Duster season 1 episode 5 ending explained: Who is Saxton’s new interpreter? It’s the biggest test for the FBI agent yet

Duster season 1 episode 5 brings nearly an hour long episode as Jim and Agent Nina Hayes' duo story continues, and mysterious people and dealings start to unravel. Titled Ravishing Light and Glory, this week's installment is a chaos of who's who and the start of playing one of the biggest cons on a dangerous crime family in the show yet.

When Jim can't help him get into Saxton's inner circle, Agent Hayes takes matters into her own hands. With the help of some unlikely people, Nina Hayes is interviewed to become Saxon's Russian interpreter, but she has to pass the test first. Meanwhile, Jim gets into Saxton's bad side after losing Howard Hughes' car, which turns out to play an even bigger role in Saxton's dealings.

Duster season 1 episode 5 also brings the reappearance of a mysterious character from several episodes back, and he poses a threat to Agent Nina Hayes and Jim in extension.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for Duster season 1 episode 5. Reader's discretion is advised.

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Duster season 1 episode 5: Agent Nina Hayes passes her test and becomes Saxton's interpreter

After Saxton fires Jim in Duster season 1 episode 5, Agent Nina Hayes has no other options to get herself close to Saxton. The initial plan is to have Jim put in a word to Saxton that he knows a Russian interpreter for Saxton's Russian deal: Nina. With him fired, Nina thinks the next best option is to have Jim's father put in a word with Saxton for her, but that involves telling Wade about Joey.

Agent Nina Hayes (Image via Max)

However, when Jim tells Wade that Saxton could be the one who had Joey killed, he's upset and refuses to believe it. He says that Saxton is family and couldn't have done that to Joey. Nina is out of options now, so she approaches Wade herself. She guilt-trips Wade into helping her, who doesn't take much convincing because he wants to know his son's killer, too.

The only problem with Nina's plan is that Wade isn't convinced that she can pull it off. And if he helps her, she has to make the plan work, or he could be putting his family in danger. But he has the perfect way to get Nina ready—he tells her about needing to pass the scrutiny of Saxton's right-hand man, Billy.

Duster season 1 episode 5 brings more screentime for Charlotte besides her usual banter with Jim as she helps Nina with acting and how to overcome stage fright. And, as Wade mentions, the interview to become Saxton's Russian interpreter includes an interview with Billy first, but Nina, now Nina Saint James, is unafraid and speaks fluent Russian.

She passes Billy's test and gets to meet Saxton. Presumably, shaking hands with her father's killer gives her stage fright, but she uses Charlotte's trick of crossing her hands to pull herself together. At the end of Duster season 1 episode 5, with Jim back, Saxton beckons him to meet his new Russian interpreter, Nina Saint James. It turns out that she aced the test, and the plan is finally working.

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Does Saxton forgive Jim for losing Howard Hughes' car in Duster season 1 episode 5?

Jim Ellis (Image via Max)

Jim finds himself dealing with Saxton's wrath in episode 5 after the events of the previous episode. In Duster season 1 episode 4, he exchanged Saxton's Howard Hughes' muscle car with Enrique The Blade for his freedom from Mad Raoul. He said at the time that he would find a way to deal with Saxton.

However, episode 5 proves that he can't find a way after all because Saxton is pissed. The car is not merely for Saxton's collection, as Jim later finds out. It's part of his payment to the Russians. It's unclear where Royce is in all of these, but Saxton is also mad at Jim for putting Royce's life in danger, so he fires Jim.

It's the reason why Nina's quest to get into Saxton's circle gets derailed in Duster season 1 episode 5. However, Jim has a turnaround after hearing that Saxton's rival, Greek Sal, is marrying off her daughter, Daphne, to some boat tycoon's son as part of expanding his empire. Daphne just happens to be Genesis' girlfriend, and Jim has a plan to kill two birds with one stone.

He helps Genesis crash Daphne's wedding and helps the lovers elope. It's a wild idea, which involves Jim making out with Greek Sal's new wife, but it beats sitting at home and doing nothing to earn Saxton's graces back. It turns out to be a good move because Saxton is happy that his rival's business dealing is derailed because the wedding didn't happen.

At the end of Duster season 1 episode 5, Saxton hires Jim back, and even better, he's going to be part of the team during the Russian deal. He's not only back in Saxton's trust circle, but he also earns a prime spot near the action.

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Mystery man, "Cowboy," arrives in Duster season 1 episode 5, and he's connected to the FBI

Cowboy in Duster season 1 episode 5 (Image via Max)

Duster season 1 episode 5 sees the reappearance of a mysterious character that was teased in a previous episode. His coming to Phoenix implies that Nina and Jim's enemy is far bigger than Saxton's crime family in Arizona—what they are uncovering involves a bigger group, like the government.

A man from Washington, D.C., was introduced before episode 2 closed. He's only known as someone called "Cowboy," and has an instruction—he should be called if someone comes poking into Agent Leland Breen or Saxton. It's why Breen's wife had called him to warn him about Nina's investigation.

However, in the two episodes after that, the show has never clarified who Cowboy is and what his connection is to Breen and Saxton. But at the end of Duster season 1 episode 5, he reemerges, and this time, he's in Phoenix to personally take care of business, aka Agent Nina Hayes. While he arrives in Phoenix alone, Cowboy isn't going to be working alone.

Surprisingly, Cowboy is accompanied by Nina's colleague at the FBI, Chad Grant. Earlier in the episode, Chad can be seen keeping his close eyes on Nina and, at one point, asks about her whereabouts after seeing her dressed up. Also, in earlier episodes, he's been critical of Nina and has told her to stop poking at Saxton's business.

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Catch Duster season 1 episode 5, along with the show's previous episodes, streaming on Max.