Timothy Olyphant and His Bare Backside Brings Smarmy Life to 'Stick'

I have genuinely been enjoying Stick, in part because it was clearly developed within the Apple TV Plus ecosystem for middle-aged white guys like me (and that theme song absolutely rules). Judy Greer, unfortunately, has been entirely underused so far, and there’s a bit too much of the Manic Pixie Anti-Capitalist energy in Lilli Kay’s Zero, but the show thrives on that crowd-pleasing sports comedy rhythm and the surprisingly warm chemistry between Owen Wilson and Marc Maron.

This week’s episode added Timothy Olyphant’s Clark Ross to the mix, and when I say added, I mean it opens with a shot of Olyphant’s bare backside as he makes his entrance as Pryce Cahill’s former rival. As Raylan Givens once put it, “If you meet an asshole in the morning, you met an asshole. If you meet assholes all day, you’re the asshole.” Clark Ross is the asshole.

After Santi bails on a golf match that would have earned him a spot on the amateur circuit, Pryce and Maron’s Mitts come up with a new plan: if Santi can win an invitational hosted by Clark, he earns an automatic bid. So Pryce, Mitts, Zero, Santi, and his mom, Elena, pull together a con to get Clark to let Santi play.

If you’re thinking of the darts scene from Ted Lasso, you’re in the right neighborhood. It’s the same kind of strategic misdirection, built around a bet: whoever lands a golf ball closest to the hole with a single shot wins. If Pryce wins, Santi gets into the tournament. If Clark wins, he becomes Santi’s new manager. The clubs are chosen blindly and at random.

It’s not quite as satisfying as Lasso switching to his dominant hand for the last dart throw, but it hits a similar note. And it works because Olyphant knows exactly how to play an elite-level jackass, and you kind of want to punch him in his strikingly handsome face.

The episode also sets the stage for the final two of the season, which I assume will unfold over the course of the invitational. We’ve all seen this movie before: Santi will stumble, then make a comeback at the last possible moment. But with this cast, their effortless chemistry, and just enough grief to keep things emotionally honest, it’s still a blast to watch.

And if you just want to see the Olyphantastic backside, it’s in the first 90 seconds of the episode.