Summary
The Big Door Prize has clearly settled into its own, distinct format now, providing further character development and a few surprising twists along the way. To say that this is a sci-fi comedy, the fantasy elements are rather downplayed and the comedy is also quite subdued. This is more of a character study than anything, which has its limitations overall.
We recap the Apple TV+ series The Big Door Prize Season 1 Episode 3, “Jacob,” which contains spoilers.
The previous installment ended with the big reveal of what wayward student Jacob’s Morpho card said. His result was a hero. Just like Cass’ card, this is quite the result, both exciting and extremely daunting at the same time.
All we know about this character so far is that his brother died, he works at Mr. Johnson’s general store, and he was the one who allowed the Morpho machine to be installed in the shop in the first place. “Jacob” explores this secondary character in more depth while continuing to build upon the other characters in Deerfield.
The Big Door Prize Season 1 Episode 3 Recap
The episode begins with the origins of the Morpho machine in Mr. Johnson’s General Store. Jacob smokes weed during his break and returns to the shop to hear intruders. He searches for the thieves but finds the Morpho machine instead.
Jacob steps inside and attempts to play the ‘game,’ ignoring all the setup instructions and legal spiel that follow, choosing to skip to the meat of the game instead. The machine spews out blank cards, and then Jacob’s card says hero, as we already knew.
Mr. Johnson then returns, asking about his store’s mysterious new machine. Jacob admits that he doesn’t know where it came from. The mystery continues.
Why is Jacob seen as a hero?
Back at Jacob’s home, his father is amazed by the story of how Jacob rescued Principal Pat, calling him a real hero. Inspired by this story, Jacob’s dad has quit his job. Jacob admits that all he did was call 911, he is no hero, but his dad won’t listen. His father promises that he will step up now to improve as a parent.
At school, Jacob is applauded by his classmates; again, they see him as a hero, fulfilling the potential of his Morpho card. Dusty continues his obsession with the machine, diverging from the usual history lessons and concentrating on the machine instead.
Dusty wants the students to make their own decisions in life and warns them of the consequences of the machine, highlighting Pat’s accident. Dusty calls her up to prove a point, but Pat still loves biking, even after the accident.
She talks about the homecoming basketball game tonight but adds that she will miss the ceremonial dunk. They suggest that Jacob does the dunk as a tribute to his dead brother Kolton.
Jacob is overwhelmed by all the sudden attention. A fellow student called Savannah (Elizabeth Hunter) walks with him to his next lesson, clearly in awe of the hero.
Jacob starts to have a panic attack, though, and runs away. Savannah talks with Trina, making clear her love for Jacob. It is then revealed that Jacob and Kolton were identical twin brothers.
What is causing Jacob’s panic attacks?
Skipping school, Jacob rushes over to the doctor. He talks about his panic attacks and shortness of breath.
The doctor asks if anything stressful is going on in Jacob’s life. He lists all the traumatic events from his life to date. His mother died a few years ago, which sent his dad into depression. Jacob was then forced to hold the family together.
Next, his twin brother Kolton died in a car accident. Jacob’s father won’t talk about the deaths. Jacob smokes a lot of weed to forget about everything and then receives a Morpho card that says the hero. He doesn’t feel like a hero but more like an imposter instead.
The doctor ignores most of Jacob’s words and focuses on the last issue. She too feels like an imposter, not ready for all her responsibilities in life. The doctor admits that her Morpho card said undertaker, and because of this bad news, she has wholly disassociated with her profession.
READ: The Big Door Prize Season 1 Review
Whenever she faces a patient, her mind goes blank; she lies to them and hopes they will be alright. Jacob asks for advice, but the doctor can’t help him.
Jacob returns home and finds Trina is over, chatting with Jacob’s dad. They discuss the ceremonial dunk. Jacob’s father is losing the plot, having spent the day tidying the garage after quitting his job.
He asks Jacob to wear his dead brother’s top and promises to help him practice for the dunk. Jacob feels pressured into performing the dunk to please his dad and is rightfully stressed about the event.
Meanwhile, at the local bar, Dusty and the gang indulge in some pre-drinking before the game. The subject, of course, comes onto the Morpho machine. Giorgio (Josh Segarra) tries to predict everyone’s cards.
He is somewhat antagonistic towards Dusty, mainly because he is jealous that Dusty is married to Cass. He easily guesses Nat’s card as she is wearing one of Cass’ T-shirts that says, storyteller. Father Reuben admits that he hasn’t used the machine yet, but the discussion gets him thinking.
The Big Door Prize Season 1 Episode 3 Ending Explained
At the basketball game, the coach discusses Kolton, who was the old team captain. They dedicate the game to Kolton’s memory, and the band performs a song as a tribute. Jacob flirts with Trina to one side, obviously nervous about the dunk.
Everyone cheers him on, but Jacob is ready to bail. Fortunately, Cass manages to convince him to have a go, starting a chant in front of the crowd.
Jacob attempts the dunk but misses, landing flat on his face. He storms off, embarrassed by the miss. Outside, Trina chases after Jacob, and the two kiss.
It is revealed that these two have been secretly dating, but this is the first time they have kissed in public at school.
What does Father Reuben’s Morpho card say?
Spurred on by the conversation from earlier, Father Reuben finally uses the Morpho machine. His card says, Father. Reuben is overjoyed to have received this card and celebrates alone, breaking down crying in the street.
Father can imply many things, but to Reuben, it proves that he is right to have become a priest. This is the validation that he needed.
What did you think of The Big Door Prize Season 1 Episode 3? Comment below.
