Every Year After season 1, episode 2 finds Percy, Sam, and Charlie coming face-to-face after ten years of no contact after a massive mistake. Despite everything, Barry’s Bay is still home to the guys and a second home to Percy. Their lives may be different, but old memories are surfacing every minute Percy is back at the lake. They may be adults and years away from the beginning. They’ll always be those teenagers at heart.
Grief
Just as Percy was starting to find closure with Sam, a new obstacle entered the building. Percy meets Sam’s girlfriend at the end of episode 1, but this doesn’t stop her from escaping her problems at the Tavern. A place where she may run into Sam or Charlie.
Later that night, Percy grapples with the different forms of grief in her life - the grief of losing someone to death, a relationship ending, and a secret dream ending. Writing isn’t even comforting her heart. She chooses to escape at the bottom of a bottle. She runs into a restless Sam while she’s “breaking and entering” the Tavern after closing.
To clear the awkwardness, they make jokes about Sue never fixing that window, allowing Percy to still slip in after hours. They sit at the bar sharing three updates like they did in summer 2012. I love how their teen updates are somewhat similar to their adult ones with Sam wanting to know more about Percy’s writing. I hope it reminds her that he does still know her. Even though he shoots down her writing the obituary, he’s proud of her writing even after all these years. After many updates, Sam calls it a night. It looks like he’s going to say something else, but he decides to make sure Percy remembers how to lock up.
Percy confesses to Chantal that she wishes she could be more to Sam. Not in a romantic way, but how they used to be. As teens they were touchstones for each other. Now they are further apart than ever. So wanting to be there for her, she offers Deliah her help with the memorial. Being protective of the guys, Delilah warns her to not upset the guys with all they’ve been through. She thinks Percy has a funny way of showing her love (no contact for ten years), backpedals, and says it isn’t her business. Oh Deliah, we see right through your lies.
The Tavern
Turns out, Sue was a bit of a pack rat when it came to keeping things from the Tavern over the years. As Sam is going through boxes of all papers, Charlie keeps reminding him they’ll never get a good price with the shape the Tavern is in. Sam shuts the pricing conversation down. Charlie pivots and reminds him they at least need to get it ready for the memorial tomorrow. Sam doesn’t want to handle the inside, but Charlie’s yell brings him to the leaking cooler. Props to Sam for reminding Charlie that he didn’t have a minute between Sue’s chemo treatments and care to renovate the Tavern. Of course, Charlie complains that he does it all as Sam walks away.
Charlie gripes to Deliah about Sam letting the Tavern’s problems get so bad. With a how-to-do video watched, he goes to try and mend the issues. He has to shush Deliah, who almost lets Sam hear that she’s already putting a price on the Tavern because it is being sold to her. Sam doesn’t know their plans and can’t know yet. Charlie counters her slip by telling her to get practice running the Tavern by getting ice so the food for the memorial won’t spoil.
Delilah says that’s below her pay grade but knows the perfect entry-level person to take on the job. Percy is carrying two heavy ice bags when Sam comes driving up the road. They reminisce about knowing so much about each other as Sam updates her about his residency and schooling.
Percy finds some old gems in the middle console. They jam out to a mix CD they made for Sue’s 40th when they’re stopped by construction. After their awkward “Twilight touching hands accidentally” moment, they arrive at the Tavern, almost catching Deliah and Charlie making out. They quickly part ways again.
Percy drops by the guys’ house for a photo album for the memorial. She runs into Taylor, who’s decluttering the house. Taylor takes her downstairs, and Percy’s hit with all the memories she created in the basement with Sam. Especially when Taylor tells her Sam won’t let her take the DVD box away. It hurts to see Percy not tell Taylor why Sam doesn’t want to get rid of it. But how do you tell your ex-best friend’s girlfriend that you used to watch movies with her boyfriend and then fell in love?
Sam may be holding onto memories of him and Percy, while she’s also remembering their time together. But he's also looking to the future. While looking in Sam’s room, Percy finds a ring tucked away on his shelf. This leads to a regretful panic call with her mom, who tells her the guys are toxic. Then Sam drops by unannounced and brightens her night.
Summer 2012
A year later, Sam and Percy fall back into their routine by the lake easily in summer 2012. Another year older and starting their three updates tradition. After lying on the dock chatting, they sit in the lounge chairs, promising each other they’ll be friends forever. I love that they still wear their friendship bracelets, even swearing on them with their forever promises and dreams of their future. Sadly, we know there was a breach with that promise, but even so, what once was will happen again if it is meant to.
Percy finally lets Sam read her writing, and she immediately thinks he hates it. He encourages her to enter the writing contest because her story, Young Blood, is that good. He thinks she’ll win since her writing is so amazing. That right there is the best response to a young writer.
Sam worries that Deliah coming to Barry’s Bay will change everything. She may be nice now (remember she was a mean girl a year ago), but she’s still Deliah. Being the girl she is, she wastes no time letting Percy know she’s hanging out with two cute brothers. Charlie definitely notices Deliah as Percy and her walk by. Their older counterparts are still annoying each other to this day thanks to Percy bringing Deliah to the lake.
Through a game of spin the bottle (remote), Delilah stirs the pot. More like stirs the feelings of Percy and Sam until things are a little weird. Percy and Charlie almost kiss because of the dare since Sam won’t take the dare. He is just kidding, but no offense, and maybe give it a few years. This move makes Sam run away, probably hurt and embarrassed. We know from flashbacks, it takes a few years for them to admit their feelings. I bet this moment was hard for both of them.
It affects their movie time the next time they are alone in the basement. Especially when everything feels like it’s changing when Percy admits to Sue she got her period. With it being her first one, she was unprepared, scared, and emotional. Sue talked her through it as she let Percy cry and burrow into a pair of shorts.
The next morning, Percy comes to say goodbye to Sam. She’s leaving a day early because her mom’s got a work thing. They plan to watch The Shining next time. They swear on their friendship bracelets that they are okay. My heart does a little leap for them.
Stream all episodes of Every Year After on Prime Video now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google