'Back to Life' Episode 4 sees Miri and her mother finally have it out with each other while Oscar has it out with Dom
‘Back to Life’ Episode 4 is a wonderful examination of the dynamics of a family torn apart by crime and its subsequent punishment. The six-part series finally addressed the apparent discomfort between Miri Matteson (Daisy Haggard), who is back home after spending 18 years in prison for murder, and her mother Caroline (Geraldine James).
The mother-daughter duo took a road trip to visit an elderly aunt, who Caroline called a “c**t” -- she, however, had a problem saying the word “prison”. The road trip turned out far from fun. Caroline was awkward despite Miri’s attempts to engage her in conversation. And it would have remained just so had not Caroline run over a fox on the road.
When Miri discovered the fox was almost dead and deserved to be put out of its misery, she asked Caroline to kill it. Caroline, despite not saying the words, implied that Miri should do it, after all, Miri had killed before. Miri was hurt by this. Caroline, ashamed of what happened, decided to kill the fox and together, they buried it in the woods.
Waiting for a repair wagon to arrive, Miri lashed out at Caroline. She said she was obviously ashamed of having a daughter go to prison and that she had not been a good mother ever since Miri returned home.
Something inside her snapped and Caroline burst out at Miri, saying how she and Miri’s father Oscar (Richard Durden) had been ostracized by the town for the murder and that she hated Miri for ruining her life.
Even though it was harsh, Miri thanked her for her honesty, which made Caroline feel bad. And there it was. The outburst provided them both with some much-needed catharsis and they now seemed to be more at ease with each other.
Back at home, Oscar was dealing with his own dilemma. He did not accompany them on the trip, saying he had a migraine. But really, he was avoiding Caroline. In episode 3, a trip to the doctor’s led Oscar to discover he was suffering from a sexually transmitted infection. Knowing that he had been faithful, Oscar realized Caroline was cheating on him.
At home, Oscar noticed Caroline had left her phone behind accidentally. He noticed there was a text message from Miri’s ex-boyfriend Dom (Jamie Michie), with whom Caroline had been having an affair. Dom’s message was a sexually explicit one and it angered Oscar.
However, he composed an equally explicit message and responded, giving Dom the illusion he was still talking to Caroline. Dom suggested they meet at their usual place and Oscar immediately left.
Discovering Dom there, an enraged Oscar chased him, took him down and punched him several times, threatening him to stay away from his wife and daughter. For good measure, Oscar also smashed Dom’s new phone. He left the scene shouting, “I am a Viking,” proud of what he had done.
Thus, Oscar too found some well-deserved catharsis. For the time being, the family seemed happy to be in each other’s company, having sorted through some of their issues. Only time will tell if things remain just so.
'Back to Life' airs every Sunday at 10 pm ET on Showtime.