Harlan Coben’s Run Away Recap ‘Sliding Doors’: The truth, but not the whole truth

Run Away Episode 7

The season’s penultimate episode is often the high point. In a mystery, this is usually the episode that provides long awaited answers. Sliding Doors did provide answers, and it hit some emotional beats, but it was also sloppily executed on some pretty important areas. What should have been a satisfying denouement just got me thinking — Why did Ash and Dee go to Aaron’s flat in the middle of the day as though they were wearing invisibility cloaks and none of the neighbours would see them? Why did they break the door down, creating noise and all but ensuring someone would hear them? Why did they decide to follow Simon right then and there and engage in a shootout with drug dealers? After Ash scolded Dee for walking up to him whilst he was killing Damien without a mask, which forced him to kill a kid he did not want to kill, the two of them just followed Simon and Cornelius down the basement and watched the meeting with Rocco. Yes, it was an accident that Luther walked in and saw them, which might have prematurely started the shooting, but this was all very sloppy. 

Were they perhaps feeling high at the thought of finishing the job and walking together into the sunset with the Shining Truth murder cash? Maybe. But for a scene to be fun, the viewer has to be able to suspend disbelief. It’s harder to do that with this episode.

After Ash and Dee buried Elena’s body, they saw Simon’s messages, found his video online of beating up Aaron, and realised he was the father of Paige, the girl living with Aaron. Simon’s message referred to the adoptions, and Dee sought permission from the cult higher ups to add him to the kill list. With the permission given, Ash also finally showed Dee the note Mother Adiona gave him, and asked her to tell him the truth.

According to Dee, The One was dying. At the Shining Haven, the male blood was the purest. The One’s sons, The Visitor and The Volunteer, would take over once The One has passed. Casper Vartage inherited millions, which he funnelled into his religion, but his followers also signed off their wealth and properties to him. There was a lot of money at stake here. 

Casper liked to have sex with the women at the compound; he had lots of sons. These sons were sold via adoption. It was Alison who made that happen; the kids were scattered all over the country. It was written on the cult’s symbols that all sons would inherit equally; with 14 boys, that would have diluted the church funds and ended their religion. With easier access to DNA testing, it would not have taken long before at least a few of the boys to trace their lineage back to Casper.

But, The One’s health was not just the catalyst to the string of murders he ordered. Henry’s father received a letter that was meant for Henry from a woman called Victoria. The police figured out where they were supposed to meet, and questioned Victoria. It turned out that she was recruited into the Beacon of the Shining Truth when she was at university. She slept with Casper Vartage and got pregnant. When she gave birth, she was told the baby was stillborn. Eventually, she was able to escape the cult. 

It was only after Henry tracked her down that she even knew her son had lived. They agreed to keep their meetings a secret — they communicated via snail mail, nothing was placed on phones or emails — but Victoria had not been able to help herself. She reached out to the leaders of the cult and told them she knew her son was alive. 

Given that Henry has not been seen for a while, there was a strong likelihood that Henry had already died, disappeared by Ash and Dee. This was a fate that Mother Adiona had tried to avoid for her son. As soon as Dee was sent off with the kill list, she secretly left the compound and found a man called Nate. She showed him photos of Ash and Dee and warned that they were coming to kill him. She urged him to take his family and move away for a few weeks. Nate had no idea who she was and ignored her. 

Mother Adiona was clearly able to leave the compound, perhaps not frequently, but more often than the others. How she ended up at the Marinduque Estate, it was not revealed yet. Luther and Rocco were killed soon after the shootout started. Cornelius was able to shoot back and hit Ash, who died. But Cornelius was wounded, and he and Simon had to get out of the basement. Simon told Cornelius to call the police, and went off to lead the furious Dee away from him. Dee caught up with Simon and shot him on the back. Before she could finish him off, Mother Adiona appeared from behind her and tossed her down the courtyard, killing her. 

Several times, Ash had tried to talk to Dee about their shared childhood, about what they had to survive, as he made an effort to understand what she was gaining from the cult. Dee told him she felt safe with the Shining Truth. But, later, she also told him she did not need to return to them. They would get what they deserved — money, a lot of it — then they would just be together. Not to root for a couple of hardened killers, but they were also two abused kids who were, finally, seeing a life after the dark path they both walked. It was never going to end well for the both of them.

Ash and Dee kept Elena’s phone, which they used to communicate with Simon. It only took one message, however, for Simon to figure out the wording did not sound like Elena. He called Lou, who confirmed that she, too, has been worried. After Lou figured out that Stephanie was away on holiday and could not have been the one Elena met, she went to the police and reported her missing.

With DS Fagbenle and DC Todd having gotten the Shining Truth address from Victoria, a large police force was on its way as the episode closed. Meanwhile, Simon was seriously wounded, and there was still no sign of Paige. 

Rating: B-

Strays

🪷Simon told Yvonne that Paige was raped at the university, but Yvonne already knew. Paige went to her and begged her not to tell her father. Yvonne helped Paige get some private counselling. I was ready to be mad at Yvonne for not telling Paige’s parents, but she did tell Ingrid. Since Ingrid knew, it was her decision not to tell her husband.

🪷Remember in episode three when we found out that it was Ingrid who reached her breaking point with Paige, after Paige stole some of her jewellery? So Ingrid knew the horrific trauma that Paige went through, that directly led to her spiralling with drugs, and she still stopped her husband from going after her? I’m not judging, I am putting into context the difficult decision she made.

🪷Cornelius told Simon that Rocco had information on Paige, and wanted that 50 thousand pounds he promised. Luther also wanted 10 thousand pounds. Simon needed Yvonne’s help to get that cash quickly. Simon also just paid the guy who did the DNA test 10 thousand, so he has been spending a lot of cash lately. 

🪷Luther said that Paige was seen getting on a bus to Brackmere, but he didn’t actually know where she was. 

🪷A suicide (Kevin Gano), a robbery (Damien Gorsch), a stabbing (maybe this was planned for Aaron?), and a runaway (Henry Thorpe) — these were the murders of The One’s sons Ash and Dee staged. 

🪷I enjoyed the Gwyneth Paltrow reference Ash made, and the fact that it was Ash who made it. I’m not saying it was the reason why I did not rate this episode lower, but it was probably one of the reasons.

Episode Title: Sliding Doors

Episode Writer: Danny Brocklehurst

Episode Director: Nimer Rashed

Original Release Date: January 1, 2026

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