‘The Westies’ Episode 3 Ending Explained: What Pat’s Death Means for the Gang’s War With Gotti

‘The Westies’ has settled into a rhythm of escalating consequences, and the third episode of the MGM+ crime drama pushes that tension into darker territory. Titled ‘The Starship,’ the episode centers on the fallout from Mickey’s abduction while quietly detonating a new crisis that could redefine the show’s central conflict.

The series is set in 1980s Hell’s Kitchen and follows the Irish-American gang known as the Westies as they navigate an uneasy alliance with the Italian mafia. With episode three, that alliance grows more fragile, and the episode’s final moments introduce a twist that changes the stakes for everyone involved.

The Westies Season 1 Plot So Far

The season’s two-part premiere established that nobody is truly safe in Hell’s Kitchen, with what began as an effort to cover up a single murder spiraling into a crisis threatening the fragile balance among the Irish gang, the Gambino family, and the FBI. Mickey Flanagan disappeared after helping Jimmy Roarke conceal Vinnie’s murder, setting up a mystery that carried directly into the following episode.

By episode three, it becomes clear that Davey had abducted and extorted Vinnie in the show’s early episodes, prompting Sweeney to intervene and kill him. Jimmy was frustrated by that decision, though Sweeney urged him to keep his focus on the Javits Center project, since revenue from that deal could elevate the gang above petty street politics.

Until the Westies could reach that level, they needed to keep the Italians satisfied, which meant apologizing to Gotti and Vinnie through a hit job on their behalf. That arrangement held until Mickey learned the truth about how Davey died and decided to abduct Vinnie himself, prompting Sweeney to order Jimmy to kill Mickey and release Vinnie, an order Jimmy defied entirely.

Mickey Flanagan’s Torture at the Hands of John Gotti

Episode three opens with John Gotti holding Mickey hostage, subjecting him to a beating that includes a bottle smashed over his head and a baseball bat slammed into his body. Despite the violence, Mickey refuses to break, laughing off the torture even as Gotti makes clear he intends to keep pushing until the young gang member cracks.

Gotti presses Mickey to reveal Vinnie’s whereabouts, and when Mickey refuses to give up the information, Gotti knocks him unconscious. Mickey’s resilience becomes almost a running joke in the episode, with Gotti throwing everything he has at him only to receive taunts in return, even as he remains a ticking clock for how long the Westies have to save him.

Jimmy and the rest of the gang are left bemoaning their situation, aware that had Mickey not given Erin the bracelet, they might have avoided this entirely, even though it was Jimmy’s decision to kill Vincent Zaccaro that set the larger crisis in motion. Jimmy eventually learns from Erin that she had mentioned the bracelet to Gotti, which allowed him to deduce that Mickey was the last person to see Vinnie alive.

The Westies and Gambino Alliance Takes Shape

When Eamon learns that Gotti has Mickey, he grows concerned that the young gang member will talk before long, while Jimmy pushes to devise a plan to get him back. That plan sends Eamon to meet with Big Paul Castellano, arguing that Gotti has the wrong man in an effort to secure Mickey’s release, using the Javits Center project as leverage.

According to the official synopsis for the episode, Sweeney reaches an agreement with Castellano to rob a Colombian disco in exchange for Mickey’s freedom, a deal that sends the Westies to rob the disco in a desperate bid to pry Mickey from Gotti’s grip. The heist itself is cleared out surprisingly quickly, with only four men involved, and comes together after Eamon’s meeting with Big Paul, who finally gives the Westies something concrete to do.

The episode also leans into an episodic mission-of-the-week structure, following a pattern where the premiere centered on silencing a union boss and the second episode dealt with disposing of Vinnie’s remains, while this installment revolves around freeing Mickey before he is tortured to death or forced to talk. The club sequences give Bridget a reason to get involved in the main plot, and the camaraderie on display throughout the hour helps humanize the gang for the audience.

Pat’s Death and the Ending of ‘The Westies’ Episode 3

Beyond the disco heist, the FBI’s investigation into the Italian mafia continues drawing the Westies deeper into its scope, aided by a corrupt double agent in Keenan. Meanwhile, complications mount in the background over the cop that Pat killed, with the case reaching Birdie Polk’s desk, where she immediately sees through the attempted frame-up and assigns Keenan to determine what actually happened.

That thread becomes central to the episode’s final moments. While Pat is walking home, Keenan kills him and stages the scene to make it look like something else entirely. ‘The Starship’ closes with Keenan suffocating Pat in the street, and given the circumstances, it seems highly likely that Jimmy will assume Gotti was responsible for the killing.

That misunderstanding raises the probability that the simmering conflict between the Irish gang and the Italian mafia could escalate into open war, driven by a death neither side actually ordered. Earlier in the episode, a bar fight started by Pat carries a tone reminiscent of ‘Peaky Blinders,’ though it remains to be seen whether that comparison is one ‘The Westies’ wants to invite this early in its run.

Where to Watch The Westies and What Comes Next

‘The Westies’ is the third collaboration between co-creator Chris Brancato and MGM+, following his previous work on ‘The Godfather of Harlem’ and ‘Hotel Cocaine’. Brancato serves as showrunner alongside co-creator Michael Panes, with the cast led by J.K. Simmons, Tom Brittney, and Titus Welliver, along with Jessica Frances Dukes.

Simmons plays Eamon Sweeney, the steely leader of the Westies, while Tom Brittney portrays Jimmy Roarke, Sweeney’s trusted associate who is struggling to keep his unstable best friend Mickey under control. Titus Welliver plays Glenn Keenan, a corrupt police officer caught in the middle after being recruited into an FBI task force investigating the mob.

The season premiered on MGM+ on July 12, 2026, with new episodes releasing weekly on Sundays across a total of eight episodes. Beyond MGM+ directly, the series is also available through fuboTV, Philo, and Amazon’s MGM+ channel, among other platforms.

With Pat now dead and Keenan working to cover his tracks, the fragile peace between the Westies and the Gambino family looks harder to sustain than ever, and it is worth wondering how long Jimmy will go on blaming the wrong side before the truth about Keenan comes out.