While it may never escape its Stranger Things comparisons, The Boroughs does set itself apart relatively well, particularly by virtue of its setting and its characters. We get an abundance of information about the eponymous retirement home here in episode 4, which kicks off with the same character who closed the previous chapter.
After eating the titular forbidden fruit that healed his hand with a touch, Art is now youthful in appearance and in vigor. We get frequent scenes of him reaping the fruits of his labor, along with sequences of Renee as she establishes boundaries with Paz.
Perhaps most important for Renee's story line in episode 4 is that discovers more about Hank, the head of security, by using the Find a Face app. It's revealed that he and Blaine Shaw, the CEO of The Boroughs, haven't aged in decades, and that Hank is actually a former prison warden by the name of Milton Hauser.
After being caught in the retirement home, Sam continues drawing attention from Shaw, who suggests the protagonist move into their special sector, implying he's losing his mind. Also revealing that Edward has allegedly died in his sleep, Shaw eventually lets Sam go, and the lead character reconvenes with Judy and Wally.
Surmising that the CEO is covering up the monster to avoid The Boroughs being closed, Sam continues his search for answers, with both Judy and Wally committing themselves to the journey. In fact, Wally did some research while Sam was being held and found out that the creature has been drinking their cerebrospinal fluid.
This revelation leads the trio to attract the creature with bait, so they extract some fluid from Sam and set their sights on what they know is a primary weakness: The light that radiates from old TV sets. This sends them to Sam's daughter Claire's house, where she confronts her father for not returning her calls.
Securing old TV sets, Sam and Judy return to Wally and prepare to lure the creature, with the plucky female of this dynamic trio also grabbing a gun. We then get a sequence of Renee visiting the son of Milton Hauser, and it's here that Blaine Shaw is revealed to be involved in whatever is going on with Hank the head of security.
They clearly have something to do with the creature that's haunting The Boroughs, as Paz finds Hank in a place called "The Basement" and gets himself knocked out after making a shocking discovery. It's then Art and the audience meet Anneliese, the wife of Blaine Shaw, and that particular plot point concludes with another cliffhanger.
The episode itself ends with the trio of Sam, Wally, and Judy finally confronting the creature. While they damage it with Judy's marksmanship, the creature makes an escape. It specifically hightails it through a passageway that's hidden in Sam's oven, which sets up a chase that should ensue in episode 5.
Entertaining through and through, episode 4 of The Boroughs granted some fascinating insight into the mysterious happenings of the titular retirement home. Stay tuned on Show Snob to see if episode 5 can capitalize on a wonderful midpoint twist.
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