Duke's fame comes from how, when he found out who he was working for, stole $15m from the Chicago Mob gave the bulk of it to charities and went on the run.
Mob Boss Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina) is, not unexpectedly, also looking for Duke but so is FBI agent Mosely (Yaphet Kotto) who wants to turn him State's evidence.
Shenanigans ensue.
Things aren't going particularly great, he's split up with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) and sucks at his job at a car dealership but at least he still has friends.
That is until the Time Variance Authority agent "Paradox" (Matthew Macfadyen) shows up and informs him his whole timeline is collapsing because Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) died in the events of "Logan" and offers him a chance to finally really matter.
No good will come of this.
CW: all the big swears and lots of messy comic gore/deaths
Watching his neighbour, who likes to go around topless, from his balcony he notices a new neighbour (Riley Keough) who has a small white dog. Later he starts up a conversation with her, gets invited into her apartment and the two start to flirt. When her roommates reappear suddenly she ushers him out and says he can see her tomorrow.
The following morning she and most of the contents of the apartment are gone. Sam decides to investigate.
No good will come of this.
CW: nudity and lots of male gaze/objectification of women
The mission is fronted by failed Trumpian politician Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his repellent culinary snob wife Ylfa (Toni Collette).
The hapless Mickey, not one to look at contracts, signs up to be an 'expendale' who will die over and over only to be resurrected by a 3D printer.
One day Mickey survives unexpectedly and staggers back to the room he shares with his girlfriend Nasha (Naomi Ackie).
No good will come of this.
CW: gross out weirdness
When the job that supports all this disappears and he struggles through a series of embarrassing failed job interviews he becomes quite untethered. Eventually as it looks like the house is going to be repossessed Man-su comes up with a solution: eliminate the competition.
Pre-emptively, and permanently.
CW: some violence, DIY dentistry
One day he rushes to a very confusing booking where he's playing a funeral guest and the "deceased" is very much alive.
It turns out he's been subcontracted by a "Rental family" company that hires out actors to play parts in a range of situations that exist on a kind of continuity through LARP to therapy, social work, fetish and in some cases victimless deception.
The company owner Shinji (Takehiro Hira) offers Phillip more work and after some initial hesitancy he begins to take on longer term roles.
CW: anybody who's ever done any kind of safeguarding training will want to scream at the screen about how unethical and risky this all is under the cover of "Japan being quirky"
It's dark and unsettling so they go downstairs, build a pillow/blanket fort and watch old Merry Melodies cartoons on VHS.
Things are not right. Fundamental things like doors and then the toilet simply disappear. There are whispers in the dark.
CW: children in peril, constant flickering lights
Unknowingly he takes an ancient amulet of power from a dying Prince and is bound to it and the ongoing battle.
Trying to rid himself of this burden he picks up, literally, the goblin wizard Doodad (Laurie Field/Patton Oswalt) and thief Brisbayne (Christina Orjalo) on the way but can't shake his destiny.
CW: so much cheese it could kill the lactose intolerant