Cora prepares dinner alone, noting Gordon’s habitual silence about his whereabouts and her anxious vigilance for his mood. She recalls returning to him under promises of tenderness: gifts, help with chores, and talk of renewing vows, while she felt tired and foggy. Gordon framed her previous escapes as “episodes,” arranged a cognitive assessment, and eased her into dependence. Then he abruptly withdrew help, resumed old patterns, and after an episode ending in bruised ribs, produced a Lasting Power of Attorney giving him control over her health, welfare, and finances.

Gordon took Cora to tour a care home’s dementia floor, pointedly highlighting medication compliance and handling of “paranoia,” implying he could institutionalize her if she tried to leave again. The threat left Cora feeling crushed. Their adult son moving back has slightly altered the household dynamic, but Cora remains unsure how to connect with him.

Elsewhere, Gordon meets his sobriety sponsor, Rob, at Rob’s studio. While mixing rabbit-skin glue, Gordon recounts his professional collapse culminating in a drunk-driving crash and the strange relief of losing status. He confesses to Rob his teenage assaultive behavior toward Lily at school and how he led others to torment her afterward, likely contributing to her breakdown. After finding Lily online as a human rights lawyer for women and girls, he recognizes the lasting harm he caused and feels deep shame. Rob listens, saddened but steady, and confirms Gordon did not drink.

In a separate thread, Kate asks to meet Gordon. Maia hesitates, fearing their father’s reaction if he learns she is gay, but agrees. Maia remembers visiting Gordon in the psych ward after his accident and feeling compassion for his vulnerability.

Gordon meets Maia and Kate at a gallery, intuits they are a couple, and gently asks how long they have been together. Observing their quiet intimacy makes him feel outside their bond, but he tries to engage. A Goya painting, Saturn Devouring His Son, unsettles him; Maia quietly links it to their father, which stings.

Over dinner, with Kate briefly outside, Maia apologizes and tells Gordon she sees their father as having manipulated Gordon, rewarding cruelty toward Cora before Gordon could form his own conscience. Both acknowledge failing to help Cora and the difficulty of intervening in family abuse. When Kate returns, they cut the evening short. Outside, Maia asks Gordon not to tell their father about her relationship; Kate states directly that Maia prefers to keep her being gay from him, and Gordon agrees.

Leaving them, Gordon becomes fixated on drinking. He enters a shop, selects a bottle of red wine, and nears the till. Seeing Gordon’s Gin behind the counter triggers associations with Lily, his confession to Rob, and his sister’s past distrust. Overwhelmed, he shoves the wine onto a shelf and runs out empty-handed, averting a relapse.