The Dollhouse

In 1952, Darby goes to Carnegie Hall to find Esme at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where Esme claimed to have been accepted after an audition. A staff member cruelly informs her that not only was Esme actually rejected from the Academy because of her accent, but her audacity to audition was also so preposterous that they all still remember her. 

Darby returns to the Barbizon and finds Sam waiting. Sam reveals that they are in grave danger, showing her a newspaper article that exposes Esme as a police informant against a heroin operation run by Benny Kalai. Kalai believes that Sam was also involved and now wants him killed. At Sam’s father’s urging, Sam is fleeing the city. He tells Darby that he loves her and asks her to escape with him to California. Darby agrees but insists on finding Esme first to say goodbye. They plan to meet at Grand Central Station in two hours.

In 2016, outside the Barbizon, Rose and Jason have a tense encounter with Griff and Connie. Back in the apartment, Rose confesses to Jason that she has been snooping through the owner’s belongings, that she is not staying there with Darby’s permission, and that her investigation into the Barbizon residents is hopelessly tainted with unethical journalistic behavior.