Arc 1 set the stage, showing Alexander's arrival and how he carved out a space in the Shelby-dominated Birmingham without kneeling to anyone. Now Arc 2 should pull him deeper into the underworld, bring more personal stakes, and force him into both alliances and rivalries with the Shelbys.
Here's a breakdown:
Arc 2 – The Devil in the Family
Episode 11 – A Stranger at the Table
After the successful heist, Alexander is invited to official Shelby family dinners.
For the first time, he sits with Thomisia, Artie, Johanna, and "Uncle Paul."
The contrast is stark: the Shelbys toast with whiskey, argue violently, and plan future expansions — while Alex just smokes quietly, his eyes always watching.
Johanna teases him, calling him "the silent wolf at our table."
Paul, the submissive uncle, warns Alex softly: "Careful. You're not family yet. And family is everything here."
Episode 12 – The Men's Whisper Network
Alex explores Birmingham further and discovers how men operate in this society:
They gossip like a shadow network, trading secrets women often ignore.
They exchange information while acting meek — but Alex notices the untapped power of information here.
He begins cultivating men's whispers, turning the "weak" into his own silent informants.
This terrifies rivals because suddenly Alex knows things even the Shelbys don't.
Episode 13 – The Devil's Gamble
Birmingham's underground betting scene heats up.
The Shelbys aim to fix races, but rival gangs are moving in.
Thomisia asks Alex to handle intimidation — he instead plays a psychological game, intimidating rivals with silence and calculated violence.
He smokes calmly while forcing rival gangsters to gamble their fortunes away, all while subtly tipping the scale in Shelby favor.
A new reputation spreads: "When the devil smokes, the house always wins."
Episode 14 – Artie's Wrath
Artie still hates Alex for punching her.
During a drunken night, she challenges him again, this time with a knife.
Alex disarms her in seconds but doesn't strike back — instead, he hands her the knife and says:
*"If you want my blood, do it properly. Otherwise, stop wasting my cigar smoke"