This time, the voiceover is delivered by Marienne, who artfully weaves her plight into an allegorical fairy tale, the kind she might tell her young child to simplify complex truths. It transforms into a poignant parable about birds destined to soar but occasionally having their wings cruelly shattered. Regrettably, this episode indulges in a particularly grim spectacle: witnessing Marienne endure agonizing torture and descent into madness, seemingly without end and for reasons that remain obscure. This harrowing sequence could have conveyed its message far more efficiently and tastefully.
Guided by Hallucination Rhys, Joe gradually uncovers his own dark deeds towards Marienne: drugging her coffee on the brink of boarding a train and subsequently abducting her. Joe's fascination with Rhys intensified shortly after his London arrival. By the time he confines Marienne in a sordid flat, Rhys' speeches loop incessantly in his ears. For clarity, let us dub this Joe "Shadow Joe," as he is a version Joe himself cannot recall. Shadow Joe expresses a desire to reignite their relationship. Marienne, realizing her water is laced, cleverly avoids her final glass, only to face the harrowing ordeal of being conscious while Joe confines her in a human-sized crate. Personally, unconsciousness would have been a more welcome fate! Remaining awake offers her little solace. Perhaps this awareness serves as a subtle clue for a future escape, feigning unconsciousness? One can only hope!
In the basement of a condemned building opposite a dilapidated Indian eatery where Joe procures Marienne's provisions, he has reconstructed his grim human aquarium. Marienne, capitalizing on her hard-won consciousness, attempts a desperate escape, only to suffer a broken arm for her efforts. Joe insists that this — the arm-breaking, the kidnapping — "isn't me" (how helpful!). Yet, his Rhys obsession is so overwhelming that he fails to heed Marienne's pleas through the glass. Instead, he bashes his head so violently that a personality shift ensues? With a maniacal grin aimed at Marienne, he declares, "I'm not Joe."
Most of this episode revolves around Marienne's torment, and I shall not dwell on it further. Part of Shadow Joe's cruelty is withholding painkillers for her injured arm, knowing her addiction. Perhaps in this fractured state, he has forgotten? Joe's transformation is evident in his refusal to give Marienne a book, his cherished solace in this dreary world. Shadow Joe informs Marienne that he only keeps her captive until "regular Joe finally returns to kill you." (Sounds more like Shadow Joe's modus operandi, doesn't it?) Marienne paces restlessly, crafting origami birds from takeout trash, losing the ability to imagine conversations with her daughter. Shadow Joe seems to have forgotten her existence entirely, and Marienne fears starvation. Again, this prolonged sequence seems unnecessary. Since we know Nadia will rescue her, what purpose does this graphic torture serve? A persistent flaw in this series since its inception.
Back at the secluded country house, Joe performs the grim task of burying the genuine Rhys, while Hallucination Rhys, an eerie doppelgänger who also serves as Joe's shadowy conscience, reveals a harrowing truth: Joe's sanity has been shattered since the harrowing kidnapping of Marienne, and arguably, ever since he committed the unthinkable murder of Love and deserted Henry. It's intriguing that the show chooses to omit the precise catalyst for Joe's psychological breakdown.
Hallucination Rhys, whose identity also intertwines with that of Shadow Joe – stay with me here – can't recall the last instance he nourished Marienne's fictitious existence. Joe, in denial and refusing to confront reality, insists he isn't Marienne's captor and has conjured his entire relationship with Rhys out of thin air. However, undeniable evidence unmasks the truth: a haunting montage from Joe's surveillance footage captures him in his apartment, engaging in one-sided conversations with an imaginary friend. "You and the actual Rhys Montrose have never crossed paths," Hallucination Rhys/Shadow Joe reveals, adding, "Except for just moments ago, when you cruelly bound his testicles with zip ties and ended his life." Joe is then subjected to a mortifying compilation of his conversations with an empty chair, further solidifying the reality of his delusion. Even those text exchanges, it turns out, were mere figments of his deranged imagination. Hallucination Rhys/Shadow Joe's verdict is blunt: "You are insane, a full-fledged lunatic, dripping with madness." Joe is unveiled as the Eat-the-Rich killer, having created an elaborate fantasy where he plays the hero, protecting people from his own dark deeds, fueled by an insatiable quest for redemption (and, ironically, romantic love). The reasoning behind Joe chaining himself in a blazing basement remains unclear and baffling, even as Hallucination Rhys/Shadow Joe hints that acknowledging his true identity could unlock the memory of Marienne's whereabouts.
Meanwhile, in the grotesque confines of the human aquarium, Marienne confides in Nadia, emphasizing the futility of seeking police assistance. Though her rationale, rooted in fear of Joe's relentless pursuit, holds merit, one wonders why escaping this harrowing ordeal isn't her immediate priority. Marienne insists on finding a way back to Juliette safely, without involving the authorities. Why Nadia doesn't at least snap a few photos as evidence remains mysterious. She reveals having stolen Joe's house key and made duplicates, but Marienne warns her against revealing her knowledge, fearing for Nadia's safety.
In the realm of reality, Rhys's disappearance has garnered national attention. Joe answers Kate's call with a flippant "Hello, you," oblivious to her distress over Adam and Phoebe's engagement party, which she mocks as "British invasion-themed. What are we invading, our own sanity?" Joe's evident instability escapes Kate's notice, distracted as she is by Phoebe's ill-fated rush into marriage. Hallucination Rhys/Shadow Joe urges Joe to tidy up his mess to win back Kate or risk losing her forever.
Nadia strives to maintain a composure in class, yet her facade crumbles, all too apparent to the perceptive Hallucination Rhys, alias Shadow Joe, who senses her turbulent undercurrents. Joe, however, appears to swallow Nadia's justification for her distracted demeanor hook, line, and sinker—that she's simply anxious about Edward's unspoken affections for her.
Guided by Joe's counsel, Kate tracks down Phoebe amidst her shopping spree, only to realize that what was billed as an engagement party is, surprisingly, their wedding. Adam, ever the manipulator, intercepts Kate's messages and systematically isolates Phoebe from her friends, even thwarting Kate's attempts to steer Phoebe towards discussing a prenuptial agreement with a lawyer. This Adam-Phoebe saga has taken a dark, troubling turn, leaving one to ponder if the series aims to paint Adam in such a villainous light that Joe might be driven to terminate him.
Joe, in a frenzy, ransacks his apartment in search of the hidden key Nadia had located almost instantaneously. Despite likening himself to "Mr. Hyde" earlier in the episode, it doesn't dawn upon him to decipher the hidden messages within his copy of that timeless classic. Kate then orchestrates a plan to lure Joe to a secluded cabin, but not before dragging him to Phoebe's wedding disaster as her "sole sane companion," a humorous notion indeed. Joe eventually unearths his hidden key and stumbles upon his old copy of Rhys' book, the one he had devoured and annotated, revealing cryptic messages such as "Rhys
