The family is still dealing with the aftermath of Sarah’s disappearance. There is a sadness looming around the household because most of the family members are coming to terms with the fact that Sarah might have passed away. Her siblings are at her place to help the kids so that they don’t feel left out. This is the same home where they all grew up, and there is a history of sibling rivalry over the property.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In ‘Significant Others’ Episode 2?
“Significant Others” Episode 2 begins where the first episode left off. The family gets a phone call, and all they can hear on their end is someone breathing. Hannah assumes it is her mother and keeps calling out to her. Hannah has a dream that night where she sees her mother inside the phone booth, trying to speak to them, and the moment Hannan reaches the booth, the receiver is hung. Hannah wakes up to realize it was a dream, and maybe it wasn’t her mother who called up late at night. Hannah soon goes on an early morning walk along the coast, where she meets an elderly fisherman. The person believes Hannah to be lost, and he informs a local woman got lost in the sea a few days back, and he wants to make sure Hannah is not here to do something. He offers to drop her back when she is finally found by her aunt Ursula and uncle Wayne. They inform the fisherman of Sarah’s disappearance, and the fisherman sympathizes with Hannah, Ursula, and Wayne. Hannah has been in denial since the news of her mother’s disappearance surfaced. Hannah was the one who saw her mother last waving at her from the sea, a memory that Hannah is unable to erase from her mind. She believes her mother is alive, and it is only a matter of time before she will appear at their doorstep, and their lives will be okay soon.
Den and Claire come across Ali, a handyman hired by Sarah to take care of the household chores and the plumbing work as the house is under construction. Den is uncomfortable to see Ali inside the house at different points in time. At one point, Claire is also surprised to see him get into Sarah’s bedroom and take care of the bathroom work. Den is suspicious of Ali and the relationship he might have shared with Sarah. He believes there is something Ali is hiding because he finds Ali at suspicious spots inside the house and asks Claire to keep an eye on him. He specifically asks her not to sleep with him.
Meanwhile, Ursula and Wayne go to the nursing home where Sarah used to work to collect her belongings when her colleague mentions, though it wasn’t proven, that Sarah was stealing drugs from the nursing home, which she claimed her sister knew about. Her colleagues and Ursula keep wondering what Sarah did with the drugs. Did she try to kill herself with those drugs which her colleague and Ursula were unaware of? Ursula has a chat with Den’s fiancé, Wayne, and tells him about the voicemail Sarah left a week before her disappearance. Ursula wonders if Sarah is going through a bad time. She also wonders if Sarah killed herself because of something that was bothering her, which she tried to share with Ursula but could not share with other siblings or her kids. Ursula does not want to rule out the suicide angle, and she feels guilty for not reaching out to Sarah. Wayne comforts Sarah, saying that it isn’t her fault.
‘Significant Others’ Episode 2: Ending Explained – How Is The Family Coping With Sarah’s Disappearance?
Ciaran, just like his sibling Hannah, is struggling to come to terms with his mother’s disappearance. He has a talk with his aunt Ursula about his mother’s relationship with her, and Sarah’s parents were never on Sarah’s side. Ciaran is getting a lot of attention from school in the wake of his mother’s disappearance, from his classmates, who he never thought would talk to him. On one of the days, he heads to meet his girlfriend, Becky, at school, where he comes across seniors and classmates who usually would not talk to him. He starts to like their company. He is attracted to another girl from the group, while Becky is the one there for him in this hour of grief. Ciaran is a young teen who is going through a phase where he would like validation from people he considers cooler than him. The validation he is seeking comes from the news of his mother’s disappearance having become the talk of the town, where kids at school start noticing him, which he begins to like.
Meanwhile, in the pursuit of becoming a known face in the school, he starts ignoring his girlfriend Becky, who was with him from the start of this painful ordeal. He ends up taking a recreational drug offered to him by a classmate of his so that Ciaran feels better. Ciaran is trying to deal with the possibility of losing his mother in the most teenage fashion. Going reckless, forgetting people who care for them, indulging in drugs, and gravitating towards people who give you validation. Ciaran goes through this phase and will possibly learn to deal with it in the coming episodes.
Den is going back to his dance practices for the recital opening. His age is catching up with him. He decides to take up an admin job, which will give him a much-required break from dancing. Den, though, also informs Claire to stay away from Ali, for Claire has been emotionally vulnerable since the passing of their mother. Claire, on the other hand, starts hanging out with Ali under the pretext of asking about construction work at Sarah’s home. She ends up getting too close to Ali to the point that they indulge in intercourse just on the day of their meeting. Claire, at this point, is emotionally vulnerable, from losing her mother a few years back to now losing her elder sibling. She is an undiagnosed alcoholic who is learning to deal with tragedy in her own way. Meanwhile, Hannah with Claire is sticking missing posters all around the town, which are being torn apart. Hannah sees this as a sign that her mother is still alive, and she is the one tearing the posters apart, much to Claire and Ursula’s dismay, who believe otherwise. Ursula believes Claire knew of Sarah’s drug-stealing episode and confronts her about it. While Claire disagrees with the possibility of Sarah committing suicide, Ursula considers that might be true. She holds a small prayer meeting for her sister at the beach. Ursula wants to pray for Sarah’s safe return, but she and her siblings wonder if Sarah is gone forever, either drowned in the sea or has let the sea take her in as an act of suicide. Hannah and Ciaran are in denial but keep believing their mother will return. They also become a part of the prayer meeting the next day, where they are joined by their uncles and aunts. They gather as a show of respect to Sarah and Ursula, who organized the prayer meeting.
Conclusion
“Significant Others” Episode 2 concludes at a point where the siblings of Sarah are considering if it was a suicide. The narrative is a little slow, but it grows on you as you keep watching it. Writers Tommy Murphy, Niki Aken, Blake Ayshford, Louise Fox, Vonne Patiag, and Sue Smith are taking the slow and steady pacing to understand the dynamics the family shares with one another and their friendships outside of the family, which is tested in the second episode. “Significant Others” is the story of a dysfunctional family who is coming to terms with a tragedy that just struck them. A must-watch so far.
See more: ‘Significant Others’ Episode 1: Recap And Ending, Explained: Was It Sarah Who Called Up Her Home?
