“The Big Door Prize” (season 2) on Apple TV+ began with the Deerfield residents trying to find a way to reach the next stage on the Morpho machine. Dusty and Cass decided to explore their individual destinies on their own. Dusty went on a date with his colleague whereas Cass spent a night at Martha’s Inn. Jacob and Trina saw the videos from their next stage. They found a way to heal from Kolton’s loss. Izzy appointed Beau as their town’s sheriff. Mr Johnson recovered from a heart attack. Now, “The Big Door Prize” (season 2) Episode 4 explores Mr Johnson’s complicated past and his unrequited love. Meanwhile, Cass and Nat become friends with Hana while Dusty suffers from the after-effects of his date with Alice.
Spoilers Ahead
The Big Door Prize (Season 2) Episode 4 “Storytellers” Recap:
“The Big Door Prize” (season 2) episode 3 ended showing Beau (Aaron Roman Weiner) on a night patrol as a sheriff, who finds Mr Johnson (Patrick Kerr) next to a wall. The wall has a mural about the ‘Burly Boy’ machine. Mr Johnson gets emotional and says that he doesn’t want to be alone. The fourth episode shares the history that led to this feeling. In the past, Mr Johnson had the Burly Boy machine in his store. Once, it stopped working properly. So, Mr Johnson called for a repairperson. But no one showed up until someone (Matt Dellapina) did.
The repairman used his knowledge to repair the machine’s damage. While doing so, he asked Mr Johnson to hand over the bent nose pliers. Mr Johnson handed him a wrench. He was evidently awkward around this handsome man. Later on, he kept finding one or the other issue with their machine as an excuse to make the repairman return. He pretended that he didn’t create any of those problems and apologized for making the man come back repeatedly. The repairman said that Mr. Johnson need not apologize. So, Mr Johnson believed he felt the same way about him as he did.
What happens at Beau’s house?
Beau takes an emotionally driven Mr Johnson to his house for the time being. In the morning, he talks about his hospital experiences. He does not have anyone else that he can call his own. So, he put Izzy’s (Crystel R. Fox) name as his emergency contact. Beau doesn’t see his help to Mr. Johnson as a favor. He also prepares breakfast for Mr Johnson. Jacob (Sammy Fourlas) feels that Mr Johnson has some complaints about his work ethic. Mr Johnson clears his doubts. He also decides to keep his store closed for a few days. So, he offers Jacob a few days off. It is surprising since Mr Johnson never keeps it closed, probably because he believes that the repairman will return someday.
What happens at Cass’ house?
Cass (Gabrielle Dennis) invites a few of her friends over to her house. Nat (Mary Holland) wants these women to participate in her storytelling activity. Cass also invites her new friend, Hana (Ally Maki). It doesn’t sit well with Nat, who holds a grudge against Hana because she didn’t have any feelings toward Giorgio (Josh Segarra) unlike her. She finds it strange. Before everyone else arrives, Cass and Nat start preparations. Dusty (Chris O’Dowd) walks out of his basement for something. He still isn’t over his date and his 40-second-long hug with Alice (Justine Lupe).
Earlier, Dusty told Cass that it was an academic meeting. So, Dusty calling it ‘a date’ feels strange to her. Besides that, Dusty makes a big deal about his hug with Alice, likely due to his guilt. Eventually, he returns to the basement and Cass’ friends start coming one by one. Besides Hana, Ellen (Iona Leighton) and Hawaii (Emily Topper) (the adventurous woman Dusty & Cass met in Martha’s inn) arrive there. Dusty interrupts their dialogue and starts talking about his hug again. It creates an awkward moment or two.
What happens at the Giorgio’s?
At the Giorgio’s, Trina (Djouliet Amara) keeps working for her usual duty. Since Jacob has a day off, he decides to spend it just looking at Trina at work. But they already spent almost all the time together. So, Trina makes Jacob realize the importance of personal space in their relationship. Giorgio interrupts them, calls Jacob an eff-boy, and tries to compare Jacob to himself. He expects Jacob to spend time with his friends. Trina reveals that Jacob doesn’t have any friends besides her. So, Jacob decides to spend his time in the game arcade.
While playing a game, Jacob meets a book nerd, Trevor (Christian Adam). They start off on the wrong foot but eventually become friends. After Trina’s duty, she wants to spend time with Jacob. But he says he has plans with Trevor. So, she gets upset. Giorgio notices that and tries to cheer her up in his own way. Then, Trina offers her help to put up Giorgio’s portrait in the restaurant. Giorgio appreciates that she offered her help beyond her working hours. So, he excuses her from the charges for destroying his name sign in the past.
The Big Door Prize (Season 2) Episode 4 “Storytellers” Ending Explained:
Why was Mr Johnson feeling lonely?
Mr Johnson felt a strong connection with the repairman. But after making a few visits, the repairman suddenly stopped coming. He didn’t provide Mr Johnson any reason as to why. So, Mr Johnson lived years without any closure. That’s why he was heartbroken and was feeling lonely. Still, as a keepsake of their time together, he had an old theremin. Once, Cass showed up at his store and asked for a gift for Cass. She saw the theremin and decided to take it back home.
Does Mr Johnson come to terms with his past?
In the present, Mr Johnson goes to his store to check his next stage on the Morpho machine. The video shows him with the repairman, who shares different reasons why he couldn’t be in the shop again. Mr Johnson wonders which one of them is true. The machine guides him to realise that knowing a specific reason is immaterial. He needs to accept the fact that it won’t change what he experienced and what lies in their future. So, Mr Johnson eventually comes to terms with his past and decides to return to his house. He decides to put Beau as his emergency contact. Suddenly, he notices the blue dots on his body disappear.
What happens at Nat’s gathering?
Unlike Cass’ other friends, Hana doesn’t have a conventionally interesting story to tell. Her parents sent her to a boarding school, and she never had any specific friends in her life. So, she agreed to join Nat’s activity to be a part of some sort of group. The women accepted her open-heartedly, including Nat. She innocently thinks Hana’s broken youth is why she rejected Giorgio. Then, Nat and Cass start talking about their years of friendship. They had been friends most of their lives. Eventually, they also show a dorky dance routine they had with enthusiasm. Hana looks at it awkwardly and can’t respond much.
Later, Cass goes to the basement to speak with Dusty. They talk about his date with Alice and the hug. She apologizes for her behavior. He admits that he was being very weird about the issue. Cass feels it’s a big deal that he went on a date right after they planned their temporary separation. It makes her wonder if he had been planning it. Dusty reveals that Alice made him look at himself differently. Eventually, they come to terms with their feelings about this incident.
