Every Year After Recap Season 1 Episode 3 ‘Playing With Fire’

The rake is always going to be the more interesting character; so it was, so it will be. Charlie, shirtless again in this episode, was the light of each scene he was in. ‘I am selfish’, he told Chantal, in a way that made it seem like the most reasonable thing to say. Perhaps it was. With the frankly not quite believable twist of a character like Chantal somehow neglecting to notice that she left the United States with her passport expiring, and needing Charlie’s help, because he slept with a girl from the consulate named Violet, we got a quick glimpse of Charlie’s easy chemistry with everyone that worked well for the character. And, when he lost it in frustration and grief, right there on the road with a girl he barely knew, Chantal’s quiet reaction was laced with understanding and support. ‘I live here now’, Chantal had uttered in disbelief. Not yet, but the town and its inhabitants were getting to her. 

I wondered about this in the past episode – if Charlie were so successful, why was he doing manual labour in The Tavern rather than hiring people to do the work? Granted, there are people who enjoy fixing things up themselves, but there was no indication that Charlie particularly enjoyed looking at termite-infested wood. Now, we have the answer to why. Sue raised his sons to always patch or mend things rather than throw them away. That was why, even though Charlie had offered to purchase his mother a new truck, she insisted on fixing her old one. It was this same truck that broke down as he drove Chantal to the consulate. When Chantal gently suggested calling a tow, Charlie refused, still thinking that his mother would think her son took the easy way out. It was a short scene, but it went a long way toward adding depth to a character whose primary characterisation up to this point was being a good time not a long time kind of guy. 

In the summer of 2013, when Percy, Delilah, and Sam were 15, and Charlie was 18, Delilah seemed particularly determined to get Charlie’s attention. Charlie, too, was considering going after Delilah, and Sam thankfully talked him out of it. Delilah, however, returned for the end of summer, and wore a short, tight dress to the end of summer bonfire, where she met and had a great time with Jordie. When Charlie pulled up on his mother’s truck, however, Delilah immediately put herself in his way, even when another girl who at least looked his age came up to him and kissed him. At this time, at least, Charlie honoured his word to Sam not to date Delilah.

Fast forward to the present, and Jordie still seemed more than a little enamoured with Delilah. Delilah and Charlie were lovers, and when Delilah tried to end the not quite relationship, Charlie spoke of how Delilah was not the only one who waited 15 years. Given that Charlie was adamant about not being in a relationship, and Delilah was at least technically still married to Whit, I’m not sure we’re supposed to root for this relationship. But, they had the sparkle of two people who knew they were both catches, and there could be more to this pairing in later episodes (per usual, I am writing these recaps as I watch each episode). 

Meanwhile Percy and Sam, at 15 and on their third summer together, were almost but not quite ready to take their relationship further. Even during a storm, when a frightened Percy went to seek refuge in the Florek house after losing power whilst watching The Blair Witch Project, and ended up sharing a bed with Sam whilst wearing his clothes, was not enough for either of them to cross the line. A frustrated Percy at the end of summer bonfire ended up kissing a random guy giving out beers. Sam later admitted that he was jealous, but they agreed to just remain friends. 

Present day Percy and Sam were spending time together, because Sam asked Percy to write Sue’s obituary. Sam and Taylor both tried to write it, but Sam felt something was missing. He loved Percy’s draft, and they ended up swimming in the lake and racing to the raft as they used to do when they were kids. Sam invited Percy to make pierogi with him at The Tavern. 

With Dolly Parton playing in the background, Percy and Sam looked like they were tentatively stepping toward that long lost love. The cuts of present day Sam helping Percy with her apron, with the summer of 2013 when they also almost kissed, worked well. No cooking was done, and no revisiting of past love, as Delilah walked in and interrupted them. Percy quickly got out of there. 

Percy headed back to the motel very upset and determined to leave town right then and there. She left a message for Chantal saying that she screwed up Sam’s life before and could not do it again. But, a man named Stuart Donnelly approached her and introduced himself as Sue Florek’s estate lawyer. The reading of the will was tomorrow, and she needed to be there. 

Three episodes in, and I still think the Percy and Sam flashbacks are sweet. This slow development of their friendship and feelings worked well in the backdrop of a town where time moved relatively slowly, where people went to relax, where there was space for emotions. What is not working as well – and I am writing this as someone who thought they had lovely chemistry in that apron scene – is the present day relationship. The culprit for me is how the show sold Percy’s trauma at the beginning of the show, something so bad that she had panic attacks for five years, and used casual sex for another five to try to escape it. Well, what is it? Book readers would have context, but this is a tv show, and the tv show should work without having to read the book. Sam’s character in particular is falling flat because we have no idea what the context of this really bad thing Percy did, outside of Percy leaving and him falling apart. Why would that give Percy panic attacks for the better part of the next decade? Why was Delilah so concerned about Percy’s presence in town upsetting the relationship between the brothers?

There is art to knowing when to drop the solution to a mystery, to squeeze its narrative force the most. Perhaps the reveal, when it is finally done, will be worth it. Perhaps. 

Rating: B

Strays

🚤It was very sweet of Sam to say something kind when Percy was feeling insecure about her job, which was not exactly what she dreamed of doing when they were young.

🚤Delilah’s husband Whit asked for a separation, and wanted to take the summer for the both of them to figure things out. She found the breakdown of their marriage humiliating and worried what people and her parents would say.

🚤If Delilah and her husband were separating, why were they still set to buy The Tavern together?

🚤Sam said he was writing patient notes, and that got me confused, because Charlie also mentioned in the first episode that Sam took a leave of absence from his residency to take care of their mother. Did Sam return to his residency when Sue moved to hospice care? 

You can access Recap Lab’s full coverage of Every Year After via this link.

Episode Title: Playing With Fire

Episode Writers: John Stephens

Episode Director: Jeff W. Byrd

Release Date: June 10, 2026

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