‘Phony’ Episode 5 Raises a Twisted New Theory About Ellen’s True Identity

Following the disastrous “Dead Body party,” Sonny (Sam Nivola) takes refuge at Vogel’s (Maliq Johnson) house, where a few “mom questions” from Vogel’s mom, including whether her son gave his guest the good pillow, offer a comforting reminder of what a normal family looks like. Unfortunately, Sonny can’t hide from his own problems forever. Warning: Spoilers ahead for Phony Episode 5 “The House of Dog.”

Meanwhile, Sharla (Meera Syal) attends a support meeting for addicts, where she admits she’s been helping a troubled teen with a case that’s becoming bigger than she anticipated. As she speaks, we see her increasingly desperate texts to Sonny, including one warning that they “should talk ASAP.” Later, she reveals that she followed a mysterious man who received a wad of cash behind a bar. For all she knows, he could be a kidnapper, hitman, or drug dealer. Although she lost him, she managed to trace his car to someone named Tracy Marks.

With nowhere to go and no desire to return home or school, Sonny takes off with Mal (Grace Brennan) to clear his head, who has an idea of where they can spend the day. Their destination is the House of Dog, a memorial dedicated to deceased pets, where Sonny hopes to find a tribute to his childhood dog, Tucker. Sure enough, they find his picture, or a pic that kinda looks like him, among the memorials.

Mal also reveals that she’s getting baptized despite not believing in God, before offering Sonny a joint. The two eventually wind up smoking outside, spending the afternoon getting high and goofing around, where they notice a mysterious van parked, seemingly watching their antics. However, things take a more serious turn when Sonny admits he slept with Chloe and considers running away to Monterey. Mal decides it’s time to head home, and the two part ways.

Back at the house, Ellen (Connie Britton) is growing increasingly concerned about Sonny’s whereabouts. After confronting Vogel, who warns that trying to force Sonny home could make matters worse, she turns her attention to the burner phone she discovered. Convinced that Sonny might be involved with drugs, she asks Justin (Kelvin Yu) to help trace the mysterious number he’s been calling. Unfortunately, their investigation leads to someone named Claude Rains, as in The Invisible Man, and an address that pulls up graffiti of a rectum. Well, so much for that lead.

Elsewhere, Sharla’s investigation hits another snag when Weldon (Colter Lee) confronts her about suggesting he doesn’t belong at their addiction meetings. He reveals that the meetings help him deal with his problems with “the devil’s lettuce.” Sharla eventually admits that she lost the man she was following because she’d been drinking, something she couldn’t even bring herself to confess at the meeting. In an unexpected turn, Weldon offers to become her sponsor. She laughs it off.

But the episode’s biggest revelation comes when Sonny finally returns home. Outside, he discovers his mother’s coffee tumbler buried in the dirt, prompting him to dig deeper into her diary. What he finds changes everything.

For starters, Tucker didn’t die. According to the diary, the family dog escaped through the fence and ran away. But the more disturbing discoveries concern a mysterious woman named Tracy, who apparently collected Ellen’s father’s ashes before she could get to them.

“Tracy got there first,” the diary reads.

The name immediately catches Sonny’s attention, as it’s the same one Sharla discovered during her investigation. Then comes an even more unsettling entry: “Someone broke into the house. I told the police I thought it was kids, but I think it was Tracy.”

Sonny immediately calls Sharla with a new theory that could explain everything. What if his mother has an identical twin sister? And if Tracy really is Ellen’s twin, could she be the mysterious imposter who has taken her place?

Phony, Tuesdays, Hulu