'I Know This Much Is True' Episode 4 Preview: Hatch board hearing brings back horrid memories for Dominick
Spoilers for 'I Know This Much Is True'
The last episode of the series was probably the most devastating as we were shown Dominick Birdsey's (Mark Ruffalo) story unfold with two women - his ex-wife Dessa Constantine (Kathryn Hahn) and girlfriend Joy Hanks (Imogen Poots). In a flashback, we were shown that after Dominick and Dessa lost their newborn to Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) during their marriage all those years ago, they had suffered a rough patch with depression. Unable to connect with each other Dessa had taken a trip and when she had come back they had tried to rekindle their spirits. Turns out that Dominick made a tone-deaf choice of getting a vasectomy, not knowing that Dessa wanted another child. This was especially important for viewers to know because, in the present timeline of the series, Joy tells Dominick she is pregnant, and because of that flashback we are aware that Dominick is unable to contribute to a pregnancy - Joy had cheated.
The series also took us back in time to when Thomas and Dominick were kids and college students, showing us how Dominick had met Dessa, and how Thomas' health worsened as his dependency on Dominick increased. The past events shown to us helps us understand Dominick's current mind space, as he often runs out of situations or ends up yelling in rage. He has been his brother "savior" for years now, and the toll it has been taking on him and his life is astounding, Suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, Thomas had many "incidents" that raised eyebrows, one of which included cutting off his hand in episode 1, for which he was put in the Hatch Forensic Institute. In episode 3 we found out that through the help of social worker Lisa Sheffer (Rosie O'Donnell) Thomas was able to get a hearing with the review board so he can try to get out of the prison-like facility.
Episode 3 showed us that Thomas is not ready for the review board hearing as he doesn't believe what he did was wrong. Leaving a brother that is sabotaging his own escape in Hatch and coming home to a cheating girlfriend saw Dominick take a booze and cigarette-filled drive leading up to an accident. The promo for the upcoming episode 4 will show us Dominick recovering from his accident, as we're again taken back in time to when the boys were young as the present Dominick, waits for Thomas' board hearing to begin.
The preview shows us a time where the boys are in college, as Dominick decides to allow Thomas to grow on his own without his brothers' help. We are also shown their mother calling Dominick back home to help with Thomas, painting a picture of how Dominick's current life that is so heavily influenced by his past. The series has always used flashbacks to allow us to comprehend the actions of the characters in the present and that, we think, will continue with this episode as well. The time when the boys were young adults seems to be the time that affected their lives the most. We will soon get insight on how it was Dominick that was stuck in a home with an ailing mother and mentally ill brother dependent on him, while his abusive step-father made his presence known. This upcoming episode, we speculate will show us Dominick's family dynamic and how he always feels obligated to be everyone's "savior."
Also, we're hoping the episode goes deeper into Dominick's decision on wanting to be Thomas' full-time caregiver. When he came back home Lisa had warned Dominick that it is a huge responsibility to take on, so it would be interesting to see if Dominick changes his mind, should Hatch release Thomas.
You can watch the preview released by HBO here.
The synopsis reads, "Dominick returns to work before fully recovering from his accident; heavily medicated, Dominick recalls the disturbing incident that led to Thomas' first hospitalization while counting down the hours to Thomas' hearing with the Hatch review board."
'I Know This Much Is True' airs on Sundays at 9 pm EST on HBO.