The Crowded Room episode 5 recap: Was Adam a real person?

The latest episode of the Apple TV+ miniseries The Crowded Room was released on Friday, June 23, 2023. Titled Savior, the episode was directed by Kornél Mundruczó and written by Akiva Goldsman. The story is focused on the interrogation of the two main characters Danny Sullivan and Rya Goodwin, which takes place after Danny commits a horrific crime. The series is based on a book called The Minds of Billy Milligan, which follows the life of real-life criminal Billy Milligan.

The latest episode of The Crowded Room saw Danny finally reveal some terrifying secrets. It saw Danny finally open up about his twin brother Adam. It was ultimately revealed that Adam was a manifestation of Danny and not a real person.

---

The Crowded Room episode 5 recap: Who had abused Danny?

Like most of the episodes, this episode too kicked off with Danny speaking to Rya. Danny explained to Rya how his twin brother Adam was before he went away to London to live with his father. He also explained how he used to get bullied and since his mother Candy couldn't help him, a counselor named Mr. Jones looked after him.

When Danny returned home he only spoke about the ghost house. Candy was working two jobs and Danny was feeling lonely without her mother so he asked her if he could join her to work. When Rya informed him that his mother wanted to meet him he got a little sentimental. Candy apparently took Danny with her to work but that didn't last long after a racist incident there scarred him.

Danny then talked about his stepfather Marlin, and how he and Candy met. Marlin used to work at a juvenile detention center and was good at handling kids. Danny gradually saw Marlin and his mom getting closer and he began feeling lonely once again. He felt like he was a third person in his and his mother's relationship. This is when he created a fictional personality named Adam.

This character was a lot tougher than Danny but when Mr. Jones was almost going to molest Danny, Adam didn't show up. It was Marlin who saved him from this situation. Danny explained that it was Adam who has called Marlin for help but he revealed in the end that it was Marlin who would s*xually harass him. That was when Danny would pretend that he was Adam.

Finally, Danny asked Rya what all of this had to do with him trying to shoot Marlin at the Rockefeller Center and Rya says nothing. Rya was trying to help him open his eyes to reality and Danny was trying to terminate his own abuser.

---

The Crowded Room synopsis

"A psychological thriller set in Manhattan in the summer of 1979, when a young man is arrested for a shocking crime—and an unlikely investigator must solve the mystery behind it," reads the official synopsis of The Crowded Room.

The Crowded Room lead actor Tom Holland explained how mentally draining it was to portray Danny Sullivan. He got so attached to his character that it was becoming hard for him to return to reality. He even considered shaving off his hair after its filming had concluded.

He said that he saw Danny in himself in his personal life and remembered having a meltdown at home and considering shaving his head to "get rid of this character."

"And, obviously, we were mid-shooting, so I decided not to… It was unlike anything I've ever experienced before," Holland added.

Apart from Tom Holland, The Crowded Room stars Amanda Seyfried, Emmy Rossum, Will Chase, Sasha Lane, Zachary Golinger, Christopher Abbott, Emma Laird, and several others.

The next episode of The Crowded Room is set to be released on Friday, June 30, 2023.