Breathless (2024) – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review

Episode 4

Episode 4 of Breathless aka Respira begins 3 weeks later. It is the day before the strike and the staff are planning on hiding it from the board so they can’t stop it. Moa explains that they need to make a statement so that the government is forced to act. This means no minimum services either like ER services.

May refuses to go along with it and everyone is angry with her. The 1st years beg her to stay quiet and she gives in. But this creates a strain in her relationship as she refuses to listen to why Rocio is in favour of the strike. 

Rocio’s actions have consequences as a pregnant patient is brought into the ER. She is declared brain dead but since the hospital is going on strike, Rocio orders her to be shifted to Alicante. But during the shift, she goes into cardiac arrest and May is forced to perform a caesarean in the middle of the hallway.

Pilar catches them and is furious as she points out that this will be a black mark on Rocio’s record. However, Rocio doesn’t mind and lies that she wanted to shift the patient as Alicante has a better NICU.

May doesn’t understand why Rocio is going to such lengths as it will make it harder to get a job in Germany. Rocio suddenly claims that she doesn’t want to move or be with May anymore.

Meanwhile, Jesica is still grieving and is upset that Lluis has not been there for her. He promises to make it up to her with dinner but once again stands her up. As for Quique, he tries to avoid Oscar by lying that he has a boyfriend. It doesn’t work as Oscar catfishes him on a dating app and shows up as his blind hookup. Quique is already stoned and confused when Biel brings Jesica over to help clear up Rodri’s stuff.

While Quique and Oscar hide in his room, Biel helps Jesica log into Rodri’s phone. They see his followers leave him messages, and upset, she deletes his account. She lashes out at Rodri before breaking down as she accepts that she doesn’t know how to move on. As Biel tries to comfort her, they end up hooking up. 

Next door, Quique and Oscar overhear and are amused. Oscar tries to make a move on him and Quique lets him. But on seeing that Quique can’t get it up, Oscar wonders if it is because he is HIV+. Upset, he walks off before Quique can explain himself.

As for Patricia, she wants the surgery soon and when Moa cannot convince her to wait, he decides to operate right before the strike. But to keep her in the dark, he constantly lies to her. Biel is uncomfortable but believes that he has everything under control. They are unable to do an MRI as well due to everyone packing up for the strike.

However, Moa blindly assures Patricia that she won’t lose her breast with the tumour removal. He comforts her and they end up bonding over their parents’ expectations.

Meanwhile, Leo and Lluis are trying to figure out a game plan for their son. As she breaks down over being a bad parent, Lluis comforts her. Feeling guilty, she ends up telling him about the extent of the strike. He is furious but Pilar is not deterred as she believes when push comes to shove, the doctors will prioritise the patients. As the chief, she places Patricia’s operation late at night to test Moa.

However, Moa believes he will be able to finish it before midnight. He brings Patricia early into the OR and then has Biel hold a tribute for Rodri to maximise the impact of the strike. Moa begins the operation but at midnight, he decides to wrap up. When Pilar confronts him, he sticks to his decision and she decides to continue.

Everyone leaves except Pilar, Biel and another doctor. They struggle and the results are less than satisfactory. When Patricia wakes up, Pilar informs her that she had to remove the breast and unfortunately, the tumour is still there. They will have to operate again. At the end of Breathless Episode 4, Patricia cries angry tears as she demands to know where Moa has gone.

The Episode Review

Whelp, we were wondering what would happen to Moa and Patricia’s storyline and nothing could have prepared us for that aftermath in Breathless Episode 4. For someone so virtuous and protesting for a greater cause, he sure has no issues lying to a patient, breaking her trust, and making her go through all the mental and physical pain for his ego and reputation as a union leader.

But then again, Pilar is no saint. In trying to prove a point, she is playing Moa’s game as well. Unfortunately, for her, he calls her bluff which wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t placed Patricia’s operation so late at night. The only ones we trust here are Biel and May.

May is another complicated character but while the show is trying to make her unlikeable, we definitely are rooting for her. Sure, her views on sexual assault are debatable, but she has her priorities in line and would rather ruin her reputation than let a patient die, unlike Moa. She also covers for Leo when she doesn’t need to because that is what Rocio believes – that doctors should have each other’s back. And what does May get in return, said girlfriend abandoning her while she is pregnant. Ouch…