“The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart” Episode 5 revolves around accepting one’s fate, embracing the truth, making decisions based on past outcomes, and moving forward with honesty. However, humans are intricate beings, and so are their actions. Their thoughts, intentions, and speech are rarely aligned, especially when it involves trauma, mistakes, guilt, and redemption. As Alice strives to find her place in this new town, she crosses paths with Dylan, with whom she might potentially form a lasting connection. But will she?
Simultaneously, June continues to show a defensive attitude, attempting to rationalize her past actions as a means of safeguarding her loved ones from potential downfall. Yet, how long can she maintain this stance? This new episode might not be the standout installment of the season thus far, but it does prompt me to question the intricate nature of humans and their instinct to navigate the complexities of survival, both in the past and the present.
*Spoiler Alert*
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart Episode 5 Recap:
Part 5: Desert Oak, Meaning Resurrection
Episode 5 opens with Alice securing a job at Tukurta National Park as a desert ranger. Alice, who has always been under the guarded wings of her overbearing grandmother, is now a free spirit with a place of her own and the freedom to lead her life on her own terms. As she begins her new job, she receives an orientation from a fellow ranger who helps her understand her role. This role serves as a bridge between people from all around the world and the culture and significance of this part of the Australian region. We see her settling into her new accommodation provided by the park, with Dylan, Lulu, and the others as her neighbors. Lulu becomes her quick companion, helping her decorate the house and expressing happiness to have a friend like Alice. In the meantime, we also learn that Alice broke up with Moss because she felt something amiss in their relationship.
As we see Alice settling down, we also witness her sharing subtle moments with Dylan every now and then. In episode 4, I had mentioned Lulu and Dylan as a couple. However, with how episode 5 is unfolding, it becomes evident that the two indeed have a history and may have amicably ended it long before Alice came into the picture. Nonetheless, Alice is being cautious even though she can feel the intense connection with Dylan. At the riverbed, when Dylan asks about the scar that Alice has on her rib side, Alice lies, saying that she got the scar from a car accident when her grandmother was drunk driving, which led her grandmother to pass away when Alice was only 9 years old.
Does Alice start dating Dylan?
Things get more intense when Dylan joins Lulu and her new friend at Alice’s housewarming party in her new place. We can see Lulu having some sort of reservations towards Alice and Dylan but choosing to keep her thoughts to herself. Later in the night, while dining together, Alice learns that Dylan has traveled to various parts of Europe before settling down in his base in this desert. The two people are clearly smitten by each other’s mysterious personalities, and they end up having an intimate night, marking the beginning of their relationship. The following day, Dylan takes Alice to a party where the two are holding hands, making their relationship public. However, Lulu is visibly uncomfortable, and when Alice confronts her about how she has been avoiding them, Lulu shares that Dylan can be too much to handle at times, and Alice must be very careful. Will Alice follow the same path that June has been protecting her from?
What happens when Twig meets Charlie?
On the other hand, Twig leaves Thornfield to meet Charlie and find Alice after learning that June has been lying to her all these years. We then see her meeting Sally at her house, which leads to her meeting Charlie for the first time. The reunion is extremely emotional, with Charlie embracing Twig with open arms as he is delighted to finally come to terms with his extended family. We see Twig going through the letters that Charlie received all these years from his only sister, Alice.
However, Twig breaks the news to the young boy that the letters were actually written by his grandmother, June, in order to supposedly protect Alice. Charlie, along with Sally and John, is too stunned by June’s lies, which include hiding the truth about Charlie’s existence from her family and, most importantly, Alice. After spending the night with the Morgans’, Twig tells Sally that she has done an incredible job of raising such a darling boy and that he is better off with his family than anywhere near Thornfield. John helps Twig learn about Alice’s last location, i.e., Agnes Bluff. Right before leaving to find Alice, Twig promises Charlie that she would tell his sister about him, and the two siblings will definitely meet very soon. She also hands him a hand-made bracelet that signifies that his presence will heal her pain.
Why does June treat Candy differently?
Meanwhile, June learns that she has incurable cancer and chooses to decline any further treatment. Upon arriving at Thornfield, she discovers that Twig is gone. June has become more rigid and secretive about herself, which starts to infuriate Candy. She tries to knock some sense into June by mentioning the name Charlie in front of the women living at Thornfield, hoping to prompt her to finally tell the truth. However, June continues to keep her emotions bottled up, which eventually makes things even more challenging for her.
June finds herself torn between keeping everything together and coming to terms with everything in her past that led her to make decisions where people find her actions questionable. When Candy asks her to be honest in front of everyone about Charlie, June tells her to mind her own business. Candy, who consistently feels hurt by June’s choice of words, confronts her about how she has always avoided her for something that is not even her fault. June, seeking to avoid confrontation, tells Candy that she is no longer the same person she once knew and that she is aware of Candy’s activities behind her back, and she strictly warns her to refrain from engaging in those activities.
What happened with Candy and Clem?
As the story unfolds, we see June through flashbacks where she learns about Clem and Candy’s intimate relationship, as it turns out that Clem has always allowed his intrusive thoughts to win over him and has no control over his emotions. June always considered Candy her daughter, and when she found out about them, she confronted Clem about raping a minor – thus betraying her trust. June immediately sent Candy away for a while and prohibited Clem from indulging with anyone. However, when Agnes came to stay at Thornfield, she encouraged Clem to befriend Agnes, who was of the same age, and thought that Agnes would heal faster with Clem’s love and Clem would find solace with Agnes.
Does June apologize to Candy about her behavior?
I must say that Candy’s character arc is interesting, as we see her removing her makeup that works as a shield, preventing people to see her vulnerable side.) However, June’s words about her engaging in sex with strangers and having a physical relationship with her ‘supposedly’ brother break her heart. All these years, she put on a brave face, not letting June’s behavior get the best of her. However, this time we can see that her emotional threshold has been breached by the very woman she always looked up to, regardless of her actions.
With no makeup and wearing beige-colored clothes (as a symbol that what is done is done), she confronts June once again with a book that she found in Alice’s room (episode 3.) The book’s first page mentions Clem writing a note to Agnes about how she has filled his heart with joy and how June always wanted a daughter like her. She tells June that despite what happened between Clem and her, Candy always loved Clem, irrespective of that. And June made decisions for her without ever involving Candy, especially when it was all about her.
Later, June, who now understands that her decisions back then didn’t work the way she thought they would, understands her fault and tells Candy that she was always fiercely protective of her and never lost sight of her beloved daughter. Agnes never replaced her in the first place. Even though this realization doesn’t provide justice to either of their actions or feelings, the scene remains powerful nonetheless. Later, when Candy learns about Twig visiting Alice, she goes to tell June about it, and the two women forgive each other, embracing one another.
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart Episode 5 Ending Explained:
What does Alice tell Dylan about her past?
Returning to Alice and her relationship with Dylan, we see them driving to a secluded desert hill, supposedly an ideal spot for a budding romance. Offering a breathtaking view of the red hills and wild flora, the place is adorned with a narrow riverbed. Both Alice and Dylan share intimate moments, watching beautiful fireflies adorning the surroundings. However, the moment is abruptly interrupted when Alice asks Dylan if he had ever brought Lulu to this place – making him feel that Alice has overstepped her boundaries, leaving Alice alone in the area.
Feeling tired and alone, Alice is overwhelmed by confusion, regretting her choice of words that hurt Dylan in the wrong time and place. After a while, Dylan returns, and the following day, as they wake, Dylan opens up to Alice with the truth. He admits that his relationship with Lulu was never serious and that he has never felt anything like he does when he’s with Alice. He confesses his fear of these intense feelings. In response, Alice confronts him and shares that she also feels the same way. However, she decides to reveal the truth about her past. She tells him that as a young girl, she used to imagine setting her father on fire because he had hurt her and her mother, who was expecting a baby. One day, when things became chaotic, she stole gasoline and set her father on fire, leading to the tragic deaths of her parents and her unborn baby brother.
Hearing all this, Dylan reassures Alice that she was just a child at the time and couldn’t have known better. He assures her that it’s not her fault that her father was hurting her. As a gesture of affection, he ties a band around her wrist and promises that things will only get better for them and that their past won’t define their future together. The Lost Flowers of Alice Heart Episode 5 ends on this note.
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