Episode 7 of Every Year After is one of the most emotional episodes of the series so far, exploring the fallout from decisions that have haunted its characters for years. As the story leaps between past and present old wounds are reopened, painful truths are revealed and the road to the finale gets even less certain.# Charlie vs Percy in the Present Timeline
The episode opens with Charlie angry at Percy for deciding to tell Sam the truth about their past. Charlie thinks she’s ruined any chance of repairing his relationship with Sam and tells her to go back to Seattle.
Charlie battles his anger and Percy becomes more and more alienated. She talks to Chantal, who advises her to stop running from her problems and to finally have an honest conversation with Charlie. She is not sure if she should even go to the funeral.
Meanwhile Sam is still coming to terms with the devastating revelation. He gets worse and finally says he is going to move out. Charlie is shocked and has no answer.## Summer 2016: The Start of a Relationship Breaking Down
Flashbacks show the summer before college, when Percy, Sam and Charlie hang out together on the lake.
Percy wants one final summer of freedom with Sam before they begin the next chapter of their lives. But those plans are thrown off course when Sam tells him he got into a prestigious summer intensive program that will keep him away for most of the season.
Percy is surprised and upset that Sam made such an important decision without telling her. Their row reveals the cracks in their relationship and Percy realises their future may not be as solid as she thought.
Sam leaves, but the couple vow to make long distance work. But their optimism is soon challenged by the distance, which neither of them fully understands.# Percy and Charlie Bond
While Sam dedicates himself to his program, Percy is left behind dealing with loneliness.
The more I try to connect the more frustrating it becomes. Video calls get cut off all the time, conversations are rushed, and the emotional distance between Percy and Sam grows further with every passing week.
Charlie is Percy’s main source of support in this difficult time. The two spend more time together at the boathouse and around town, and a friendship develops that slowly becomes more complicated.
When Charlie talks about Sam shutting people out when life gets too much, we get an insight into Sam’s personality. His observations might be right, but they also plant seeds of resentment that only deepen the rift between Percy and Sam.# Chantal, Jordie and Delilah Confront Their Own Problems
Meanwhile, away from the drama, Chantal is dealing with her feelings for Jordie.
They have obvious chemistry, but Jordie doesn’t mention their near-romantic moment. Instead he offers that he, Chantal and Delilah go swimming in the lake together.
What begins as a fun excursion becomes emotional when Delilah has another breakdown. Jordie’s attention immediately goes to helping her, and Chantal wonders where she really fits in his life.
It looks like Jordie might still have unresolved feelings for Delilah, regardless of what has happened between them. ### The History That Trapped Them
One of the best scenes in the show is when Percy finds Charlie at the boathouse.
The pair accidentally get locked in a storage room and are forced to have a long over-due conversation. Years of guilt, anger and regret pour out finally, for there is nowhere to hide, no distractions around them.
Charlie remembers that Percy’s panic attacks started soon after they’d betrayed Sam together. For the first time he concedes that it was unfair to place all the blame on her for what happened.
He also admits that jealousy was a major factor in his actions. Charlie saw Sam create a life with someone he respected and was jealous and insecure. The guilt was so overwhelming from the betrayal he left Barry’s Bay and had no contact with anyone involved in the incident.# The Reality of Percy’s Hardship
The emotional climax of the episode is when Percy explains how badly the betrayal affected her.
Finally she reached a breaking point, consumed with guilt and unable to forgive herself and she took a handful of pills to try and escape the pain. The experience scared her family and was one of the main reasons why her parents decided to sell the summer house.
It’s a heart-wrenching discovery that changes the entire way in which viewers interpret Percy’s actions throughout the series. There’s always been someone under her rash decisions and emotional outbursts with a huge amount of self-hatred and regret.
Charlie reacts with compassion rather than judgment, telling her to stop punishing herself for mistakes that can’t be changed, for either of them.
Their emotional talk ends with a hug, a moment of forgiveness that feels both necessary and complicated.# Sam Walks Into Another Stunner
Just when Percy and Charlie start to get some closure, the episode throws in one last twist.
Sam arrives at the cabin and sees them hugging.
With all he had recently learned, it was a picture that could hardly have come at a worse time. Whether the hug is healing or just another misunderstanding is yet to be seen, but it leaves the season heading into its finale with higher tensions than ever. ### Opinion
Episode 7 is without a doubt one of the strongest installments of Every Year After simply because it forces its characters to confront the consequences of their decisions instead of fleeing from them.
Percy’s admission of her mental and emotional difficulties adds a lot of depth to her character, turning what could have been a simple love-triangle into something far more complex and tragic.
The episode’s focus also suits Charlie. His admission of jealousy and guilt ultimately accounts for a great deal of his actions throughout the series, making him a more complex and empathetic character.
The big question going into the finale is whether there’s enough time to do justice to the story of Sam and Percy. Sam still suffers the most from the betrayal, but much of the episode is about Percy and Charlie getting closure with each other.
The final scene implies that Sam’s emotional journey is far from over, and it will be interesting to see if the series opts for reconciliation, forgiveness, or a permanent goodbye as its ending.
Episode 7 sees the big secrets finally out and relationships hanging by a thread, setting the stage for a potentially powerful and emotional finale.