Warning, this article contains spoilers ahead for Angela Black episode four and touches on subject matter that some readers may find distressing.
ITV drama Angela Black returned for a fourth episode on Sunday night, starring Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey) in the title role of Angela in the Angela Black cast.
At the end of Angela Black episode three, Angela was admitted to a women’s mental health unit, after police officers informed her that hit-man Ed Harrison (Samuel Adewunmi) was a figment of her imagination, and actually inspired by a book, ‘Behind Closed Doors’ by Ed Harrison.
In episode four, Angela’s abusive husband, Olivier (Michiel Huisman), has also cut her off from her two young sons, and we see Angela at one of her lowest ebbs. However, in the final moments of the episode, Angela (newly released from the mental health unit) tracks down Ed and discovers he’s real after all.
We’ve unpacked tonight’s instalment, breaking down some of the key questions and theories that have come up after the events of Angela Black episode four.
Did Olivier keep Angela from seeing her mother?
In flashbacks interspersed with Angela’s time spent at a women’s mental health unit in the present day, we see her as a new mother, apparently struggling with postpartum depression.
The stress caused by her first child’s near-constant crying is compounded when her estranged mother gets back in touch, revealing that she doesn’t have much longer to live.
It’s revealed that Olivier has long known that his wife’s mother was dying, but kept the information from Angela. He puts pressure on her to cut ties, and as a result, she misses the opportunity to say a final goodbye.
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What was Edgewater and what happened there?
In a flashback, we finally learn what the mysterious ‘Edgewater’ incident was.
In a flashback, Angela has a breakdown following her mother’s death, and becoming convinced that her son is special or God-like, and can in fact walk on water.
She brings him to Edgewater Leisure Centre’s swimming pool, where she tries to get her toddler son to walk on water, before dropping him into the deep end.
Did Angela lose custody of her children?
Following her release in the present-day, we see Angela and Olivier attend court, and although we don’t see the proceedings, it’s made clear from their reactions afterwards exactly how it went.
A devastated Angela will only be allowed to see her children for four hours a week, a result that Olivier’s lawyer calls a “success”, before Olivier gives him a hug.
Who is Ed Harrison and is he real?
!["Angela]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/angela_black_episode_1_08-27a57cc.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Angela")
In hospital, Angela worked on a beautiful chalk drawing of Ed Harrison, which she’d sketched from memory.
After her release, one of her old colleagues at the dog shelter lets her stay in an empty flat in central London. There, Angela pins up the drawing of Ed.
However, she later becomes intrigued by what looks like a badge sticking out of Ed’s pocket in the drawing, emblazoned with the letters ‘SWW’.
Angela finally tracks down a local football club that uses those initials, and she attends a match – where she sees Ed on the pitch.
Was Ed an actor? How could she draw the badge from memory without knowing its meaning? Will Ed remember her, or will he deny ever meeting her?
Angela Black continues on Sundays at 9pm on ITV. Want more show content? Find out where Angela Black was filmed with our location guide or read our Angela Black review. While you’re waiting, take a look at our other Drama coverage, or find out what else is on with our TV Guide.
For information and support, visit womensaid.org.uk, alternatively, contact the Freephone 24 National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0800 2000 247), run by Refuge, or nationaldahelpline.org.uk.