Every Year After Season 1 Episode 4 kicked off with Sue’s will reading, and it didn’t take long for this to get extremely messy and dramatic between the Florek boys and Percy.
There was already some bad blood between them, though they all managed to brush that off for now amid the overdue reunion, but between the near-kiss at the tavern and finding out that Sue left the tavern and all of its contents to Percy, things escalate even further.
Percy is just as shocked by Sue’s decision as the brothers are, considering that she hasn’t been around for years. She also explains she hasn’t spoken to Sue since she and Sam ended things, and mentions that Sue knew what she did, so why would Sue entrust her with the family business above everyone else?
While we don’t get a concrete answer behind the motivation, Chantal does not hide how impressed she is at Sue’s ability to stir up drama from beyond the grave.
And it’s not just the Florek brothers who are thrown by the decision, as it also puts a dent in Delilah’s plans, as she was working with Charlie to buy the tavern.
Delilah approaches Percy and Chantal during their boozy brunch to see if she’s interested in selling, hoping to turn the place into a bohomean-esque SoHo house with exclusivity, which does not sit well with Percy.
In fact, it stirs up some anger in her about how the town is changing, taking issue with all the faux McMansions being built in place of the quaint cottages that have always made the landscape so picturesque, with the commercialization even impacting her old house, which is up for demolition.
With a little liquid courage, the three ladies end up breaking into her old place, where some Bloody Mary and wine go a long way, getting them to confess their deepest darkest secrets. Delilah confronts Percy about nearly kissing Sam, who admits she may still be in love with him, or, at the very least, the idea of him. Delilah then feels safe enough to confess that her marriage is over, admitting that the “happy” show she’s putting on about being married and a couple that lives at the clubhouse is just an act, which leads Chantal to admit that she actually doesn’t want to get married, especially to a manchild.
Delilah doesn’t mention that she’s been hooking up with Charlie, though I imagine that will come out eventually. They haven’t exactly been super sneaky.
They get so caught up in all the reminiscing that they barely notice the cops showing up. While Delilah and Chantal are able to get away, Percy is caught red-handed, and Sam comes to bail her out.
Meanwhile, we also get to see the two reconnect in the summer of 2014, which heavily informs what Percy is about to say next to Sam outside the police station in the present-day.
Percy returns to Barry’s Bay with writer’s block and decides that she needs to set a challenge for herself, to swim across the lake. Sam promises to train her, which proves that he’s always supported any and all of her dreams and ideas, no matter how crazy they may be.
In the summer, at the lake, we see a Percy with an untapped confidence, ready to take on the world, because she has her best friend by her side. We haven’t seen that Percy in a long time in the present day, meaning a part of her died with the big mistake she made with Charlie.
The adrenaline of finally reaching her summer goal of swimming across builds up to a sexual tension between her and Sam that finally bursts with a very cheeky anatomy lesson that leads to their first, long-overdue kiss.
“Are we doing this?” he asks, making sure that they’re ready to risk the friendship, as she informs him, “Hell yeah.”
But all summer romances must come to an end, even if they do have a groundwork of friendship and respect. As Sue gives them “the talk,” she mentions that she always wants them to prioritize their dreams, leading Sam to break up with Percy so that he can focus on his junior year and get the scholarship required for med school.
From a practical standpoint, it makes sense because trying to make long-distance work could be too distracting; however, it’s also a bit jarring considering how long this moment had been culminating. Percy is blindsided by the decision, which puts a dent in their friendship.
Which brings us back to the present day, as Sam bails a very annoyed Percy out of jail. “Next time I just won’t come,” he tells her, as she responds, “Sounds about right.”
Percy then unloads on him, explaining that she’s tired of the mixed signals, of getting jerked around by Sam as he reels her in and then pulls away, which happened in the past and is happening again now as they’ve reconnected.
“My heart can’t take it anymore,” she tells him of the confused feelings she harbors towards him, expressing that she always thought he was such a constant in her life, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The whole blowup leads Sam to turn to Charlie, putting his full trust in his brother, who informs him that their mother didn’t always make the best decisions, including leaving them to fend for themselves the year their dad died. It’s a completely different depiction of Sue than we’ve seen up until this point, and a version Sam wasn’t even familiar with, but it explains a lot about Charlie’s non-committal, Playboy ways. The fact that Charlie was forced to step up, grow up, and take care of his brother when he was just 14 is pretty heartbreaking, proving that every choice has consequences.
It’s also a bonding moment for the two of them, after they just butted heads when Sam learned Charlie was planning to sell the tavern and was in talks with Delilah.
The two of them agree to contest the will so that they can own the tavern instead of Percy, as it’s their family business, just as she begins to warm up to the idea of taking the business on, chatting with her father about Sue leaving it for her because she wanted her to stay in Barry’s Bay, knowing that’s where she always belonged.
It’s where Percy feels most like herself, her most creative, even if the brothers are bad news for her.
What did you think of the episode? Are you enjoying Sam and Percy’s backstory?