state of gloom. The kids, in particular, begin acting as if they have lost a sibling, with even a highlight video being made to capture what was essentially half a day with a dog. All of this seems too much for Matthew, who gives up and asks Woody to get the dog back. When they return to the orphanage, however, the community leader seems rather pissed off by this back and forth, and Matthew has to pay him off. The good thing that comes out of this, however, is that Matthew is reunited with the woman with the housing question, and this time he is able to give her a proper answer. As dusk settles and the kids seem happy with the dog, Matthew realizes that this is indeed the better choice to make, and he and Woody make up. Woody also promises to Ma Mac not to pursue the brotherhood question again, but secretly, his plan to take DNA samples is on.
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