Alan wakes up and realizes that the cream he was using to rub his feet was much sharper than he thought it was. He tells Charlie that it can be dangerous if you use it incorrectly, and Charlie asks Alan if the dream means he should keep working as a therapist. Alan thinks that the dream means he shouldn’t die “like a sheep,” which could mean that he should continue to fight even when things are tough. ..
Alan called Sam before he left for work this morning. He tried to convince him not to go see a new therapist, but Sam said he was going to do what he felt was best for himself. Alan told him that he cared about him, but that he only had a week to change his mind. That’s when Alan plans on seeing Mr. Buchella. ..
Alan tells Sam about Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist who survived Auschwitz. He said in his writings that people need meaning in their lives more than anything. “People need to find purpose and meaning in their lives,” Alan says. ..
He suggests that Sam have Mary over for a meal so they can rebuild their relationship. Sam could get a nanny cam so Alan can see everything that’s going on and get a professional opinion. ..
Alan agrees to come over for brunch, and Charlie’s plan is set in motion. Charlie tells him that it will be his fault if his plan to stab Sam ends in Mary’s death as well. But Alan’s focus is on escaping.
Alan suggests that Sam try role-playing with him to ease his nerves about the brunch. Sam struggles through the role-play, and afterwards asks Alan if he thinks it would be a good idea for him and Mary to have a baby. Alan doesn’t give him a clear answer, saying that no one knows for sure how their children will turn out. ..
The next morning, Sam has Mary over for brunch, and Alan watches on the nanny cam. He’s holding his tube of foot cream in his hand.
The meal is uncomfortable and Sam struggles to make conversation. He eventually panics and goes down to get advice from Alan.
Alan holds the tube of cream and stares at Sam, but he can’t bring himself to use it. He remembers Charlie telling him that he’ll get Mary killed. ..
Sam returns to the table, but his attempts at conversation fall flat. He tells Mary that his father regularly beat him as a child; this is why he’s in therapy. He’d never mentioned this to Mary before. Candace then awkwardly gets up from the table, and Mary decides to leave. ..
Alan imagines screaming for help before he departs, but he doesn’t. Mary leaves, and Alan remains a hostage.
Alan reports to Sam how things went. Mary said she thinks it’s good for exes to have friendly relationships, and that they should do this once a year. Sam feels terrible. He says this was a mistake, and he blames Alan.
Alan insists this was important for Sam. Finding meaningful relationships requires taking risks. Sam doesn’t care. He tells Mr. Buchella next week that he’s going to see him next week.
Alan proposes that Sam try to access his memories and feelings about his dad first. He says that when he gets so angry that he hurts someone, it’s his dad that he’s truly angry with–not other people. He kills people instead of killing his father.
Sam shows Alan a video of Edmond Kemper, a serial killer who murdered his own mother to stop his cycle of killing women. ..
Alan agrees with Sam, but he takes his assessment the wrong way. He decides that, to finally stop killing others, he’s going to kill his own father. He leaves the house while Alan protests.
The Episode Review
In this episode, Alan dreams of another man in captivity only to wake up in his own prison. But like Victor Frankl, Alan is inspired to go on his own search for meaning.
Alan wrestles with the idea of escaping and risking his life to save others. When he considers the possibility of sacrificing himself to save another person, he wonders if what he’s doing has any meaning. ..
In the end, Alan has to ask himself: Can he save Sam and himself? The conclusion of Alan’s putting down his tube of foot cream and instead making a breakthrough with Sam nicely portrays a balance of self-preservation and selfless sacrifice in the patient-therapist relationship.
The final episode of the season is set to air on May 19th and it has been speculated that it will be a very exciting episode. There are many questions that need to be answered, such as what will happen to Sam after he goes off to try and kill his father? Will Alan finally be freed from his prison? And what role will Candace play in Sam’s life? These are just some of the questions that fans are eagerly waiting to find out the answers to. ..
I think Sam will have to do more than wrestle with his father to receive some closure. His mother has played a significant role in his childhood trauma. Can Alan help the family heal and still save himself?
