Summary
Danny’s romance with Annabelle is delicately addressed, and the return of Angelo provides some well-needed drama, but this is another underwhelming installment on the whole. The plotting feels needlessly stretched out, the ambiguities are alienating, and the plot twists seem anticlimactic.
We recap the Apple TV+ series The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 3, “Murder,” which contains spoilers.
Danny’s (Tom Holland) flashback sequences draw ever closer to the main event, addressing the lead-up to the shooting at Rockefeller Center.
“Murder” continues to explore Danny’s odd relationships with Ariana (Sasha Lane) and Annabelle. He decides to buy Ariana a gun, which ends in further disaster, while his romance with Annabelle is tested by the return of an old foe.
The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 3 Recap
We pick up with Danny and Ariana a week before the shooting. Ariana has started to open up to Danny more, admitting the reasons why she is always crying uncontrollably in her room.
She talks about Jerome and reveals that she was raped when she was younger.
Ariana realizes she has always been running from her rapist, who haunts her dreams and plagues her thoughts. Danny wants to protect Ariana so that she can live a happy life once again.
He decides to help her by organizing a meeting with drug dealer Angelo.
Why does Danny get a gun?
At the dealer’s apartment, Danny asks to buy a gun to protect Ariana. Angelo isn’t interested in money, though. For this transaction, he wants a sexual favor from Danny. Jonny urges Danny to forget about it and leave, but Danny is desperate for the gun.
Angelo takes Danny to a secluded construction site, shoving the aforementioned gun in Danny’s mouth. He then forces him to perform fellatio. Before Danny can begin, Jonny reappears, breaking Angelo’s nose with a plank of wood to the face.
The two teens then run away from the drug dealer, Danny nabbing the gun as they depart.
Back at the boarding house, Danny offers Ariana the weapon, but she doesn’t want it. Later that day, Mike reminds Danny that Annabelle is visiting. Danny and Annabelle go on a cute date to the park, where they fly a kite together (yes, seriously). They discuss college and Danny’s artwork.
Annabelle stays the night. Although, they are violently awoken by Angelo breaking into the building. He’s furious about his broken nose and hunts through the large house, wielding a baseball bat, searching for his enemy.
Danny forces Annabelle to hide in a closet while he tries to negotiate with the criminal.
How does Yitzak save the day?
Danny apologizes and offers to handover the gun. Yitzak appears out of nowhere, though, and drags Danny into the shadows. Angelo finds Annabelle in the closet and pulls her out. Yitzak beats Angelo, causing the blood splatters on the wall. He fires the weapon above Angelo’s head, and the criminal hastily flees.
Of course, Annabelle is traumatized by this event, and she, too, leaves tears streaming down her face. Yitzak is hurt that Danny would break his house rules and bring a gun into the place. Ariana tries to defend Danny, but they are both kicked out of the house for this disobedience.
Ariana apologizes to Danny and then starts to manipulate the teen further. She suggests that they go and scare the rapist, the one who weighs so heavily on Ariana’s mind.
Danny explains their plan to Rya in the present. They were going to wave the gun about and shoot above his head just to scare him.
Who was Ariana’s attacker?
Rya questions the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Had Danny reached his limits, did Ariana tell Danny where the rapist was? Then she asks who the rapist actually was. Danny reveals that Ariana’s attacker was none other than his stepfather, Marlin.
The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 3 Ending Explained
Continuing her questioning, Rya asks how Marlin could be the rapist. It just seems so illogical and coincidental. They both ponder if Danny was actually set up. Danny adds that Yitzak and Ariana all just wanted him to go and find his father, so that is exactly what he did.
The episode ends with Danny taking a flight, presumably to go and find his father, while he is on the run from the law after the Rockefeller Center shooting.
What did you think of the Apple TV+ series The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 2? Comment below.
