Less than thirty minutes before the Olympic final, Katarina and Heath finish their warm-up and equipment checks and try to hold steady while they wait. Both of them are still in pain—Heath from his injured back and Katarina from her foot—but Katarina believes they are mentally stronger than ever and still capable of winning.

When Katarina goes to the women’s dressing room for a last makeup touch-up, Dmitri unexpectedly exits the room. Inside, she finds Francesca alone and immediately connects Francesca to Dmitri through the lipstick color on his mouth. Katarina warns Francesca that Dmitri is dangerous, but Francesca calmly dismisses the warning and turns the conversation into an accusation, claiming Katarina uses Heath and will do anything to win.

Francesca then says she will take the gold and tells Katarina that she cannot win, insisting the comeback was doomed. Instead of trading insults, Katarina feels sadness and sees Francesca as a younger skater consumed by the same corrosive ambition that once shaped Katarina’s own life. Realizing Francesca will have to learn that lesson for herself, Katarina unexpectedly hugs her and wishes her luck before leaving.

Afterward, Katarina thinks through what the encounter means. She now suspects Francesca, with her wealth and Dmitri’s connections, could have helped orchestrate the recent sabotage. What unsettles Katarina most is not Francesca’s hostility but her absolute confidence, which makes Katarina feel Francesca believes some final advantage is already in place.

Backstage, Katarina finds Heath taking more painkillers because his back is worsening instead of improving. Alarmed, Katarina asks to see the bottle and examines one of the tablets. Remembering an earlier moment when something looked almost right but not quite, Katarina realizes something is wrong with the medication and tells Heath they have a serious problem just before their turn approaches.