Diksha Sundriyal
The fourth episode of Apple TV+’s ‘The Crowded Room’ follows Danny Sullivan to London in search of his father. He is on the run after trying to shoot his stepfather in public and hurting other people in the process, but his search for answers seems to lead him further away from the truth. A few questions resurface about Danny’s childhood, his twin, and their biological father, who has been absent from Danny’s life for a very long time.
Danny seems to be grasping at straws and taking whatever explanation he can get to make sense of his situation, but for Rya Goodwin, the picture is completely different from what Danny sees. By the end of this episode, titled ‘London,’ it is confirmed that Rya knows more than she lets on in her conversations with Danny. What does it mean for him? Here’s what the ending suggests. SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Crowded Room Episode 4 Recap
Danny arrives in London with a phone number of a travel agency where he believes his father works. When he enquires about Pete Sullivan, the receptionist says she has never heard of that name, but just then, a man named Jack walks out of the room and reveals that he does know Danny’s father. Jack reveals that he and Pete were indulged in some criminal activities, and because Pete is a wanted man, he hasn’t set foot in London for a long time.
Danny finds out from Jack that Pete knew Yitzhak, which is why perhaps the latter protected Danny and sheltered him when the boy needed it the most. Danny also finds out about Jack’s secret conversations with Yitzhak, but when Rya asks how he knew about the phone calls when he wasn’t present there, Danny cannot produce a logical explanation. He believes Jack must have told him about it at some point, and he doesn’t remember because that whole period is a little foggy to him.
In London, Jack tells Danny about the mob boss for whom Pete worked and encourages him to demand the money his father was owed. When Danny confronts him, the mob boss refuses to acknowledge his father and has Danny thrown out. When Jack meets him again, he tells Danny to give up the pursuit of finding his father and go back home, even if it means he will get arrested for what he has done.
When Rya asks Danny what he makes of his experience in London, Danny concludes that Yitzhak and Jack duped him, and Ariana was in on it. He believes something bigger is at stake, which is why these people invested so much time and care in him. He has yet to figure out what they want from him but is frustrated when Rya suggests that it’s not them manipulating him but the other way around.
The Crowded Room Episode 4 Ending
Hearing about Danny’s experience in London poses more questions, but it seems Rya already has the answers. Every time Danny is confused about why a certain thing had to happen that way, she tries to push him toward the answer, which he is not prepared to know. He concocts several theories to make sense of things, but the more he theorizes, the clearer his situation gets to Rya and the audience. In the final scene, it is confirmed that the psychiatrist knows what’s going on with Danny, and she is trying to get him to figure it out by himself.
In their conversations, where Danny touches upon every detail of what happened to him before he was arrested, Rya tries to lead him toward the answer, which seems all too obvious now. She keeps asking him where Yitzhak and Ariana went and why people like Jack always show up just when Danny needs them. It’s more than just Danny’s luck to come across people who come through for him in dire circumstances. It’s because they are all inside Danny’s head.
In the last scene of the episode, Rya walks into the room where she interviews Danny, but this time, he is not on the seat. This time, it’s Jack. It’s surprising to see him there, considering he was left behind in London. What’s more surprising is that this isn’t the first time Rya is meeting him. Their conversation suggests that they have talked at length about Danny, who is unaware of their interactions. Rya tells Jack that it’s time they brought Danny face to face with the truth, but Jack doesn’t seem so sure.
It seems like Jack had been conspiring with Yitzhak, but it wasn’t to con Danny or get money out of him. It was to keep him safe. Both of them are older men who serve as father figures to Danny. Yitzhak showed up when Danny was being beaten to a pulp by his bullies, and Jack showed up when a clueless Danny was looking for his father, hoping to find a haven. They showed up at such moments not because they are Danny’s father’s friends but because they are Danny’s personalities and exist inside his head.
Danny has dissociative identity disorder, and his mind has fractured into different personalities that serve different needs. They show up when Danny needs them in the form that best suits his needs. Jack shows up when Danny goes to London, but while Danny believes Jack is still in London, the personality has traveled with him back home. Moreover, Jack seems to have taken control of Danny’s mind and is making decisions like whether or not Danny should become aware of his situation.
Rya knows what’s going on with Danny, and it’s possible that Jack isn’t the only personality she has met. By making Danny tell his story, she has been trying to get him to look at the signs that have always been there. Instead of telling him directly, she wants him to come to the realization himself because it would make it easier for him to grasp his reality. However, the problem is that Danny is not the one in control. Jack controls what Danny does or does not remember, and he keeps the DID a secret from Danny because it might completely break him.
Read More: Is Danny Sullivan Based on a Real Person?
