James returns home after serving 10 years in prison, having taken the fall for Yale. His father confronts him angrily, demanding James apologize and discipline the bad habits he supposedly picked up while incarcerated. Despite pleas from a family member to avoid confrontation and let James stay safely in the basement for now, the father insists on punishing James with a whip. The conflict escalates as James refuses to submit, enduring the punishment but standing his ground. The episode ends with the father's resolve to break James' will, leaving the family's fragile peace shattered and tensions unresolved.