Episode 4 of THEM: The Scare begins with Edmund, deeply immersed in his customary self-care tape, making his way to visit its creator. Little did he know that the architect behind it was Dr. Gaines, his former foster father. With a heart full of questions, Edmund attempts to engage with Gaines, his mother, and sister, but they coldly brush him off, urging him to leave.
The truth is revealed in bits and pieces. They had once adopted him, but his frequent tantrums led them to abandon him at a foster home on his twelfth birthday. Edmund yearns to understand why they left him, and Dr. Gaines finally confesses that it was to protect Lacey, his biological daughter.
Meanwhile, Dawn adopts a clever ruse, posing as a cop's wife to approach Mrs. McKinney. In a moment of carelessness, Mrs. McKinney slips, revealing that her husband was not at home on the fateful night of Curtis' murder. Dawn quickly relays this information to Diaz, who reveals that despite numerous brutality complaints, McKinney has never faced more than a two-day suspension. Digging deeper, they uncover a shocking fact: in 1982, a murder case was mysteriously dropped, and McKinney's partner, Stenson, was forced into retirement.
Determined to get to the bottom of it, Dawn tracks down Stenson. He reveals that McKinney belongs to a shadowy "blue group" - a clique of corrupt cops who protect each other at all costs. Stenson hands her the case files from '82, revealing a heartbreaking tale of a young Black boy beaten to death. Mrs. McKinney had accused the cops, but when Stenson spoke up, he was silenced and forced to retire. Shockingly, he admits that he was once part of the group too. As part of his initiation, he was forced to get a tattoo, which he later had to slice off in shame.
That night, Edmund's anger gets the better of him. He picks up a hooker but soon starts insulting her, berating her for not having a "real" life. In a fit of rage, he locks her in his car and is poised to attack her when suddenly, the cops arrive. Mistaking him for the notorious Southside Slayer, they detain him. But when they discover audition tapes of him fumbling through the same lines, they let him go, much to his anger and disappointment. He feels insulted, believing that it means he is not a good actor. Little does he know that his true destiny lies far beyond the stage.
Meanwhile, Athena stumbles upon a trail of Dawn's hypertension pills leading to a mysterious box. She's suddenly haunted by hallucinations of Dawn accusing her of deceit.
Meanwhile, the real Dawn trails McKinney from his abode to a gathering of the sinister blue cult-like group. She witnesses several white police officers engaging in target practice and heavy drinking. They catch her red-handed, and McKinney sternly warns her to stay away. Upon returning home, Dawn finds Athena weeping, confessing that she and her husband had adopted her.
Dawn's hypertension is a legacy from her biological father, and the note hidden in the box is the sole remnant left by her birth mother. This revelation shocks Dawn to the core, leaving her unable to process the sudden truth.
Elsewhere, Edmund wreaks havoc in Donovan's home, watching a tape from his sixth birthday with a twisted grin. As Donovan enters, Edmund ambushes him, tossing him into the trunk of his car.
The scene cuts to the same mysterious locale seen at the start of Episode 1. It turns out that the captive man is Donovan, and they're in the dingy basement of the arcade. Edmund forces Donovan to watch his birthday tape, compelling him to replay the scenes. Donovan pleads with Edmund to let him go, but Edmund's twisted mind has other plans. He unties one of Donovan's hands only to snap it with a sickening crack. Donovan lashes out, but Edmund expertly traps his leg and savagely breaks it, leaving Donovan writhing in agony in the final scene of THEM: The Scare Episode 4.
