Every Year After Season 1 Episode 3 Recap – Episode 3 opens in 2013, and we’re immediately pulled back into Percy’s world as she sits down to write a story while thinking about Sam. There’s this quiet, lingering sense that Sam is always in her thoughts, even when she’s trying to focus on something else. That same summer energy carries through as Percy, Sam, and Charlie spend their days swimming at the lake. It feels light on the surface, but underneath it, things are already complicated. Delilah pushes Percy to make a move on Sam now that he’s “hot,” while Charlie is doing the exact opposite with Sam, urging him to finally go after Percy. The irony is obvious, but both Percy and Sam shut it down, insisting they don’t want to risk their friendship.
In the present day, things shift into something more emotionally grounded when Sam asks Percy for help writing Sue’s obituary. She helps him organize his thoughts, gently guiding him through memories of his mother. Sam mentions that Taylor is away for work, and Percy admits she feels intimidated by her. She even downplays her own job, but Sam pushes back, telling her she actually helps grieving families put their feelings into words. It’s one of those small moments where Percy doesn’t fully see her own value, but someone else does.
Charlie eventually walks in on them and immediately asks what’s going on. Once he learns about the obituary, he doesn’t stick around long enough to share anything personal about Sue. After he leaves, Sam suggests that Charlie is avoiding his own feelings. Percy follows Charlie out soon after, leaving Sam to continue on his own.
Meanwhile, Jordie and Delilah are out golfing together. Delilah apologizes for being rude to him earlier and opens up about her marriage, revealing that Whit is considering a separation. She admits she doesn’t really know who she is outside of that relationship. Jordie tries to ground her, telling her she deserves better than being stuck in that emotional limbo.
Charlie later returns from a run and talks to Sam about Percy. He regrets inviting her to the memorial and warns Sam to be careful with how close things are getting. Sam doesn’t take it well, and the tension between them surfaces again. Charlie insists that Sam should leave the past where it belongs, but it clearly doesn’t sit easily with either of them.
Elsewhere, Chantal is preparing to head home and asks Percy to answer a call from her mother. Percy brings up Sam, saying things are getting better between them. Chantal quickly reminds her that Sam already has a girlfriend. Then comes a complication, Chantal’s passport is expired, meaning she’s stuck in Canada. Frustrated, she asks Percy to get Charlie’s help.
We then jump back to 2013 again. A storm knocks out the power in Barry’s Bay, and Percy ends up alone watching a horror movie. Freaked out, she goes to Sam’s house for comfort. He lets her in, gives her dry clothes, and even lets her sleep in his bed while he takes the floor. It’s a soft, quiet moment that says more than either of them are willing to admit at the time.
Back in the present, Charlie and Delilah are hooking up at the restaurant when Chantal suddenly interrupts them and asks for Charlie’s help. Delilah ends things abruptly and wants Charlie to take her away from the situation. During their drive, Charlie vents about Drew and his frustrations at home, including his mother refusing to replace his broken truck. Chantal suggests calling a tow truck, but Charlie refuses and insists on fixing it himself.
At the same time, Percy shows Sam the obituary she’s helped shape. He pulls her into a hug, and there’s a brief moment of closeness before he pulls away again. Percy decides to go swimming and Sam suggests she use the pier at his house and even tells her to change in his room.
That triggers another flashback. Percy remembers a night when Sam let her sleep in his bed, and she even asked him to sleep beside her. The next morning, things turned awkward when Charlie saw her leaving Sam’s room. He teased them, but Sam immediately shut down the idea of anything romantic with Percy. That rejection clearly stings, and Percy walks away hurt.
In the present again, Percy and Sam go swimming and race to a raft. While talking, Sam mentions he’s preparing pierogies for the memorial service. Percy says Sue taught her how to make them and offers to help him that night, tying their shared memories together in a quiet way.
Meanwhile, Charlie’s truck breaks down, leaving him stuck and frustrated. He vents again about his situation at home, while Chantal pushes for practical solutions. Charlie, though, is determined to handle it himself.
Another flashback takes us to a bonfire night in 2013. Percy and Delilah get ready together, with Delilah dressing up and even putting lipstick on Percy. At the bonfire, Sam introduces Percy and Delilah to Jordie, who makes a comment about Percy eating too many pierogies, which embarrasses her. Delilah and Jordie hit it off quickly, while she later loses interest in him once she spots Charlie. Charlie, meanwhile, spends the night with another girl, which leaves Delilah disappointed.
The emotional tension between Percy and Sam rises as well. Sam mentions bringing another girl to spring fling, which makes Percy jealous. In response, she kisses someone else at the bonfire while Sam watches.
The next morning, they sit together on the pier and talk about it. Sam admits he felt jealous and confesses he’s afraid of losing their friendship. Percy promises him she’ll never let that happen.
Back in the present, Percy shows up at the restaurant in a sundress to cook pierogies with Sam. He compliments her and helps tie her apron, and there’s a brief sense of closeness again before Delilah interrupts them.
After Percy leaves, Delilah warns Sam about Taylor. Sam admits something honest—whenever Percy is around, he forgets everything else in his life. The episode closes with Percy calling Chantal in tears after Sue’s lawyer tells her she needs to attend the reading of the will the next morning.
Episode Review
Every Year After Season 1 Episode 3 leans heavily into emotional history, constantly shifting between past and present to show how deeply tangled Percy and Sam’s connection really is. The structure works well for building context, especially the way childhood and early adulthood moments mirror what they’re still struggling with now.
That said, I do feel the chemistry between Percy and Sam doesn’t always land the way the story wants it to. There are a lot of moments meant to feel charged or intimate, but they often come off more awkward than electric. The emotional distance between them sometimes overshadows the romantic tension the series is trying to build.
Chantal continues to be a strong presence, though she’s starting to feel like she’s in conflict with everyone around her all the time. Delilah is also written in a way that makes her hard to fully settle into, especially with how she moves between different relationships and situations without much grounding in her own emotional consistency.
What does work better is the gradual buildup toward the will reading. The episode ends on a heavier note, and it feels like things are finally shifting into a more high-stakes direction for Percy and everyone connected to Sam’s family.
Every Year After Season 1 Episode 2 | Every Year After Season 1 Episode 4
