Dear Edward – Season 1 Episode 4 “Chrysalis” Recap & Review

Chrysalis

Episode 4 of Dear Edward begins with Eddie at school, which is a huge culture shock. Given he used to be home-schooled, Eddie is now at Riverview public school.

DeeDee is going through issues of her own, especially when a kid called T shows up at the condo to grab his toothbrush. He’s been in a rough situation and Charlie let him stay for a few months until he got back on his feet. T has no idea whether Charlie was gay or not but apparently he had “nice linens” which counts for something!

DeeDee continues to press this line of questioning though, heading to the LGBTQ+ Center and speaking to Noelle, one of the women who works there. She pussyfoots around the truth before eventually conceding that she believes Charlie was exploring his sexuality, potentially with Evan.

DeeDee next heads off to see Evan at the gallery, where he reveals that Charlie got mixed up with a shady investor who promised to help him out with his finances. What little Charlie had left, he lost completely. He couldn’t bear to fail DeDee, given he was her princess. However, he found solace in Evan as the pair “propped each other up”, especially when Evan ended up with an eating disorder. This solace soon turned sexual though, confirming DeeDee’s worst fears.

Before she leaves LA though, she heads up to see T and hands over one of Charlie’s expensive watches, wanting to simultaneously help out and also be rid of Charlie’s belongings.

Meanwhile, Lacey is conflicted over whether to open Edward’s mail or not. She believes they should protect Edward and open all the letters, although John quips that it’s a felon. There’s a whole bunch of different letters, all wanting to speak to the “Miracle Boy”, a nickname Edward is also given at school.

Natalie, Adriana’s campaign manager, is caught off-guard when Kojo and Becks show up from upstairs. Adriana reveals that they’re her new housemates, but Natalie warns that she needs to be careful. After all, everything they do now is in the public domain and although they’re only friends and she’s helping him out, the media could look differently at this.

After school orientation, Edward heads over to Shay’s place and begins hanging with her. He also makes good use of an orange coat belonging to his brother too, using that to exude confidence. However, he ends up sweating at school, especially as it’s a humid day. He refuses to take off his coat, which is against school policy, and eventually the pressure is too much and Edward runs out of school.

Shay heads over to see Lacey, warning her about Eddie bouncing from school. She wants to talk to him and asks Lacey to relay that on to him and get Eddie to message back. Lacey’s not annoyed with her nephew though, and instead she sits with Eddie and the pair discuss past memories, specifically those involving Eddie’s mum and how thoughtful and awesome she was.

Meanwhile, Reverend Eric helps out Adriana, offering up the church on Saturday for her. In his office, the pair end up kissing. Adriana pulls away and curses what she’s done before heading home. However, this whole affair is a big boost for Kujo and Becks, who finally get some closure and can now say goodbye. The coffin is decorated with wings and looks like a butterfly. Adriana sits with Becks, who finds comfort in Adriana.

That night Eddie heads back over to Shay’s place, cradling that familiar orange jacket. He admits it doesn’t fit him and it’s actually his brother’s. Eddie hands it over to Shay and encourages her to wear it. “I don’t know who I am,” Eddie says. “Join the club,” Shay returns.

The Episode Review

Dear Edward returns with a much slower episode this week and I’m failing to see why this needed 53 minutes. This definitely takes its sweet time to tel the story. Grief is not a simple emotion to work through I know, but this Apple Original seems to meander around these different plot points without much in the way of urgency or direction.

DeeDee spends the entire episode trying to work out if her husband is gay or not (which she eventually finds out) while Eddie continues to try and find a way to fit in. Meanwhile, we’ve got Adriana preparing for her campaign while Becks says goodbye to her mother. And that’s pretty much it!

If there’s one stand-out moment here it comes from the symbolism around cocoons and butterflies. This idea of metamorphosis and change is something we see with the casket and also with Eddie’s jacket. Whether we start to see some character growth and our players moving through the emotions to something positive and fulfilling remains to be seen.

I’m all for a slow burn but there also needs to be a direction and right now, Dear Edward feels as lost as its characters are. Hopefully we gain some clarity and the show picks up in the coming weeks.