Episode three of Expats had Margaret spiraling and coming under the impression that their downstairs neighbor could be responsible for Gus’ death. She nudged Hillary further to give her the keys to the deceased’s apartment. The episode ended with the police informing the couple about the body of a child that matched Gus’ description being found. Margaret and Clarke head out to the outskirts of Hong Kong to identify the mortal remains. Hillary’s effort to convince David one last time fell through. Their marriage was over, and Hillary was finally coming to accept it.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Was Margaret Panicking?
Margaret and Clarke had reached the morgue, and on reaching the spot, she was spiraling and was desperate to find out if the body belonged to Gus. Clarke was trying to pacify her, but Margaret was having a tough time getting a grip on her faculties. Margaret was somehow sure Gus was alive, and that the boy the police had was not him. Margaret’s anxiety peaked, and the conversation with Clarke turned into a blame game.
Did Mercy And David Open Up About Their Lives?
David, after his separation, was living with Mercy in her tiny apartment. The affair had not ceased, but she was having a tough time having him around the house all the time. Mercy was used to living alone, and David needed company after his separation. Mercy seemed to be his only point of contact, and he shared stories about his family in England. David opened up about his brother’s lifelong paralysis and living with the guilt of causing it. Mercy also speaks about the guilt of losing Gus and not having a decent relationship with her mother. Sharing their pain helps them with their anxiety. David required emotional support, and Mercy was in a position where she could not say no to him.
Was Hillary Not Looking Forward To Meeting Her Mother?
Hillary’s mother was visiting her from America. She was not looking forward to the visit because she had been subjected to her mother’s judgmental gaze and statements from a very young age. Her mother began bickering about everything from the moment she met her daughter, whose real name turns out to be Harpreet.
Hillary was immune to her mother’s constant complaints about her looks, clothes, and shoes. This is exactly why she was not looking forward to the visit. Her mother and Hillary herself had two different ideas of how marriages work. The mother wanted Hillary to give up on her career and focus on having a family, while Hillary was not keen on having a child. Hillary, her mother, and her neighbor got stuck in an elevator, and thus opened the floodgates of pain and emotion that had been suppressed for years. Hillary did not have a healthy childhood, and she had kept a lot of her memories at bay to save everyone from her outburst, which could make things worse.
What Did Clarke Reveal To Margaret?
Clarke and Margaret were having a tough time being at the morgue as they were surrounded by people who could not converse with them in English. As they were waiting for instruction and a sense of direction at the morgue, a lot of previously unspoken conversations came up, which turned into an ugly discourse. As spouses, both at some point had stopped conversing and were letting each other heal on their own after the tragedy struck them. Just as Margaret was having a challenging time dealing with the loss of Gus, Clarke was also trying to find time to process the pain.
Margaret was forcing everyone to treat everything as normal, but everything around them was anything but that. Clarke revealed the kids wanted some normalcy in their lives and were keen on moving to America, a plan which has been on the backfoot since Gus’ disappearance. Margaret was surprised to hear such words from Clarke because she was hoping the kids would be open to her about these topics that have bothered them ever since Gus’s incident.
Clarke and Margaret finally opened up about the issues bothering them. As parents who were trying to juggle many emotions, they hardly found time for any discussions with each other. Margaret believed Gus was alive while Clarke thought it was more realistic to accept he might have died. This conversation slowly broke down the wall built between them, and as a couple, they were trying hard to be with each other.
Is Mercy Pregnant?
Mercy began vomiting, and David wondered if she was pregnant. He panicked and purchased pregnancy test kits. David and Hillary had been trying to have kids for a while, but their efforts were in vain. David believed it was his physiological issues that led to their not having a pregnancy. Mercy’s pregnancy scare indicated David could be fertile, while Hillary was the one who could not get pregnant. Mercy was not panicking like David, and she went ahead with the test. Mercy was indeed pregnant, and the two were in a dilemma on how to deal with the situation. David left it to her to make the final call, and that would decide the fate of their relationship as well.
Why Was Hillary Honest About Her Childhood?
Hillary was tired of her mother’s constant bickering, it seemed very little of her personality had changed since Hillary’s childhood days. Her mother was insensitive, and she went on blaming her daughter for the breakdown of her marriage with David. The neighbor was witness to the mother whining non stop, and Hillary only absorbed all the accusations coming her way. Hillary had enough of her mother’s complaints when she finally spoke about her father’s infidelity and physical abuse of her mother.
Hillary did this to hold a mirror up to her mother and shake her out of her denial. Her mother came from a generation that swept all the issues concerning their marriage under the rug while remaining in denial and expecting their children to give up on their dreams just for the sake of the family. Hillary broke away from the toxicity and refused to have a child because she did not wish to be a mother. This is a clear indication that Hillary never allowed anyone to dictate her life. There was also a contradiction; on one hand, Hillary tried hard to save her marriage, while on the other, she was not willing to follow the path her mother chose for herself and wanted to chart her destiny.
Hillary was honest about her childhood and as a four-year-old girl was a witness to her mother being beaten black and blue by her father. Hillary spoke about it because there was no one to help get over the memory, including her mother. Her mother moved on, claiming the act of violence to be normal and expecting her daughter to tolerate the same to make the marriage work. Hillary wanted to prove her mother did not lead as healthy a life as she proclaimed it to be.
Did Margaret And Clarke Identify The Body?
Margaret was afraid to face the mortal remains of the child and, before that, remained in denial about Gus’ death. Margaret, as a mother, was going through emotional turmoil and had not come to terms with the right way to deal with the loss of her son. Margaret, even though she believed Gus was alive, was also afraid to deal with the reality that Gus could be dead as well.
As they were taken to the morgue, Margaret broke down moments before the body bag was opened. It finally dawned on her that Clarke could be right. As they opened the bag, Clarke sobbed, and Margaret stayed still. The body was not that of Gus, which brought such relief to Clarke that he began wailing while Margaret remained quiet. She was content with the fact that her child was indeed alive, and this would further postpone their plan to move to America. Margaret refused to leave until she received closure about Gus. Expats episode 4 ends with Clarke and Margaret heading back home, and the latter still has hope for Gus. She believed the toddler was alive, and she was willing to wait as long as she could.
