All’s Fair Episode 5 recap: A chaotic week pushes Carrington to the edge as Douglas shares devastating news

All’s Fair Episode 5 dropped on November 18, 2025, streaming at midnight Pacific Time on Hulu and Disney+ around the world.

The first season runs for nine episodes. They kicked things off by releasing three episodes at once, then settled into a weekly schedule leading up to the finale.

Ryan Murphy created the show, and the cast is stacked: Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts, Teyana Taylor, Sarah Paulson, and Glenn Close all star. The story centers on a powerhouse, all-female law firm in Los Angeles, diving into big cases, tough ethical calls, and the messy side of divorce and relationships.

All’s Fair mixes legal drama with plenty of workplace tension and personal struggles, especially the way women face tough realities in the legal world. The series first premiered on November 4, 2025, streaming on Hulu and Disney+’s Hulu hub.

All’s Fair Episode 5 recap: This Is Me Trying

All’s Fair Episode 5 peels back more layers of Carrington Lane’s personal life. She is still handling her usual load of cases, plus there is a murder investigation hanging over everything. But this time, you actually catch her dropping the tough act now and then. You see flashes of something softer underneath.

Right from the start, Carrington (Sarah Paulson) is behind the wheel, driving her daughter Ami (Amabel) to school on Ami’s birthday. It’s not a happy ride. Ami doesn’t even bother taking the cupcakes Carrington brought; she just leaves them sitting there, like she can’t be bothered. The two hardly connect, and you can feel the distance between them. All’s Fair Episode 5 echoes Carrington’s own history of being left out, and it sets up the episode’s exploration of how her past continues to impact her now.

At the law firm, the team takes on what looks like a simple arbitration for Juliana Morse (Brooke Shields), who wants to divorce her husband after he is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. The real snag isn’t the divorce itself, but an old prenup Juliana signed years ago.

Additionally, her daughter, Bethany, is now her father’s guardian, so she is responsible for his finances, which complicates matters further. Liberty steps up to mediate. She pushes for fairness in the prenup and, at the same time, can’t help thinking about her own upcoming marriage to Reggie. In the end, Juliana and Bethany find common ground, and the case wraps up peacefully.

While Carrington handles a tough lawsuit for Willow Fallow (Jennifer Morrison), things get intense in All’s Fair Episode 5. In the middle of the case, Carrington glances at a family photo on her phone. Suddenly, the emotions hit hard. After Willow throws out some thoughtless remarks, Carrington can’t hold back, and she breaks down in tears.

Alberta Dome (Lorraine Toussaint), who is actually on the other side, sees how shaken Carrington is. Instead of ignoring it, Alberta steps in and offers some support. It’s a small gesture, but it hints at a possible partnership down the road.

In All’s Fair Episode 5, things heat up between romantically Carrington and Chase, who happens to be both Allura’s ex and Carr’s client. After a night of too much wine, they end up flirting in Chase’s outdoor shower, and Carrington even washes his hair. They almost kiss, but she pulls back, nervous her daughter might find out what she is up to.

Her feelings completely overwhelm her during the drive home. She is stopped by the police for driving under the influence, thrown into prison, and Alberta finally bails her out. This incident opens up a new perspective for Carrington; she thinks of Alberta as the support she has been waiting for to oppose Allura at last.

In All’s Fair Episode 5, the focus is also on Carrington's parenting style. She notices how lonely Ami is and persuades her to try her luck with the application for a school for the gifted. Carrington collaborates with Ami on the essay, revealing her own struggles with self-injury and how she overcame them to live a better life.

But she doesn’t stop at that. She gets in touch with Ami’s biological dad, Sebastian, and invites him to participate in Ami’s birthday party, with the intention of reconciliation and making the family more united.

On the other hand, things are getting complicated at the firm. Allura, Liberty, and Dina are doing their best to help Emerald’s family deal with everything after Lloyd Walton, her attacker, dies. Then Detective Connie Morrow shows up with a warrant. She wants to know about some strange phone activity tied to Walton’s murder, and she starts grilling Allura. Dina jumps in, tries to steer the questions away, but that just makes Connie more suspicious. People already know Dina has a history with the case, and with Doug’s health slipping, she is more on edge than ever.

Dina’s story cuts through the noise at the firm. While everything unravels at work, she is at home, looking after Doug, her husband, who is dying. When Doug finally tells her there is nothing left to hope for, Dina falls apart. She starts smashing things in the kitchen: plates, glasses, whatever is in reach. She just lets all the pain out. Watching her break like that, you really feel the weight of what she is about to lose, and Glenn Close just owns every second of it.

Meanwhile, in All’s Fair Episode 5, Milan tells Chase she is pregnant with his child, but she is clear: she is going to raise the baby on her own and keep Allura out of the loop. That news just ramps up the pressure inside the firm, both personally and professionally.

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All’s Fair Episode 5 throws together dark humor, high-stakes legal battles, and some raw personal struggles. The characters, who usually feel untouchable or kind of shady, suddenly show flashes of real humanity.

Carrington, for example, tries to reach her daughter and juggle her messy life while making deals left and right. There is a murder investigation brewing, family drama piling up, and the tension just keeps climbing as the story barrels forward.

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