They Both Die at the End: Rufus, 2:21 a.m. Summary & Analysis

Aimee shoves Rufus against the fridge and asks what he was thinking. Jenn Lori presses ice to Peck’s face and can’t hide her disappointment in Rufus. Aimee drags Rufus to the living room, where Rufus admits that he only went for Peck because he didn’t feel like he had a future anyway, and Peck had voiced these fears. Aimee replies that Rufus isn’t a nobody. They sit on the couch like they did back when Aimee told Rufus that she was leaving Pluto and broke up with him. Rufus holds Aimee and leans in to kiss her, but Tagoe walks in and interrupts. Everyone else comes in for the funeral—even Peck. This is Rufus’s first Decker funeral; his family didn’t throw one after they received their calls. Jenn Lori speaks directly to Rufus and about how he transformed as he found friends.

Francis speaks, and then Malcolm steps up. He says that Rufus matters more than most people. Tagoe cries and says that Rufus was supposed to be a lifelong friend, which makes everyone else cry. Aimee steps up and says that this feels like a nightmare—then, she squints and asks if someone called the cops. Peck is the only one who doesn’t look surprised. He shouts that Rufus assaulted him; Aimee shrieks that Rufus is a human, not expired meat. Tagoe and Malcolm tell Rufus to leave out the back while they slow down the cops. Rufus takes a long look at his friends, sneaks through the backyard, and grabs his bike when he sees that the officers are inside. He rides away, wishing he was already dead.