The penultimate episode of Apple TV+'s The Last Thing He Told Me, "When We Were Young", is a backslide due to the series' weekly drop model. This is due to the mystery/thriller genre being easier to build intrigue and retain watchers when suspense levels are consistent. If episodes dropped in batches or all at once, these slumps wouldn't exist. The amount of exposition in "When We Were Young" is necessary to make sense of the story. Owen's backstory and life pre-Hannah is highlighted, making him more interesting. Up until now, we had little time to get invested in his story outside of his relationship. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been underused in the limited series, but his scenes in "When We Were Young" paint a new light on the dynamic between him and his daughter. This interaction also changes Bailey's perception of her father and Hannah's perception of her husband. The Last Thing He Told Me Season 1 Episode 6 is cleverly laid out so that both women are getting Owen's back story, from different sources. Bailey's understanding comes from her aunt Andrea, while Hannah gets clued in on the reason for Owen's shadiness from law enforcement. The juxtaposition of Bailey's life being up in flames and Hannah's decision of what to do next is an appropriate juxtaposition for both of them. Learning about Owen's backstory, no matter who it is from, brings both of the women closer to the missing man. Knowing what Owen did to protect Bailey the first time influences Hannah's decision on how to protect her step-daughter moving forward. Nicholas Bell has an interesting introduction in The Last Thing He Told Me, where he helps his daughter and Ethan/Owen change her tire after getting a flat on a secluded Austin road. He gives off rich dad energy and keeps tabs on his daughter and her significant others, but also hits a bit at his "unethical" law practices. The most important details in The Last Thing He Told Me Season 1 Episode 4 are that the big bad guys aren't shown, rather it's the outer network that we have to look out for. Grady has become more and more important to the story, but some of the early scenes of him lurking around were unnecessary to the plot. Hannah digs deep enough to find out Owen's past wasn't lining up, and she would organically come back in contact with the US Marshall. This episode humanizes themselves for each other, and the random scene of Grady and his son in The Last Thing He Told Me Season 1 Episode 4 is to show that he has a family he wants to protect, the same way Hannah does. The Last Thing He Told Me has a number of moments where scenes seem randomly inserted or unnecessary until later. Unfortunately, waiting week over week is blurring those finer details. Hannah sneaks off on her own to confront Charlie again at The Never Dry, and now that she knows how much Owen sacrificed, she is determined to give Bailey a normal life. The cliffhanger of this penultimate episode isn't high stakes enough for the series' impending finale, but Hannah is determined to give Bailey a normal life.
