Tamal Kundu
The Apple TV+ series ‘The Big Door Prize’ is the web adaptation of the 2020 namesake book by M.O. Walsh. The setting of the story is a town called Deerfield, where the mysterious Morpho machine appears out of nowhere and forever alters the lives of the townsfolk by letting them know their life potential. In episode 4, titled ‘Father Reuben,’ the narrative focus shifts to the in-house priest of Deerfield (Damon Gupton) and what convinced him to be a man of the cloth. Meanwhile, a wedding takes place, and the Mayor’s attempt to steal the limelight is thwarted by her own daughter. Here is everything you might want to know about the ending of ‘The Bog Door Prize’ episode 4. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Big Door Prize Episode 4 Recap
The episode probably begins right where the previous episode ended. Reuben finally gives in to his curiosity and submits two dollars, his social security number, and his fingerprints into the Morpho machine to learn about his potential. When he gets the card, it says, “Father,” which the townfolk think means the preacher, once more proving to them the accuracy of the machine, but Reuben, when he is alone, he breaks down crying, indicating that there is perhaps more to this story.
Reuben later tries to speak to Trina about how she is dealing with losing her boyfriend, but clever as she is, she successfully turns the focus away from her and on Reuben, pointing out that he has become a minor celebrity in the town after the revelation of his Morpho card, making him further uncomfortable.
Although the story focuses on Reuben in this episode, the Hubbard family remains an important part of it. Dusty (Chris O’Dowd) tries out extra spicy chicken wings and gets a tattoo proclaiming his love for his wife. In hindsight, both decisions turn out to be disasters. Dusty gets so warm eating the wings that he removes his clothes, only to reveal that he tried to get a tattoo for Cass (Gabrielle Dennis). The pain was too much, and he had to tap out about ¾ the way into it. Moreover, Cass is not particularly thrilled about the idea of her husband getting a tattoo containing a nickname (“Puff”) she doesn’t like and reluctantly makes it clear to him. An argument ensues, and it again all comes to their Morpho card.
One person who is truly living her life since learning her potential is Principal Pat. In this episode, she marries a man named Farid Malik in an impromptu wedding held at Giorgio’s Italian Restaurant and Sports Center. When her ex shows up at the wedding, Izzy does a dance routine, stealing the attention away from a couple on their wedding day. But then, Cass starts dancing with a young girl, and Dusty and other town residents join in, taking the attention away from Izzy once more. Things do get better for Cass and Dusty after this. As the episode ends, they acknowledge that puffins are not so bad.
The Big Door Prize Episode 4 Ending: Why Did Reuben Become a Priest?
Reuben is one of the two new people in Deerfield along with the Bartender, Hana, and the past of both these characters has been shrouded in mystery, though episode 4 sheds some light on how Reuben became a priest. After the wedding and the party, Reuben stays behind to help Hana, who, as she belatedly learned, asked to come to the ceremony to provide the catering services and not as a guest.
Afterward, Hana and Reuben go back to the bar and start talking over wine. In that moment of profound candidness, Reuben reveals that he used to be married. They were happy and made plans for the future. But then, his wife became sick and died. Reuben lost any control he had over his life at this point. He was drinking himself to death when he found a life potential card that said, “Priest.” Believing this to be a sign from the higher powers, Reuben underwent training and joined Deerfield High as the priest.
When the Morpho machine arrived in town, Reuben was reluctant to check out his life potential because a part of him knew that there was a possibility that he had made an error. He is ultimately proven right. When he finally musters enough courage and checks his life potential, the card tells him he is meant to be a “Father.” For the rest of the town, this is merely an affirmation of the machine working correctly and the priest is doing what he is supposed to do. But Reuben knows the truth.
If it were meant to say priest, it would have said priest. That card Reuben found all those years ago wasn’t meant for him. But the newer one is. The frustration that we see Reuben demonstrate stems from the realization that he has made a poor decision. When he should have tried to find happiness and love again, he tried to find faith, and we are not entirely certain if he succeeded in that regard. However, as the episode ends, Reuben and Hana share a dance. It might not lead anywhere, as we don’t really know who Hana truly is. But as they dance together, separated from the rest of the world, Reuben and Hana look content.
Read More: The Big Door Prize Episodes 1, 2, and 3 Recap and Ending, Explained
