S4E5 — "What a Long Strange Trip It's Been"

Air date: May 17, 2026 · Director: Jack Bender · Writer: John Griffin & Brigitte Hales

Synopsis

As the hallucinogenic mushrooms begin affecting Jade Herrera, he asks Boyd Stevens to help him separate visions from physical reality — a request born of the fear that he can no longer trust what he sees. Meanwhile, the foraging group that spotted something in the lake in S4E4 retrieves enormous straw dolls from the water. The dolls, unnerving and unexplained, are brought to shore only to be returned to the lake as a precaution; the residents decide whatever they are, they do not want them near town.

Jade, deeper under the mushrooms' influence, drinks blood from a skull to recover his memories. The visions come: he sees previous incarnations of himself, and learns that each of them was killed by residents after discovering his connection to the children. He also finds a tunnel leading to the place where the children were sacrificed — the site of the original crime at the heart of the town — and comes to believe he now knows how to save them. Henry Kavanaugh, meanwhile, breaks down after learning the truth about Miranda's death from Victor in S4E4, finally confronting the decades-old grief he has carried.

Marielle Sinclair relives her dungeon experience through vivid visions — the music box, the chains, the entity that claimed three sleepers in season two — and fears that something ancient will never release them, even after death. Her terror points to the possibility that the town's grasp extends beyond the living. Tabitha Matthews, for her part, remembers the truth behind the dolls: they belonged to a girl — one of her past incarnations — and were thrown into the lake by a man whose nightmares brought them to life. The recollection arrives too late to prevent disaster: the dolls attack the group, killing Roger. Tabitha recalls how to destroy them — a sharpened totem — and uses it to save Donna Raines from the same fate.

Key Events

Jade, affected by the mushrooms, asks Boyd to help him distinguish visions from reality.
The foraging group retrieves the enormous straw dolls from the lake, then returns them as a precaution.
Jade drinks blood from a skull, sees his previous incarnations, and learns they were killed by residents who discovered his connection to the children.
Jade finds a tunnel leading to the place where the children were sacrificed and believes he knows how to save them.
Henry breaks down after learning the truth about Miranda's death.
Marielle relives her dungeon experience in vivid visions, fearing something ancient will never release them even after death.
Tabitha remembers the dolls belonged to a girl — one of her past incarnations — thrown into the lake by a man whose nightmares brought them to life.
The dolls attack the group and kill Roger; Tabitha kills them with a sharpened totem, saving Donna.

Characters

New Information / Reveals

Jade's past incarnations were systematically killed by residents once their connection to the children was discovered — the town has a history of silencing those who get close to the truth.
The children were sacrificed in a specific place, and Jade finds the tunnel leading to it, strengthening his conviction that he knows how to save them.
The straw dolls were born from a man's nightmares — they are fear made real — and belonged to a girl who was one of Tabitha's past incarnations.
The dolls can be destroyed with a sharpened totem, a weakness Tabitha recalls from her past life.
Marielle's visions suggest the town's hold may persist after death, foreshadowing the reanimation to come.

Locations

The lake — where the straw dolls are found
The settlement by the lake
The tunnel to the children's sacrifice site
The forest (Jade's vision quest)

Deaths

Roger — killed by the straw dolls during their attack on the foraging group. His body will later be reanimated by Sophia in S4E7.