Summary
“Rya” is a major improvement from the previous episodes, feeling like an entirely different show on the whole. Frustratingly, this installment would have worked perfectly as the opening episode. Tom Holland delivers an electrifying performance as he can finally showcase his talents.
We recap the Apple TV+ series The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 6, “Rya,” which contains spoilers.
If you have stuck with this series for this long, then you are about to be rewarded for your perseverance. “Rya” finally breaks away from the standard interview setup and explores Rya’s (Amanda Seyfried) own life in more detail, leading to the best installment from the series, which is a cut above the rest.
The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 6 Recap
Focusing on Rya Goodwin, we observe her home life and then her work life in depth. Rya is a single mother who has just gone through a messy divorce. She works as a teacher at a university and is also a psychologist.
Why does Rya want tenure?
Rya speaks with her boss, the Dean Martin Hughes, at work, desperate for tenure, as she needs the extra money. Martin explains that she has strong competition for the grant and must change her thesis if she wants to be in the running.
In class, Rya discusses trauma and patients dissociating from reality. After her lecture, she is met by Detective Matty Dunn, who wants her to weigh in on the Danny Sullivan case. It’s been a week since the Rockefeller Center shooting, and they believe they have arrested a real psychopath and potentially a serial killer.
At the station, Rya observes Danny’s file and asks specific questions about the case. Danny shot two people and shows no signs of remorse. He also speaks with multiple accents, changing his voice from time to time. This piques Rya’s interest, and she agrees to help out.
In their first meeting, Danny mentions a man called Jack, and he even manages to escape from his handcuffs. Rya agrees that he is erratic and odd but assumes that he is just high on drugs. That night, Rya’s ex-husband Greg tries to convince Rya to focus on a more mainstream thesis.
A week later, Rya pitches her new ideas to the Dean. He agrees to support her grant if she can prove the diagnosis is real. Rya then snoops around Danny’s old boarding house, where she finds his art book.
Outside the house, Rya is confronted by Danny’s mother, Candy. They talk back to her family home. Candy defends her son, stating that he isn’t a killer. Rya asks about any childhood trauma Danny may have suffered. Candy is offended by the question. She ends the conversation there, clarifying that she will come to visit Danny in prison.
What is Rya’s diagnosis?
Rya informs Matty of her discoveries, showing him the art book. She believes that Danny is Jack and that he has a split personality disorder. Rya proposes that if Jack committed the crime, then Danny is technically innocent.
If she can prove this to the tenure committee, then this will validate the condition and prove the diagnosis, and she’ll receive her financial grant in return. Rya needs to work with Danny to receive her tenure. She proposes speaking with Danny’s lawyer first and then gaining Danny’s trust.
Danny’s lawyer is Stan Camisa (Christopher Abbott). Rya explains her theory to Stan, claiming that Danny should be in a hospital, not a prison. She believes that he was sexually abused as a child, which led to this irregular condition. Stan agrees to let Rya speak with Danny.
In the week since, Danny has been moved to Rikers Island. Rya meets with the prisoner but finds that she is actually talking with Jack instead. Danny puts on a posh English accent and quotes Carl Jung. Rya quickly realizes that she is actually talking with Jack.
Jack argues that he is very real; this is not just a psychological condition. Rya pleads with Jack, saying that she needs to talk with Danny; she needs to help him out. Jack states that he is protecting Danny, but he’ll consider the request.
The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 6 Ending Explained
Later, Rya tries again, reiterating her need to speak with Danny. Jack says that Danny doesn’t know about ‘us,’ indicating that there are many more personalities involved. Jack reverts back to Danny, and we are faced with a scared young man.
Danny is shocked by this huge gap in his memory and appears extremely vulnerable at first. Rya comforts him, offering him food. She then slowly builds a bond with Danny.
The weeks roll by, and Rya gleans pages of information about Danny and his life. In the final interview of the episode, Rya asks to talk about Adam, his twin brother.
Danny finally opens up, discussing the abuse he received from Marlin at the barn. Rya is shaken by this trauma and cries in her car before leaving work.
What is Danny’s condition?
Rya wanted to prove her theory and gain tenure but has come to sympathize with Danny in the process. She believes Danny has a multiple personality disorder, and she must now prove this to save him from his charges.
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