All's Fair Shows Promise In Episode 4, Featuring A Powerful Performance By Niecy Nash — But Who Killed [Spoiler]?

We'll say it: If Hulu had included "All's Fair" Episode 4 as part of the show's initial release, the critics probably would have been a lot more kind.

It's a spotlight hour for Niecy Nash-Betts, as Emerald's inner circle pushes her to give the bedside tools a night off in exchange for genuine interaction with an actual male human. Throwing caution to the wind, Emerald shows up to a swanky singles event in a dress so hot it could stop traffic, immediately catching the attention of an attractive gentleman.

The episode is called "Everybody Dance Now," not only because it's the tune that Emerald and her man groove to on the dance floor — but also because it's one of the last thing she remembers before getting drugged and sexually assaulted by her mystery date. It's a sharp turn for the otherwise frothy, low-stakes series, one that Nash navigates with both intensity and grace as her character grapples with the fallout of this unthinkable event.

The unflinching hour walks viewers through Emerald's arduous process of reporting her assault and having a rape kit done, all while desperately struggling to piece together what happened to her the night before.

Emerald maintains a brave front, but her resolve is tested by the show's divorce-of-the-week, in which a man who always wanted children demands spousal support from his wife who apparently kept an abortion from him many years ago. Carrington (because who else would represent this guy?) tries to argue that the world overlooks men's suffering, which understandably sets Emerald off.

Newly determined to bring her attacker to justice, Emerald teams up with Allura, Liberty and Dina to track him down, using every guest list, traffic camera and image-cleaning software at their disposal. The man's name is finally revealed when Dina gets a hold of his home address, though her revelation comes with a pretty huge asterisk.

As Dina explains, she once took down this man's father for running a Ponzi scheme many years ago. The case completely destroyed his credibility, and he killed himself when he felt there was no chance at rebuilding his life and career.

This is pertinent information, as it likely means that Emerald was directly targeted by this man's son in some sort of twisted revenge plot. And while Dina couldn't possibly have predicted that her long-ago legal battle would lead to this, there's an undeniable rift growing between her and Emerald by the end of the episode.

When Emerald's detective friend reveals that the man who attacked her died of a gunshot wound to the head, Dina tells her it was karmic justice — but Emerald is in no mood for a hollow pep talk.

"I don't need you to tell me how I should or shouldn't feel," Emerald tells Dina. "You're trying to alleviate your own f**king guilt because you know this animal never would have come into my life — never would have come after me — if it wasn't for you. You brought that man into my life, into my children's lives. You are the reason I want to stay curled up in a ball, that I don't want to meet my friends for dinner, or anyone anywhere. ... Look, I can't talk to you right now. I know you mean well, and s**t happens, I get that. But I cannot listen to you lecture me on how to get through this, or how to cope. I f**king can't."

That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? Though the man's death is currently being handled as a suicide, Emerald's detective pal explains that a homicide investigation could also be opened up, in which case Emerald will need to prove her innocence. She was one of the only people who actually knew the man's identity, along with Allura, Liberty and Dina, all of whom will presumably also need alibis for the time of his death.

But could any of the women really have done it? We wouldn't be surprised if Emerald chose to take the law into her own hands, but we're inclined to believe her as she maintains her innocence. It's also possible that Dina, racked with guilt for what she did years earlier, could have hired a hitman, but that also feels highly unlikely. For that matter, we're also ruling out Allura and Liberty as potential suspects.

Meanwhile, Emerald has other shooters on her mind. Upon returning home, she immediately interrogates her sons, explaining what happened and demanding that they give her their alibis for the time of the shooting. For the record, we fully believe that Ezra was home watching weird YouTube videos, which feels very on-brand for him. But Egypt and Elijah claiming to have been at a friend's house feels a little thinner to us, especially since only one of them spoke for both of them. Could one of Emerald's sons really have done it?

We're not saying this was the greatest hour of television in history, but it feels like Episode 4 marks a turning point for "All's Fair." At the very least, it reveals what this show is capable of when it stops drowning in unnecessary side plots and starts letting powerhouse performers like Niecy Nash-Betts do what they do best. We're already infinitely more invested in Emerald's ongoing nightmare than we are in Allura's husband's cheating scandal, Liberty's uncertain engagement or Dina's declining husband. No offense to Ed O'Neill, of course.

Episode 4 also has us looking at several characters in a different light — particularly Dina, who might actually be more like Patty Hewes (Glenn Close's two-time Emmy Award-winning "Damages" character) than we previously suspected. Either way, we're not ashamed to admit that we're now invested in the women who walk the clown cervix-shaped hallways of Grant, Ronson and Greene.

How are you feeling after "All's Fair" Episode 4? Was it a major improvement from what came before? And who do you think is responsible for murdering Emerald's attacker? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.