Memory Play

## Episode guide

"**Memory Play**" is the fifth episode of the first season of *Melodrama* and the fifth episode of the series overall. It was released on September 18, 2020.

## Synopsis

Dina is haunted by recollections of her disastrous sophomore year, while Jude goes on the hunt for her younger sister in the present. Walter grows suspicious of his father's behavior.

## Plot

Jude wakes up to the sound of Ilana and Daniel questioning Dina’s whereabouts. Ilana barges into her room and asks Jude where Dina is, pointing to the missing Wonderdown ticket as proof that Jude let Dina sneak off. Daniel berates her for being an irresponsible sister. When Jude calls him a bully, he threatens to hit her but instead tells her she should be ashamed of herself before walking off, Ilana following after him in silence.

Manwhile, Walter drops Ty off at his place. Ty invites Walter inside to meet his mother, but Walter rejects the offer. When Dina wakes up, she is greeted by Gus, who offers to make her breakfast. As he prepares eggs, he asks Dina how she's been since her suicide attempt in sophomore year, and Dina admits it's been hard to find motivation for things since starting the new school year. A flashback shows Daniel encouraging a bubbly, 10-year-old Dina over breakfast as she prepares for cello lessons.

Jude drives to Addie’s house, where she briefly chats with Addie’s parents, Jenny and Matthieu, before Addie comes to the door. Jude asks if she knows where Dina is, but Addie hasn’t seen her. Before Jude leaves, Addie thanks her again for the emotional support and asks if there’s anything she can do in return. Jude suggests she try to mend her friendship with Dina.

Dina watches TV from the living room couch as Gus starts cleaning up the house, apologizing for the mess. Dina says it doesn’t bother her and imagines spend every day of her life lying on that couch like Gus in the depths of his chronic pain “but without the pain, until it all ended quietly”. A series of flashbacks begin with 10-year-old Dina at her first cello recital, with Daniel, Ilana and Jude cheering her on from the crowd. 13-year-old Dina, much more subdued than she was before, is seemingly unable to enjoy her bat mitzvah despite Jude's encouragements and her exasperated father’s pleas. He eventually becomes frustrated and slaps her, but immediately apologizes profusely while hugging her. At some point presumably during sophomore year, Dina overhears her parents talking about her through the walls of their home, Daniel insisting that something is wrong with her while Ilana brushes it off.

Walter returns home and is surprised by and suspicious of both Dina's presence and his father’s productive attitude. He asks Gus if he has a client later in the day, but his dad assures Walter he’s just in a good mood. Walter then asks if Gus is taking any substances, which Gus adamantly denies. Walter deescalates the situation when he notices his father getting agitated, affirming that he’s happy to see his father doing well before heading to his bedroom, typing a message on his phone as he does so.

Another series of flashbacks to sophomore year begin by showing Dina and Walter meeting and bonding in the guidance counselor’s waiting room. During lunch one day, Walter discloses a history of self-harm and Dina confesses that she struggles with suicidal thoughts. The two start hanging out at Walter’s house after school every day, where they drink Gus’s alcohol, watch movies and TV shows, listen to music and vent about their family lives. Walter admits to his frustration with his absentee mother, who walked out on the family just before the car crash that caused Gus’s back pain issues and subsequent addiction to painkillers. Dina admits to jealousy regarding Addie’s seemingly perfect life and family, which is a sharp contrast to her controlling father, passive mother and avoidant sister. In the present, Dina asks Walter if he thinks his father is abusing opiates again, and Walter tells her he never stopped. Dina wonders why Walter would ask his father about something he already knows, and Walter responds that it's not about him being right, but about Gus being honest. Walter then gets a text from Jude, who tells him she is parked outside of his house and waiting to pick up Dina.

As the sun sets, Dina says goodbye to Gus and hugs Walter, thanking him for letting her spend the day at his place. When she gets in Jude’s car, Jude warns her that their dad is “absolutely livid”, but the two briefly bond over both sneaking out. Jude apologizes for abandoning Dina and promises to be more genuinely supportive of Dina’s needs. She also advises that Dina try to reach out to Addie, who needs support that Jude cannot provide.

When the two arrive at their home, Daniel’s father immediately starts lecturing Dina about her recklessness. Eventually, he breaks down crying, hugs Dina, and tells her that he only ever wants her to be safe, happy and healthy. After some hesitance, Dina hugs him back. Two final flashbacks alternate between a 13-year-old Dina calling a suicide prevention hotline in a moment of distress and Walter in sophomore year contacting emergency services to report Dina’s attempted overdose.

## Cast

### Starring

* Chana Wilson as Dina Shulman
* Joshua Hollis as Walter Fleming
* Maya Levin as Jude Shulman
* Ralph McCowan as Ty Norton
* Nadia Orenstein as Ilana Shulman
* Constance Presley as Addie Nadeau
* Barry Reiss as Daniel Shulman

### Featuring

* Annie Copland as 10-year-old Dina Shulman
* Mina Hecht as 14-year-old Jude Shulman
* Adam Kassell as Matthieu Nadeau
* Lena Oldenburg as 11-year-old Jude Shulman
* Giselle Quinn as Jenny Nadeau
* Hannah Sherman as 13-year-old Dina Shulman
* Todd Andrew Wilson as Gus Fleming

## Trivia

* In this episode, Jude's full name is revealed to be Judith.