Love Hurts: Season 4, Episode 3

WARNING: If you don't want to know what happened in this episode, don't read this photo recap! 

Fighting off a surprise attack from Pretzel Jack while he was in a "therapy pool," Tom goes running out the door and down the hall. Jack chases him and knocks him down, and they are soon in a tense fight with a very large knife inching ever closer to Tom's chest.

Mystery woman who is running mystery house with the sensory deprivation pool is clearly fatally injured by Pretzel Jack, but revives enough to get one shot out of her gun and injures Pretzel Jack. Despite his new chest wound, Tom leaps up and runs off. PJ is injured, and does some terrifying twists to right himself. (So gross and bendy and cracky - these moves are viscerally disturbing and skin-crawly creepy.

Tom, only in his underwear, tears out of the house and dashes into mystery woman's car. He is not sure how to drive it, and Pretzel Jack is chasing him. After terrible delay, he guns it in reverse down the driveway and is immediately hit by another car. Pretzel Jack observes the crash, and then retreats.

Neighbor Ian drives a distressed Jill to the hospital to visit Tom, now with a large band-aid on his chest wound. Ian quickly leaves, and Tom and Jill discuss his secret therapy pool sessions. She is wondering what he is hiding. Then the cops show up, and are wondering the same. They believe that Tom was the target, and fill in the blanks on mystery woman -- turns out she was a doula named Vanessa and her practice is only word-of-mouth. How did Tom hear about it? Sarah Winters, of course...

They head back home, and Jill tells Tom she believes that Pretzel Jack is there to protect her. That she created him as a child and that he became real after her Dad left the family. She shows Tom the husk of Pretzel Jack that she recovered from her childhood closet -- the old Pretzel Jack who came to her as a child.

Tom holds firm to the idea that his attacker was a maniac in a mask. Jill is sure it is Pretzel Jack and that he is real. He asks why Pretzel Jack would try to kill him, so Jill says that she knows he is keeping secrets. She knows about the kid and she is angry about it. Pretzel Jack begins to emerge from under a neighbor's porch as their argument intensifies.

Tom finally reveals the truth of his relationship with Sarah Winters. They were together before he got back together with Jill, and Sarah was cheating. Her husband believes that the baby they share is his and does not know about Tom. Jill is spiraling and sad and furious all at once, and Pretzel Jack begins charging his way through the neighborhood.

Jill and Tom are at her therapist's office. They had separated on bad terms, but he agrees to recommend a trauma counselor and marriage counselor. He clearly does not believe in Pretzel Jack, but wants to talk about Jill's imaginary friend. As he goes into the meaning of love, Jill gets frustrated and can't believe that they aren't talking about the real issue: Pretzel Jack and that he is real. Both Tom and the therapist do not believe that he is real, and she is not having it.

After hearing a noise in the hallway, Jill's therapist opens the door to his office to prove that Pretzel Jack is not real. Enter: Pretzel Jack. The therapist confronts him as if he is not real. And then the therapist is killed by Pretzel Jack. Run!

Neighbor Ian mysteriously shows up in his car shouting "Get in!" just as Jill and Tom are sprinting down the stairs from the therapist's office. Pretzel Jack is in pursuit as they drive away, fast. (How did Ian know? Did he see Pretzel Jack in the neighborhood?) They head back to Ian's house -- he wants to talk creepy talk.

Ian has weird-neighbor insights, and secrets. He believes Jill, because he has the same abilities as her. He tells Jill to stay calm so as not to call Jack to her. Ian also has "secret doors" and calls Jack her emotional defense system. Tom is skeptical. Ian has a freaky skull to share at show and tell. (Unclear how it's related, but 100 points for scary skull.)

Ian confesses to excitement that he thought he was alone in the world and now has Jill -- that they have a similar ability. Ian wants to do a real demo on how to defeat the manifestation. Pretzel Jack does not need to be killed, he can be controlled. And says that he knows they can create other things -- anything. At Jill's request, he goes into a trance and creates a cat. Why yes, it does come out of a door in the wall. (Not blue with handprint, apparently Ian prefers a more classic feel and his door is in a traditional wood grain.)

The result of Ian's convulsions and manifestation is a kinda damaged looking, patchy-furred cat. He emerges from the small wood door that Ian created. What fresh hell is this? The silver lining? Tom is now a believer.

Ian once again says that Jill can control her manifestation of Pretzel Jack. He suggests that she draw out PJ and trap him. So Tom is bait. Next step: An improvised therapy session in the original room that Jill and Tom discovered where they try to lure contortionist crazy.

Tom details his relationship with Sarah, and his yearning to be in his son's life makes Jill angry and emotional. She is so justifiably pissed right now, and Tom is barely apologetic. Bring on Pretzel Jack!

Tom leaves the argument and as he is walking up the top of the winding stairs, we see Pretzel Jack heading down. She weirdly takes a call from her dad, and Pretzel Jack comes running to her. Jill and PJ have a horrifying reunion, while creepy neighbor Ian watches and coaches them through it. Holy gross, PJ and Jill lovingly hug. Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!