‘Close to Me’ Recap: ‘Episode 4’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Four of ‘Close to Me’. To revisit ‘Episode 3’, click here.
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The hardest thing we will ever face when it comes to searching for the truth, is the truth itself. For when it is finally revealed to us, in all of its rough and epic glory… it is up to us to reconcile what comes next regarding our discoveries and that is a genuinely difficult venture. Since it undoubtedly means that change is coming to our lives and our perceptions of so much will be altered and reconciling that puts us in a tough place mentally… the kind where we might shatter emotionally, and really, this difficult part of the search is top of mind today… because it is precisely what Jo Harding had to deal with in the next episode of Close to Me.
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Of course, it took a little while for Jo to get there. For when we catch up with her, here, she is simply beside herself. Because the strong possibility that she cheated on Rob, was more than she could bear and she was genuinely worried for a time that she had in fact, slipped into the dark space that she sometimes resided within. To the point where she turned to her father and her friends to genuinely learn if by chance… she was a broken person that consistently put herself in harm’s way for reasons she didn’t fully understand just yet. But the more she leaned upon them and forced herself to really look at her broken memories to uncover her true nature… the more the truth began to come to light and that is what brought forth some tough moments for Jo.

Because she came to learn that Rob has been a negative aspect of her life for some time now. A harsh reality that was revealed by way of some tough words from Nick about her time with the charity she worked at, and through her own digging regarding Rob’s finances. Since she learned that Rob’s business was closing in on insolvency and needed every dollar, she had available to stay alive. And learning those facts motivated her to really focus on Rob and the possibility that more might be wrong there and well… doing so revealed the toughest truth of all to her. In that, her husband wasn’t at all what she thought him to be. For while she was in fact, loyal and faithful… since she found out her memories of an affair were nothing more than a fantasy, her ‘loving’ husband was quite the opposite.

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In fact, he was having an affair with one of his employees, and said employee was now carrying his child and to top it all off… our concerns about Rob’s temper and how he treats Jo, were also realized. Since she came to learn that he has a habit of taking inappropriate action with people and well, being faced with these truths put Jo in the darkest place she’s been to date. Because now she knew, that in the past year, she faced the reality that her marriage was a lie and that her husband had the propensity to be a monster and that brought Jo to her knees quite literally since it was so much for her to process and well… in the end, that makes this episode quite the powerful affair. 
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Because it genuinely put how difficult it is to really face the truth on display. Because minute by minute, as each memory returned to the forefront of Jo’s mind, we were forced to watch Jo process these horrors in real time and that truly takes one’s breath away. For every single one of these moments felt organic in every way imaginable and relatable. Since some of us, have gone through a similar experience and buckled in the same steady manner that Jo did here and that’s just incredible storytelling when all is said and done. Since it truly conveys the power of this journey and how hard it is to reconcile a tomorrow when everything we thought we had is a lie, and it is also, a game changing twist for this story as well.
 
For now, Jo will be at quite the crossroads. One where she needs to decide what her future will hold and will be no easy task. Because to stick around in her current state would be disastrous now that she knows the truth and setting out on her own in a healing state is just as dangerous since she still needs time to process and heal, meaning that the next two episodes will undoubtedly be as harrowing as this one. Because now, Jo will have to make her decision and reconcile the pain that the last year has brought her, leaving all of us to wonder how this journey will end. For its stark realism and presentation of tough and taboo matters… could bring this one to an ultra realistic ending that unsettles us and the only way to know for sure… is to continue the journey and see where it takes us. Until next time.  

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