Under the Bridge episode 4 serves up the biggest shocker so far and exposes what was expunged from Manjit’s criminal record and other key revelations.
Creator: Quinn Shephard
Genre: True crime, Drama
Episode 4 Release: May 1, 2024
Where to watch: Hulu
Under the Bridge proves it is capable of landing one-two punches with its back-to-back delivery of big series shockers in recent episodes. At the end of last week’s episode, we learned who killed Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta, of Launchpad).
This week, we learn who destroyed her family and are lured deeper into the hidden worlds of our main characters as Reena presents us with the backstory of her ancestors and family, and as tensions unravel at dinner between Reena, her father, and her friends. As suspected, it does not go well, and the fact that it doesn’t is the sole reason behind why there’s even a mystery surrounding Reena’s father Manjit (Ezra Faroque Khan, of Damsel). Episode 4 serves up the biggest shocker so far, as we finally learn what was expunged from Manjit’s record and other key revelations, including who was involved and why.
Episode 4 opens with a voiceover from Reena: “[Someone] killed me. Some might see that as the end of my story, but my father always taught me stories have no end and no beginning. We always get a piece plucked from the whole. Stories of our futures are stories of our ancestors. To understand what happened to me, we should start with my grandparents.”
It’s 1951, and Reena’s grandparents have just arrived in Vancouver, Canada after leaving India in search of a better place to fulfill their dreams. Reena’s grandfather taught himself English by practicing writing and speaking proverbs he learned in school: “A burnt child fears fire. A constant quest is never welcome. A single sinner sinks the boat.”
Reena tells us how they yearned to belong and be accepted, but a message spray painted on their garage door reading “GO HOME” indicated how unwelcome they truly were … until one day a knock brought belonging right to their doorstep in the form of Jehovah’s Witnesses. They soon found themselves accepted into this religious family and were happy.
Fast forward to 1979, and Manjit is on a tourist visa visiting his sister, who’s going to school in Vancouver. After meeting Reena’s mother Suman (Archie Panjabi, of The Good Wife) at a Jehovah’s Witness event his sister brought him to, Manjit’s plans to return to India changed. They, of course, fell in love, but her parents did not approve because Manjit was Hindu, not of Jehovah faith. In the end, Manjit left his Hindu faith and was baptized in the Jehovah faith. On that day, Suman’s mother told her she accepted their relationship, then gifted Suman her pair of traditional Indian heirloom earrings, called Jhumkas. Suman and Manjit were married soon after his conversion.
And that brings us back to 1997, four months prior to Reena’s disappearance. It’s the day of the big dinner where Reena introduces Jo (Chloe Guidry, of The Park), Dusty (Aiyana Goodfellow, of I Used to Be Famous), and Kelly (Izzy G., of B Positive) to her parents. Before they arrive, Reena clears her room of any Jehovah faith paraphernalia and proudly puts up a poster of one of Jo’s idols, Biggie Smalls, which Jo notices upon entering Reena’s room, right before calling her a super groupie.
As Jo and Kelly continue to walk around the Virk’s house like she’s got a warrant, they come to a halt in Suman’s closet when they spot her earrings—the Jhumkas once belonging to Suman’s mother—and admire them closely. It’s clear by the secret, emphatic looks Jo and Kelly frequently exchange that they’re there under false pretenses, and with devious intentions.
Episode 4 also exposes what makes Jo tick, what drives her attitude and anger. Jo has a knack for making everyone feel awkward with her mouthy comments and disrespectful nature. She goes out of her way to make Manjit feel inappropriate in everything he says and does. At dinner, he embarrasses Reena when he makes everyone hold hands and pray before eating. Jo refuses and sits back with a smirk, her eyes sharpened with darkness as she eyes Manjit while he prays aloud.
As conversation ensues, Dusty reveals she used to live with her sister but was kicked out for “doing stupid stuff” but doesn’t say what. Manjit tells Dusty he will pray for her reunion with her sister. “Family’s important,” he says as the girls laugh. Despite Reena’s pleas for her dad to “please stop,” he continues, saying his father was in the army and never really around, so “I never had that role model in my life. Because of that,” he tells Jo, “I know a little about where you’re coming from,” adding that Reena told him Jo had been dealt a tough hand.
“Everyone who should’ve protected you has failed you,” he tells Jo as she squirms in her chair with fury. Then he tells her she and the other girls deserve to be loved and taken care of, and he wants to help them, thus igniting a fire that sets Jo on the warpath.
Jo snaps and mouths off to Manjit, then she, Kelly, and Dusty end the night. Humiliated and angry, Reena storms off to her room, where she realizes her beloved bird Smooch is missing. But is that all? Is everything in its right place? At that moment, Reena’s parents forbid her from hanging out with “those girls” again.
Reena retaliates and reveals that at least they let her hang out with them. “No one else does,” she says. “You don’t get it. Girls like Jo get everything they want,” and Reena never does. Her father points out she has every advantage over Jo: she has parents who’d do anything for her, homecooked meals, and gets to go on vacations. “Those girls have none of that,” he reminds his daughter.
The next day, Reena visits Seven Oaks to apologize for her dad’s behavior, then tell the girls she can’t hang out with them anymore. Seeing her opportunity to strike back against Manjit, Jo asks Reena how she can even live in that house: “It’s practically a concentration camp. I’m living in paradise over here. I chose to live here. My mom begged me to stay. I left because I don’t do rules. Here, no one tells me what to do.”
She then tells Reena if she really hates it at home, there is a way to get out but, “You have to be a gangster.” Remember last week when, after asking if she could join the Crip Mafia Cartel, Jo told Reena she had to prove herself first? Well, Reena gets that chance in episode 4, or at least thinks she does.
The next thing we know, Manjit is arrested and the Virks are in disarray, all because a single sinner sunk their seemingly stable, little family boat. The reason why he’s arrested leaves both Manjit and Suman confused and horrified, and it leaves us viewers full of pity with what it reveals. Episode 4 manages another successful shocker as it deepens the mystery, reminding us of something important: It’s never a good idea to pour salt into open wounds. You never know how the wound bearer will react, or what kinds of effects there will be.
Episode 4 of Under the Bridge is now available to watch on Hulu. Future episodes of the series will be released weekly, every Wednesday, for a total of 8 episodes, with the finale airing on May 29. Start your free Hulu trial and come back next Wednesday for our review and recap of episode 5!
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