Rain Dogs (Season 1), Episode 5: Costelloโs journey in โRain Dogsโ has had its fair share of upheavals. One day, she had to deal with Selbyโs paranoid behavior. Another day, she had to deal with a journalist who plagiarized her story for personal gain. Then she saw a possibility of leaving her dreadful present situation to a peaceful village with Selby.
What seemed like a relief at the moment turned out to be an equal amount of nightmare for her. They both erupted at times as a result of traumatic past events that they were never able to cope with healthily.
โDidion Hellโ showed the tragedy of these two platonic lovers trying to co-exist in a place that should have been a peaceful retreat away from their sorrows. They fought often over pity grievances while Selby often ate up the hatred directed toward him. It was mainly because neither of them was taught how to love someone without hurting them.
*spoilers ahead*
Rain Dogs (Season 1), Episode 5 Recap:
Episode 5: Emotional Erection
Due to Selbyโs (Jack Farthing) erratic behavior, Costello (Daisy May Cooper) decided to move out of Bruton more than once. What held back was Irisโ (Fleur Tasjian) natural inclination toward this fairy tale life and toward Selby. At the end of episode 4, we saw Costello walking up to her car in the middle of the night, hoping for an escape from the misery. Still, she resisted that urge and turned around for Iris.
Now, in โEmotional Erection,โ we see Costello back in the city – with the hope of getting away from Selbyโs torture. She seems determined to get over her past traumas since she decides to show up at her family home unannounced to confront her mother. Although still scared to face her in person, Costello bangs on the door. Her father, Bernard (Neal Barry), opens it and calls her โLisa.โ
Either that was her pet name, or she changed it to Costello to leave her past behind. Nevertheless, she enters the house, still quivering. After 15 years, Costello sets foot in the place where she spent her early life.
Bernard keeps shouting her mother, Donnaโs (Camille Coduri) name to get down and meet Lisa. But Donna refuses to respond. He finally runs up the stairs to tell her about their daughterโs arrival. While Costello walks into this hellhole, Selby curls himself in bed in Bruton, reading a text from an old actor (Julian Firth). Costelloโs man-child brother, John (Thomas Coombes), shows up soon after and refuses to believe that Lisa has returned.
Gloria (Ronke Adekoluejo) takes up the responsibility of babysitting Iris for those few hours while working at her funeral home job. On the other hand, Costello struggles with Johnโs bitter remarks directed toward her. He believes that Costello / Lisa abandoned them 15 years ago and assumes that now, she wants to move back. He professes his love for true crime, speaks about his podcast, and names it as something more valuable to him than her.
Costello’s reactions are awkward smirks because she is still unsure how to deal with John’s anger. In the past, Costello had almost killed Donna. John considers it an unforgivable matter and refuses to delve into what made her behave like that. Then, Donna walks in, refutes the claim that โLisa killed herโ and gives her a hug only because of Bernardโs request. Costello still shivers when Donna tries to touch her. The fear in her eyes is as vivid as before.
Meanwhile, in Bruton, Selby tries to have sex with the old actor in a car. The man then shares the sorrows from his past, where he was once seen as a rising star, only to be reduced to playing father figure roles. He calls Selbyโs current abode ‘a gay wasteland’. Since Selby cries in his unsuccessful attempt at sex, the man shares how he realized a little too late that ‘love begets lust’ and how โemotional erectionsโ count more.
Meanwhile, Costello enters her childhood space and goes through her old diary. She finds the notes of people calling her a liar only because she accused her mother of abuse. Sparks fly between her and Donna, and the argument ends up revealing Costelloโs old wound โ that she was sexually abused by Donna. Everyone thought Costello was lying and refused to give her the benefit of doubt. Even now, Donna believes that Costello is โtoo sensitiveโ despite abusing her.
Costello gets too tired to deal with Donna’s retort and her refusal to accept her absolute failure at being a responsible parent. Before leaving the house, she pisses on Donna’s room floor and sees it as retribution. So, while she does not get emotional closure, she takes at least a step toward confronting this horrible past.
Meanwhile, Allegra (Anna Chancellor) comes to her Bruton property to get Selby moved to a mental health facility. She brings his fatherโs ashes so that he can seek closure about his father’s suicide. Allegra considers making it Selbyโs problem. Selby considers him as yet another person who distanced himself from him. Eventually, he throws the urn into their swimming pool. The ashes get mixed with the water, and Selby decides to take a swim regardless of it.
Back in the city, Costello tells Gloria that she is deciding to move back to London for good. She finds refuge in North London, where she and Iris can stay. Gloria shares that she is pregnant with Paulโs baby. Later, Costello returns to Bruton to get her stuff back. Allegra rudely demands keys from her and still expects her to stay back with Selby.
By then, Costello becomes certain that she does not want Iris to grow up in a troubled family like hers. She enters the house to get her stuff out. But Selby gives her harsh treatment and expects her to stay despite his erratic behavior. He even threatens to destroy her laptop, knowing all too well how precious it is to her. Since she refuses to stay, he breaks it into pieces.
Still, after exhibiting so much hatred, they curl up together in bed due to the love they feel for one another. While knowing the reality and the mature thing they need to do, neither can accept the fact that they have to live away from the other. Soon after, the medical officials arrive and snatch Selby away from his bed. Before leaving, he can only express at the time how badly he wants to say goodbye to his daughter, aka Iris.
Rain Dogs (Season 1), Episode 5 Ending, Explained:
In London, Costello tries to cheer up Iris to enter their new home. Young Iris is still hung up on the fact that they left their seemingly perfect place in Bruton. Even when Costello knows that this is a better decision for Iris’ future, she deals with her resentment. Soon after, Serena arrives there with a van to take them back to a residency. For some reason, she wants Costello to be secretive about this place.
When they reach their refuge, Serena talks them through a myriad of guidelines. One of the neighbors, Jade, takes Costello and Iris back to their room. Iris cringes, looking at a bunk bed. She still refuses to respond to Costelloโs attempts at making her happy.
On the other hand, Selby finally rests in a bed at a mental health institution. Allegra says that the costs will be drawn from his monthly allowance and continues with her philosophy of ‘tough love.’ Then, before leaving, she hands over a drawing made by Iris to show how much he means to her. Perhaps it is Allegra’s way of being gentle with her boy by expressing hope for his recovery.
Meanwhile, in London, Costello struggles to write anything due to the ruckus outside her room. It only seems natural that it irritates her since she spent over a year in a peaceful land. She speaks with her neighbors, asking them to keep their voices down a notch. However, the silence does not comfort her either. It rather brings her back to thinking about Selby.
So, she calls the facility to check on him. But only then does she realize that she is not a part of the family list shared by Allegra. The staff member emphasizes that Costello is ‘not Selby’s family.’ Perhaps Allegra did it purposefully, considering Costello’s relationship with Selby. She may have thought it would make him relapse from his road to recovery. Nevertheless, it leaves Costello fighting her lonely battle of existence.
