Warning: This review of episode 4 of Disclaimer will contain spoilers.

I’m not sure if it’s better or worse for Catherine (Cate Blanchett) that her time with Jonathan (Louis Partridge), which we see more of in “IV”, was simply a casual fling, rather than a case of star-crossed lovers who simply met at the wrong phase of their lives. I get the sense that younger Catherine (Leila George) saw it as nothing more than a one-time thing that was never meant to leave Italy, or which she would ever really think about again – and that’s even before she has the argument with Jonathan on the subject. Maybe that’s why she’s so desperate to get back into Robert’s (Sacha Baron Cohen) good graces.

The middle of any limited series or ongoing TV series typically moves a little slower, but Disclaimer episode 4 still contains pockets of wisdom. If nothing else, it shows how utterly reckless Catherine was in her desire for Jonathan. Not only does the episode open with her in the throes of loud, passionate sex while her son is asleep in the next room, followed by equally loud sex on the beach where any number of unsavory things could have happened to Nicholas.

The present-day events of “IV” are much more invigorating, showing how the past is slowly eating away and killing those affected. A lot of the episode’s first half follows Robert as he’s psychologically tortured, unable to get his mind off of what he’s learned. On the other side of town, we have Stephen (Kevin Kline) and Nancy (Lesley Manville), and her descent after Jonathan’s death. Manville and Cohen are expectedly fantastic as they externalize and internalize their griefs, respectively.

At least we finally know definitively how Jonathan died, after rescuing Nicholas while adrift in the ocean. Cuarón films the extended scene with the energy of an action thriller, first building towards Nicholas’s rescue, then showing Jonathan’s death, and Catherine’s layered reaction. It’s in these moments where I gained a new appreciation for George’s performance; until then, she had mostly just been a sexpot for Jonathan to lust after. But when we see her watching the futile rescue attempt, it’s unclear whether she wants the lifeguards to save him or not. If he lives, maybe she can entertain the idea of a life together with him, as he proposes. If not, she can wash her hands clean and walk away, without anyone knowing of their relationship.

It’s kind of a shame because I wonder, now that episode 4 has essentially wrapped up the past storyline, how much more we’ll see of Leila George. Stephen hints that he’s moving on to a second phase of his plan for revenge, so more twists and turns are surely in store. And now that Catherine knows that he frequents the local bookstore she visits, it’s only a matter of time before they cross paths in person. Now, with one half of the storyline (presumably) wrapped up and one less mystery to solve, as we head into the second half of Disclaimer, I remain intrigued to see how Cuarón can sustain tension in the present to the finish line.