Tamal Kundu
Created by Jason Katims and based on the 2020 namesake novel by Ann Napolitano, the Apple TV+ drama series ‘Dear Edward’ explores the concept of grief through the perspective of a group of people who have lost their loved ones in a tragic plane crash. At the center of the narrative is a boy named Edward or Eddie (Colin O’Brien), the sole survivor of the crash. In episode 4. titled ‘Chrysalis,’ Dee Dee (Connie Britton) continues to learn about her husband’s double life in Los Angeles. Kojo (Idris DeBrand) prepares for his sister’s funeral, and Adriana (Anna Uzele) helps him with it. Eddie finds himself overwhelmed at public school. A subplot is introduced through Amanda (Brittany S. Hall), one of the attendees of the grief group. Here is what you need to know about the ending of ‘Dear Edward’ episode 4. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Dear Edward Episode 4 Recap
The episode begins with Eddie as he starts school at Riverview. This is the first time he is in a public school since his parents took him out of one when he was much younger. Even though he has come to accept that his brother isn’t alive, he continues to see the older boy, who advises Eddie to flunk a placement test so he can be among the kids his own age. “People don’t care if you’re smart. People care if you’re cool,” Jordan says wisely.
Meanwhile, Dee Dee, who has been in Los Angeles for about two weeks, meets T, a non-binary kid whom Charles allowed to live in the condo with him. Dee Dee later visits the LGBTQ center where Charles used to volunteer and speaks to Noelle. The first meeting between these two women was a disaster as Dee Dee thought Charles was having an affair with Noelle. As Noelle starts praising Charles’ contributions to the center and his work with the LGBTQ children, Dee Dee asks whether her late husband was gay. Noelle admits that she can’t be sure, but it’s possible that he was exploring his sexual identity.
Back in New York, Kojo makes plans for Akua’s funeral. The Ghanaian tradition dictates the casket would be decorated, so he asks Becks (Khloe Bruno), who eventually shows him a butterfly drawing, and Kojo immediately declares that it’s perfect. After learning that Kojo intends to hold a funeral at a less-than-ideal place, Adriana assures him that she knows a better location and goes to speak to Reverend Eric, a man she has known since they were children. There is clearly a history there. Eric immediately grants Adriana’s request, and before they part ways, they share a kiss.
Amanda is present in the grief group scenes in the first three episodes but is not yet part of the narrative. She lost her fiancé Brent in the crash of the Trinity Airways Flight 1483. As she speaks to the group about how she is doing, an Asian man walks in. Seeing him, something changes in Amanda, and she demands to know what he is doing there. The man seems to have no idea who she is. It is later revealed that he is Steve (Ivan Shaw), Brent’s brother. He and Brent became estranged because of the latter’s addiction and the fact that he assaulted their father. Steve never knew that Brent got cleaned and was engaged. Toward the end of the episode, he visits Amanda, and they talk, which ends with Amanda allowing Steve to be part of the group.
Dear Edward Episode 4 Ending: Why Does Dee Dee Give T Charles’ Watch? Was Charles Gay?
When T visits Charles’ condo to pick up their toothbrush, they tell Dee Dee that they work at Bollywood Bites, a job that Charles got them. She gives them the Rolex she gave Charles for his 50th birthday and orders chicken biriyani as she hasn’t eaten for three days. Grief is an unpredictable emotion, and Dee Dee’s response to her personal tragedy is perhaps the most fascinating aspect of ‘Dear Edward.’ In this episode, Dee Dee learns that Charles did have a sexual relationship with a man named Evan. So, she is not only in financial trouble because of the poor decisions her late husband made, but also she has to deal with the fact that he was unfaithful.
The more Dee Dee learns about Charles’ double life, the more she realizes that he sustained it at the expense of his first life — the one he had with her and their daughter. Now, it seems that Zoe has to drop out of school because her father didn’t leave enough money. As she navigates through her grief and frustration, Dee Dee seems to realize that she needs to reassess her life. She gives T the watch because Charles (or Charlie, as they called him) represented a positive force in their life — something that Dee Dee can’t claim, at least for now.
Why Does Eddie Give the Jacket to Shay?
Eddie finds the jacket in a box marked as “Jordan’s clothes.” After putting it on, he sees his brother in the mirror. As he struggles to adapt to public school and faces bullying from other children, that jacket becomes something like a safety blanket to him. Despite the hot and humid weather of a New York summer day, Eddie shows up in a class with the jacket buttoned up, garnering ridicule from his classmates and instructions from the teacher to take it off, though Shay does her best to defend him.
The enormity of Eddie’s grief is incomprehensible. Moreover, he has suddenly become exposed to a life that his parents didn’t have the need to prepare him for. To help him with it, Lacey (Taylor Schilling) shares a story about his mother when they were both young. Jane wore a belly dancer costume for Halloween that Lacey wanted. The following morning, Lacey found the costume — cleaned and neatly folded — on her bed. Eddie emulates his mother by giving the jacket to Shay. This also underscores the sibling-like bond that these two characters share.
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