Summary
“Exodus” is an enticing opener with moments of tenderness and intrigue. But the flashback sequences fail to capture the excitement of youth, coming off as stereotypical and forced instead.
We recap the Apple TV+ series The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 1, “Exodus,” which contains spoilers.
Spider-Man star Tom Holland reunites with Apple TV+ once again after 2021’s Cherry, starring and executive producing this new miniseries for the streaming platform.
In the show’s premiere, titled “Exodus,” flashbacks explore the high school years of Danny Sullivan and the circumstances that led to his life of crime. While in the show’s present, Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried) interviews the suspect about his mysterious past.
The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 1 Recap
The series starts with a tense opener, as Danny and Ariana exit the New York subway to follow an unknown enemy. They plan to shoot this man, but Danny hesitates in the middle of Rockefeller Center. Ariana is more than happy to pull the trigger instead, though. She fires at the man, clipping his shoulder as he flees.
Why is Danny arrested?
The police arrive, and Ariana drops the weapon and disappears. Poor Danny picks up the weapon and runs. Back at his home, landlord Yitzak hands Danny a passport and some money for his escape mission. Unfortunately, the police have already tracked him down. Danny is subsequently arrested for his involvement in the shooting.
Rya Goodwin is brought in to interrogate Danny. The police suspect he’s a possible serial killer, although there are no bodies or weapons to be found, just lots of missing individuals. Danny has stated that he was only trying to scare the man, reiterating that he doesn’t know where Ariana or Yitzak are.
The rest of the episode flits between Rya’s interview and flashbacks of Danny’s life. Rya asks how Danny met Yitzak and Ariana. Danny explains how he came to live with them both.
In 1977, Danny is at high school with his friends Jonny (a wannabe magician) and Mike (a basketball player). They attend a party, where Danny meets Annabelle. He instantly falls for her, and later they chat in private. She suggests that they get high together, but neither owns any weed.
At home, Danny’s stepfather Marlin is hateful and aggressive, walking all over Danny and his mother, Candy. There’s talk of an identical twin brother called Adam, who also appears to have died. But Danny won’t speak about him in the interviews, though.
Who is Yitzak?
Down the road from Danny, Yitzak moves into the neighborhood’s ‘ghost’ house. He introduces himself to Danny and his classmates. He is a mysterious man from Israel who is reopening the boarding house.
After school, Danny and his friends discuss Annabelle. Jonny suggests they buy some weed and sell it for a profit. This way, they can make some easy money and have an excuse to hang out with girls. Marlin has a credit card, and a new cash machine is installed in town. It’s the perfect plan.
That night, Danny steals Marlin’s card and takes out $100. They head to the park and buy an ounce of weed from Angelo, the local drug dealer. Jonny sells the weed at school in record time.
Danny keeps some for himself and asks Annabelle if she wants to meet up and get high.
How does Danny avoid being expelled?
While Danny is chatting with Annabelle, the school bully, Bill heads over. It’s revealed that he is actually dating Annabelle. Bill and Annabelle’s friend Eden tell the Principal about Danny selling drugs. They raid his locker but find no drugs. Jonny had moved the drugs beforehand, saving Danny from being expelled.
As planned, Danny and Annabelle meet up to get high. Annabelle is extremely forward, saying she finds Danny attractive before kissing him. That night, Danny paints a picture of his new love.
The following day, Eden informs Danny that Annabelle will not be seeing him again. It just isn’t going to work out. Danny is heartbroken; worse still, she won’t accept his painting.
Danny is then caught with more drugs on his person and sprints home to avoid any consequences.
The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 1 Ending Explained
Back at the house, Marlin leaves a message. He’s furious that money has been taken out of his account. To make matters worse, Bill and his friends arrive, wanting payback. Bill got suspended because of Danny. They chase after Danny and beat him outside Yitzak’s house.
Yitzak appears and saves Danny from further harm. Danny gingerly enters the boarding house, where he is introduced to Ariana. Back in the present, Danny comments on the fact that he never returned home after this altercation.
Rya questions Danny about those closest to him, but they all seem to disappear: Ariana, Yitzak, and Adam. She asks what happened to them, where they all went.
As the episode ends, Danny continues to state that he doesn’t know where Ariana is. Rya lays it out for him if he takes the fall for Ariana, then he is looking at some serious jail time. Will he continue to take the blame moving forwards?
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