A major secondary plot point triggers the final descent into war with New York:

The business side of the episode highlights the breakdown of diplomacy between the two families:

: AJ's despair is linked to his inability to reconcile the love he feels for his father and friends with the horrific violence they are capable of, specifically after seeing his friends brutally beat an African student. The Meadow and Coco Incident

You can listen to deep-dive analyses of this episode on The Sibling Sitdown Podcast or read a full transcript at SubsLikeScript .