Boy Swallows Universe episode 3 might have a slower pace than the previous two, but there's still plenty of drama as the boys are sent to live with their biological father.
Following the fallout at the Bell home which resulted in Lyle being kidnapped, Eli getting his finger chopped off, and Frances getting arrested to protect the family, life has only gotten more chaotic.
Most of the episode sees Eli coming to terms with what has happened while in hospital, before breaking out and making some desperate attempts to help his family, to no avail. He reunites with Gus and his father, but his mind is definitely preoccupied.
Here's what happened in Boy Swallows Universe episode 3...
Family reunions
By the time we pick up with the Bells in episode 3, we start to learn a little more about what happened when Ivan and his goons broke into their home and threatened Lyle, attacking Eli and cutting off his finger.
Eli is rushed to the hospital following what happened to his finger, and he drifts back into his fantasy world again, featuring the same car and galaxy scene that keeps flowing through the episodes.
Slim comes to visit him in the hospital and gives him some water, welcoming him back to the “real world”. He reveals that Frances is likely going to prison, having invented a story to protect Eli and Gus. Eli asks how long she’d be away for, and he estimated 4 to 5 years. Eli starts crying and says he should be in prison for helping Lyle, who is missing and presumed dead.
Eli breaks down and says he’s going to tell the police everything he knows about the drug ring, and Slim tells him to calm down and keep his mouth shut because it’s for his own good. He says the police are in on it and Eli should be careful what he says.
Eli and Gus are placed back with their biological father, Robert, which Eli is furious about as they barely know their father. While Eli recovers, that’s where Gus is, and he seems keen to get out of the hospital and reunite with his family.
While Eli spends time in the hospital, he meets Christopher, a boy with brain cancer, who helps him escape. He visits the emergency tunnel at home to look for Lyle’s stash but it has been taken. The red phone rings and Eli answers. The anonymous voice warns him about what he’s doing but doesn’t give Eli much indication of who they are.
Later, Eli visits Darren's mother, Bich Dang, who is furious about Lyle ruining her reputation but doesn’t know where he is and is no help, so he leaves. After that, he reunites with Gus and is happy to see he is still talking, after such a long time being a selective mute. He reveals he’s been with Robert for a couple of days, and warns Eli that he’s been drinking and to be careful when he goes inside.
Eli attempts to talk to his father who is brandishing a weapon and singing. He turns off the stereo and tries to introduce himself, but Robert swears at him and lunges for him, with Gus in the background telling him that it’s his son. Eventually Robert crashes to the floor and falls asleep, completely out of it, and Gus attempts to reassure his brother that he’s “quite sweet when he’s sober”. They drag him into the bedroom so he can rest properly.
Robert’s house is a mess and there’s nothing good to eat, so Gus gives Eli a candy bar to tide him over. Gus confesses that he thinks Lyle has been killed, and Eli tells him that they can’t give up on him and they need to keep trying to help.
At a loss, Eli goes to talk to journalist Caitlyn Spies at the local paper and plans to come clean about the entire operation, but he backs away she reveals that a severed tattooed leg has washed up on the beach. But whose is it?
