Summary
Looking for Alaska Season 1 Episode 4, “The Nourishment is Palatable” cools down and focuses on Thanksgiving, giving the characters time to breathe.
This recap of Hulu Series Looking for Alaska Season 1 Episode 4, “The Nourishment is Palatable” contains significant spoilers. You can read the recap of the previous episode by clicking these words.
Episode 4 is less dramatic than its previous episodes, but it cools things down and allows the characters to breathe and calm down. After the events of the last episode, “The Nourishment is Palatable” sees Alaska (Kristine Froseth) ousted by everyone at school. There’s only one person she can trust — Miles (Charlie Plummer). She sits in his dorm and asks him to spend Thanksgiving with her. Alaska has also written this cute itinerary. It’s hard for Miles to say no, you can see it written all over his face.
The Colonel warns Miles, claiming that he will also be ousted if he stays behind and spends Thanksgiving with Alaska — I felt this was a hard stance by the character. Miles insists he is not going to stay behind, but he then takes a phone call from Alaska’s boyfriend Jake and realizes he may have a romantic chance — he decides to stay back with Alaska, but makes up a story about giving himself space which is the reason he is staying behind. The Colonel doesn’t buy his excuse.
Episode 4 then explores Miles’ time with Alaska at Thanksgiving. It’s hectic and fun; they drink wine, make candles, raid dorms and find porn to watch together. Miles asks Alaska why she does not go home for Thanksgiving to which she replies, “I hate ghosts, and home is full of them”.
Their fun Thanksgiving is nearly cut short when Dr. Hyde catches them with alcohol, but he is in a forgiving mood and lets them off the hook. They spend time with him, and they hear about a story of a man he once fell in love with.
Later, Miles asks Alaska if she is suffering and claims that she has him. He demands to know everything about her, but she suddenly walks off and rings Jake. Alaska breaks up with Jake and then returns to Miles with covers so they can sleep outside. They look into each other’s eyes, and Alaska tells Miles not to ruin it — they hold hands while falling asleep.
The next day, Colonel catches them asleep outside, and he half-heartedly tells them that his mother insists they join him for Thanksgiving. They visit The Colonel’s trailer and have a decent dinner. Everyone is in high spirits, alcohol is flowing, and the music is vibing. Colonel’s mother tells Alaska to focus on Miles — “he sees you”.
But, the “rat” situation is not forgotten by The Colonel, who later tells Alaska that when they return to the Creek, it goes back to normal — they will not be friends. The Colonel also tells Alaska to leave Miles alone. Upset, Alaska returns to bed with Miles — he tries to talk to her and tells her that the thing he is most grateful for is her and leans in for a kiss. She rejects the kiss and shouts, “I told you not to ruin it!”. Alaska leaves Miles and sleeps outside.
Looking for Alaska Season 1 Episode 4, “The Nourishment is Palatable” ends with Colonel’s mother dropping the three back at the creek. The Colonel tells Alaska to leave the car earlier than them, so she goes. Colonel’s mother lectures him about forgiveness and tells him he should be a better person. His mother tells him that Alaska is hurting.
Notable Points
- Lara tries to scrub “rat” off Alaska’s door.
You can read the recap of the fifth episode by clicking these words.
