As this episode of The Split begins, Hannah (Nicola Walker) wakes up next to Christie (Barry Atsma). He asks her to imagine that it is just him and her. She gets out of bed and opens the curtains to let the sun inside. Once Christie gets up, he tries to figure out where they would live. He says Tribeca because of the beautiful views over the Hudson. She mentions that he is smiling. He claims that is because she is there with him. As we see flashbacks of them making out, Hannah asks how they would live. Christie suggests they can enjoy lazy mornings, pick up coffee, and have a long walk along the High Line. He continues telling her what they could do together and how they could be professional rivals. Personally, he believes they’ll have the best days of their lives.

They would be so happy and everything could fall into place if she wanted it to. He asks if she wants it to. Hannah leans in and kisses him. After the intro, Christie walks her to work and says goodbye with a kiss. Nathan (Stephen Mangan) is with Kate (Lara Pulver) when she gets her ultrasound. Ruth (Deborah Findlay) listens to her podcast while Ronnie (Ian McElhinney) tries to set up a tent outside. Later, Nathan sits with Kate and confesses that all of this is moving too fast. She argues it is something to be celebrated although Nathan thinks it is different when it is your fourth time around. Kate admits it is his fourth and could be his fifth. He is asking her to be sensitive around a woman who cheated on him the night before their wedding.

Nathan argues she doesn’t get to say that. Kate insists it is the truth even though it might not fit with the narrative he is trying to play out now. Nobody likes endings. However, you can’t have beginnings without them. She believes he is still with Kate mentally and should work out what he wants because she isn’t going to wait around any more. Hannah meets with Zander (Chukwudi Iwuji) who asks them to turn down Ruth’s podcast about him and Tyler. He reminds Hannah that they have a meeting with Melanie and Nathan and they’re going to come back hard after her nesting fiasco. Kate’s report about Leni should be in today. Plus, Leni, Felix, and JJ will be coming in later.

When Tyler (Damien Molony) says good morning, Hannah walks away and Zander yells for them to turn off the podcast. When he asks Zander if they’re still good for dinner tonight, he is told not now. Hannah tells Nina (Annabel Scholey) they’re down one sleeping bag that she borrowed. Nina isn’t interested in the trip their dead brother-in-law spent months planning before his untimely death. Tyler enters and says good morning. When he leaves, Hannah forces Nina to confess that their relationship has been going on for a while. She goes on to say Tyler will be telling Zander tonight. Hannah suggests that gives her the weekend to figure out what to do with her life on Monday.

Nina claims it isn’t like the past because it is everything she ever wanted. She asks Hannah if she can just fake it and be happy for her, but Hannah argues she is screwing up her career. Nina asks her to consider a world in which not all infidelities are disasters. She believes Ronnie and Ruth would be a good example of that. Hannah doesn’t because their mother already has cold feet. Nina asks about her nights with Christie since she has been rekindling her affair. Hannah argues they’re both unattached or close to it. She just wants her sister to think about what she is doing. Nina knows and cares that she is about to break Zander’s heart and screw up his life.

She believes she has found a man with a genuine desire to build a life with her. Hannah is stunned when she finds out that her sister is buying a new place with Tyler, but Ruth interrupts asking for tent pegs before they can talk about it. When a man tells Ruth congratulations, she wishes people would stop saying that. She isn’t ungrateful, but they’ve only got engaged. Ruth says he put her on the spot and wonders if they’re too old. Hannah questions whether she really loves him. Ruth couldn’t say that because it wouldn’t be true. Nina runs off after saying she doesn’t have time for this.

Hannah claims they have an aversion to camping, but Ruth reminds her they used to beg Ronnie to sit in his camper van. When they see Zander, Hannah shuts the door so they can talk about Christie. She says Christie has been here for five days. According to her diary, she has seen him at least twice. Hannah wants to know more about the American client and what this has to do with NHD. She knows Ruth is up to something since she pulled up the entire accounts yesterday and has been sneaking around. Ruth turns it around on her by saying she has covered for her for four nights and even Liv is getting suspicious. Ruth explains that the American client is a gentleman of high net worth. Christie felt he would benefit from Ruth’s experience and advice.

Ruth approaches Zander who already knows she has run financial checks on the partnership’s accounts. He is going to ask some questions and wants her to answer them as honestly and legally as she can. She confirms they’re investigating him and those closely associated with him. They have concerns that are related to their American client who was a victim of fraud by the man he married. Under New York law, he is still very much married to this man. It has taken time to travel the man to London because he is very clever and travels light. He doesn’t leave a paper trail or digital footprint. Until last week, there was barely a photo that could help them identify and confirm that it was the same man. He is charming, personable, and highly skilled.

He had double phones and a double life while defrauding Christie’s client of hundreds of thousands of pounds. The client’s primary concern is to divorce the man who has married for a second time. Before they serve him divorce papers tonight, they want to make sure the second husband is protected. Zander believes the marriage would be voided because of bigamy laws. She offers to give him a moment, but Zander says he wants to know everything. Tyler takes Nina the paperwork and says his lawyer has already looked over it. He even put a clause in there in case she bails, but she says she is not going to bail as she signs the paperwork. Rose puts Ronnie in charge of the camping trip before Glen (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) approaches her.

He asks whether she can babysit tonight since he has a date. Glen reveals she seems very nice, but it has been a while since his wife died of breast cancer four years ago. Betty was only two at the time. She agrees to come around at six. As Glen leaves, Hannah calls Rose to tell her about the house that Nina intends to purchase. She wants to make sure that Nina is making the right investment and is of right mind. Rose admits she is sleeping on the floor since she can’t force herself to get into the bed. Then, they begin talking about the upcoming camping night. After the call, Nathan and Melanie Aickman (Anna Chancellor) arrive in reception. As Hannah joins them, she hears Melanie talking to her mother about her television show.

Melanie learns about Christie being back in town. As Zander leads Melanie away, Ruth asks for Nathan’s assistance later and he agrees to help. During the meeting, they begin by talking about nesting and how Nathan felt unwelcome in his own home. Nathan and Hannah argue about disclosing Kate’s pregnancy to the family and kids. Melanie believes that is why they need to define their boundaries now. Since she doesn’t think it is going to work for Nathan to visit the family home, it might be a good time to discuss the sale of the house. Zander argues they’re trying to force Hannah’s hand. Melanie says they both advocate for a stable family home. She congratulates Nathan on the child and tells Hannah they’ve had the first scan.

She reveals that Nathan is willing for Hannah to buy him out because he has to leave this marriage with something. Hannah says they bought that house with money from her great aunt, but Nathan says it was left to both of them. Melanie makes it clear that Zander’s client is considerably better off than her client and can draw on her shares at any time if needed. Hannah complains they’re pushing her to sell and rob the family silver to do it. Hannah tells Nathan that was classy. Melanie admits they want to get a move on it since Nathan and Kate are keen to set down roots. After the meeting, Nathan tells Hannah they have to get along for the next 48 hours since he is coming camping.

He reminds her that James was his brother-in-law as well. Hannah questions why he hired Melanie if he didn’t want a dogfight. He asks if they can just not talk about this until after the camping trip since he’d like to be there. He learns that they’re going to the countryside. Liv and Gael are hitching a ride with Ruth and Ronnie although they’re still not talking. Nathan says the scans were blurry, but they looked in keeping with the last three. When Hannah says it must’ve been a relief, Nathan says he has to live and build a home somehow. He can’t move into Kate’s because she has too many plants. Nathan leaves with Ruth moments later. Melanie asks for a private word with Hannah in her office. They chat briefly before Melanie says she needs some legal advice.

She explains she went with the unplanned. His name is Rory, he is 35, and he does something in finance. She doesn’t know what he wants although it could be a mother’s love. Melanie believes he made contact because of her growing media profile. She wants Hannah to pay him off and would appreciate it if she can stop it from tipping into the six figures. Hannah wonders why she is asking her to do it. Melanie knows all about her affairs and the fact that she doesn’t want the details getting out. She says they all need a lawyer when they don’t have the strength to fight for themselves. Hannah asks if that is how she hooked Nathan in. Melanie blurts out that Nathan has his doubts so it is up to her to make sure he gets what he deserves.

She thinks that would be a chance to start a new life and Hannah would want that too. It can sometimes be an expensive reset on a marriage that still has life, but he doesn’t think Nathan and Hannah fit into that category. Melanie questions whether she should pay for one ill-judged night for the rest of her life. Christie thanks Nathan for coming. He says they’ve been tracking this man for several weeks and need to issue divorce and financial proceedings. Nathan realizes they need a freezing injunction to protect anyone else involved. He is surprised to find that they’re Zander’s accounts and the ex is Tyler. Christie makes it clear that they can’t let this get out.

Nathan believes he can get a position statement by four if he gets the brief by noon. Once they stop talking about business, Nathan says he can’t do this because Christie broke up his marriage. Christie refuses to accept all the responsibility. He congratulates Nathan while Nathan tells him he won. He encourages Christie not to mess it up with Hannah who is too good for him. When Christie reminds him he is the one who got to have kids, Nathan asks whether he would’ve stuck around if he had kids with Hannah. Christie says he got a life with her and he thinks he should get one now. Nathan says he’ll get the work done by the end of play as he walks away. Liv (Elizabeth Roberts) asks Gael (Alex Guersman) how long he is going to be like this.

He reminds her that he left everything for her and is staying with her weird, crazy family for her. He is doing all this for her, yet she gets drunk and ticks him off. He doesn’t care about the douche with the guitar and only cares that she made him feel like crap. Gael says she’ll have to make a life without her family at some point. She’ll love someone as much as them although he doesn’t know if that will be him. He goes inside. When Rose comes out, she finds Liv trying. She motions for Tilly (Mollie Cowen) and Vinnie (Toby Oliver) to go away. Tyler tells Nina he is meeting with Zander later and will tell him over dinner tonight.

He’ll come to her house tonight if he can, but he needs to make sure Zander is going to be okay. Tyler is going to be honest by saying he wants to start the rest of his life. They admit they’re scared. Tyler offers to transfer the full amount, but Nina wants to do 50/50 and promises to transfer her share tonight. Nina reveals she is going to leave her letter of resignation on Zander’s desk later tonight. When she returns to her office, she struggles to write the letter. Seconds later, Zander approaches Felix and tells him to get a grip because it is going to be okay. The meeting begins as Hannah says the psychologist’s report was not fair. JJ says it means Leni isn’t being as honest as she could be. He argues that it demonstrates that Leni has been distracted as of late.

He mentions the three trips to Switzerland taken between March of last year. Felix gets upset and asks her to at least lie. He reveals he had a call from a concerned Martin last night and learned that she resigned. It doesn’t make any sense because she loves surgery. Felix reminds her he loves her and they just celebrated 20 years together a few months ago. She has executed her exit with precision to ensure she isn’t asking for anything. JJ wonders how she is going to live with little money besides her pension, but Hannah argues that the question is irrelevant. Felix questions whether it is because she doesn’t love him anymore. He gets upset and asks JJ to just tell him what he needs to sign.

Later, Hannah asks Leni about resigning. She says it is magical to be able to give people back the chance of life when all hope is gone. You sometimes have to accept that you can’t do something anymore. Leni says Hannah was right so she decided to resign. It is getting too hard to hide because of the weakness in his hands, muscle cramps, and twitches. Hannah asks her about the trips to Zurich and whether this is about controlling the end of her life. It is preemptive strikes to secure the futures of her kids and Felix. She is visiting a clinic. Leni confesses she has hidden it for as long as she can and can’t hide the rapid decline. When Zander overhears that, Leni tells him she isn’t going to be like their father.

She can’t let the disease take her like it did him with people watching while she gasps for breath. Leni can’t do that to Zander, Felix, or the boys. When Zander finds out about the trips to a clinic in Zurich, he tells her she still has a life to live. Not for her. Leni knows exactly what she wants. Later, Hannah tells Zander she knew about the illness since Leni first visited her, but she didn’t know about her decision to end her life. His father used to say that a man who can keep a secret is wise although he is not as wise as the man with no secrets to keep. He believes they all have secrets. When Tyler interrupts, Zander tells him he’ll be another hour. Tyler asks Hannah about going camping since he heard about it from Nina. Zander gets mad and says he doesn’t care after Tyler asks about getting takeout.

Once Tyler leaves, Hannah checks on Zander to see if he is okay. Rose shows up at Glen’s house to babysit. As she helps him get ready, Glen is worried that this is a mistake. She gives him advice and suggests she’ll love him already because he is a pushover. When the kids run in, Rose tells Glen to go and have fun. Once Ruth returns, she finds that Ronnie has prepared the camping van for the family. Ruth finally breaks and tells him she can’t do this because she is too old and it is too late. She apologizes but says she can’t marry him. Nina catches up with Hannah to say she knows she walks in her shadow and doesn’t impress her, but she has to let her do this. Nina leaves after telling her she left her letter of resignation on Zander’s desk.

Christie calls Hannah to ask her for another night. He says Nathan is starting a new life and she can by moving to New York with him. He asks her to sell her house, buy a new house, and start a new life with him. Christie doesn’t want to waste any more time. She has to go because she has drinks with a client although she agrees to see him later. Hannah meets with Melanie’s son Rory. Hannah gives him the money that is supposed to make up for any harm he may have experienced. Rory (Benjamin Wainwright) admits there was a genuine interest to know his mother. It is a pity she doesn’t want to know anything about him since she is a grandmother. Rory wanted to thank her for giving him away because his parents are amazing.

It was just the last piece of the puzzle he was trying to put into place. Hannah tells him it is on them as he looks and sees Melanie nearby. Rory promises not to bother her again. When Rory leaves, Melanie joins Hannah and looks at the picture of her grandsons. She tells Hannah about the paparazzi by the door so she believes Rory sold her out to the press. Meanwhile, Tyler asks Zander if he is ready again. Zander tells him about the meeting between Leni and Felix. He thinks it is some type of affair that happened at work. When you look at that person and imagine spending your life with them, you just can’t. Tyler says this isn’t their fault and their relationship was crazy. He overcommits and overpromises but thought it would be different with Zander.

Zander tells him he has one hour to go to the apartment and pack while threatening to call security if he takes anything from the office. Tyler is asked whether he has been to a meeting lately or whether he is messing with Nina’s sobriety too. Zander admits he might’ve known from the start that Tyler would do this. When Tyler says he loves her, Zander genuinely believes he thinks that. Zander gives him one hour or he’ll call the police and tell Nina and everyone else everything. He reveals their joint accounts have been closed and he won’t be able to access Zander’s credit cards. Zander screams for him to get out. When he leaves, Zander finds the resignation letter on his desk.

He doesn’t open the envelope. Christie admits he wasn’t sure he was meant to have kids. Hannah should’ve told him and given him a chance. He discusses the possibility of starting over again. When Glen makes it back, he wakes up Rose and tells her that he actually likes French films. She reveals she got a letter from the wife of the guy who got James’s heart and she hates that there is a person with his heart. She knows she should be grateful, but she doesn’t know how to live her new life. He tells her that you just have to accept it as it comes. Glen confesses he has bad days when he rages at his wife for not being there. He accepts that missing her and loss are a part of life.

He tells her about the mural in Postman’s Park for those who gave their lives to save others. He recommends seeing it before removing the heart sticker from her cheek. Christie and Hannah talk about old times while Ruth looks outside where Ronnie is hanging out in the camper van. Once Tyler shows up at Nina’s place, he says he thinks Zander took it really well. While they make out, Leni has to comfort Zander. Hannah and Christie talk about the possibility of moving to New York where they can talk all night and nobody would care. Nathan eats alone. Before Christie leaves, he encourages Hannah to think about coming to New York.

 

The Split Review

Although it had a slightly slow start, The Split has had an eventful final season so far. A lot has happened through four episodes and I expect big revelations in those remaining. Some characters are going to have happy endings while others will not. More heartbreak is likely ahead as Zander and Nina grapple with Tyler’s deceit. The camping trip could stir up emotions with Ruth refusing to marry Ronnie.

The episode had some powerful scenes especially when Zander finally lashed out at Tyler and Zander learned about his sister’s condition. We also learned that Leni is contemplating suicide to remain in control of her life and death. The episode scores a 7.5 out of 10. Recaps of The Split are available on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support us here.