Dope Thief Episode 3 ending explained: Was Manny found?

Dope Thief on Apple TV Plus has been a hit among audiences. Released on March 14, 2025, the show follows the story of two friends from Philadelphia who disguise themselves as DEA agents to steal off small-time drug dealers. But in doing so, they find themselves involved in a complication that eventually leads to a series of consequences endangering their lives.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers. Readers' discretion is advised.

Episode 2 of Dope Thief was a prime example of this threat as both Manny and Ray attempted to avoid the dangerous biker gang and the DEA agents seeking them out. To add to the complexity, Ray lost Manny and he spent most of the episode searching for him with no success.

Episode 3 of Dope Thief continued the show's plot from the previous episode as the bikers and the DEA agents searched for Manny and Ray while Ray looked for Manny. That being said, although the bikers and DEA agents were not able to find Ray and Manny, Ray was able to locate Manny and reunite with him.

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Ray found Manny after conducting an extensive search in Dope Thief

Ray found Manny in Episode 3 of Dope Thief (Image via Apple TV Plus)

Episode 3 of Dope Thief saw Ray continue his search for Manny who was nowhere to be seen. At some points during his search, Ray was compelled to think that Manny was most likely dead, but certain clues that he encountered along the way, kept him hopeful regarding Manny's survival.

He finally got some information about Manny when he came to a pawn shop. He learned from the owner, Malik, that Manny had visited his shop and had bought something very expensive. But he would not tell him what that was.

As a consequence of the same, Ray assumed the worst and believed Manny had most likely bought a weapon and was going to leave. To verify his assumptions, Ray visited Manny's place where he discovered a wedding ring.

Subsequently, when Ray's mother Theresa informed him that he would be traveling to their residence, Ray arrived there before her to confirm that there was no risk in store for her mother.

While he was there, he temporarily went upstairs after a fight with Theresa and that is when he discovered Manny hiding behind his clothes in his clothes rack. As the show uncovered, Manny had gotten high and did not know where to go. So he ended up at Ray's house and was hiding in his clothes rack.

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Theresa was angry with Ray after finding his truth in Dope Thief

Theresa was not happy with Ray's revelation in the episode. (Image via Apple TV Plus)

During Episode 3 of Dope Thief, while searching for Manny, Ray encountered his stepmother Theresa. Theresa, who believed that Ray was taking drugs and hanging around gangsters, had a negative perception of him.

Knowing that there was a great deal of miscommunication between him and Theresa, Ray thought it best to inform her what was going on with him. He told her everything there was to know about the job that he was doing.

He spoke of his business relationship with Manny and how they were acting as DEA agents to steal drugs and cash from small-time drug dealers. The revelation left Theresa furious and she was going to slap him. However, the exchange between them did not proceed any further because Ray walked upstairs to prevent the situation from escalating further.

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The biker gangsters threatened Ray and Manny with Malik's severed head in Dope Thief

Manny proposed to Sherry in Episode 3 of the show. (Image via Apple TV Plus)

Episode 3 of the show reunited Ray with Manny and also led to Manny proposing to Sherry. However, after Manny proposed, things escalated very quickly.

Ray found a mysterious package waiting in Sherry's lawn. When he decided to find out what the package contained and opened it, he discovered Malik's (the pawn shop owner from before) severed head inside.

Ray realized that the head was delivered by the biker gang that was after their lives. The box also contained a message from them asking Manny and Ray to return whatever they had stolen from them. In case they did not do so, the gang mentioned that they would make sure there were more deaths.

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The next episode of Dope Thief releases on March 28, 2025.