‘Trying’ Season 5 Episode 4 Recap and Ending Explained: The Episode Just Made Scott’s Death Feel Terrifyingly Real

Apple TV’s beloved family comedy is halfway through its latest run, and episode four just gave fans a reason to panic about one of its most beloved characters. ‘Trying’ Season 5 has spent its first three episodes easing viewers back into Nikki and Jason’s chaotic world, but ‘The Hurricane’ arrived with a storm that feels bigger than the weather on screen.

The episode, which centers on Nikki and Jason’s ongoing family disruption, dropped on July 29, 2026, continuing the show’s steady weekly rollout on Apple TV. The premiere established that the fallout from Nikki’s lie continues, as Kat’s arrival threatens Nikki and Jason’s family dynamic, while the second episode found Nikki and Jason starting new chapters in their own lives. With that tension simmering, ‘The Hurricane’ promised to push things even further.

‘Trying’ Season 5 Episode 4 Recap Setup

Episode four, titled ‘The Hurricane,’ officially aired with the simple but loaded synopsis that a natural disaster brings the family together. That premise sounds straightforward on paper, but longtime viewers of ‘Trying’ know the show rarely plays its family crises for pure drama. Instead, the series tends to use big emotional swings as a backdrop for smaller, quieter character moments between its ensemble.

That approach has defined the season so far. Season 5 has largely shifted the tone of ‘Trying’ away from the anxious, high stakes storytelling that defined its earlier years, with Nikki’s anxiety over the emergence of Princess’ birth mother Kat all but wrapped up in the first episode. Given that shift, ‘The Hurricane’ seemed designed to test whether the show could still deliver a gut punch while keeping its lighter, more grounded energy intact.

Filming for the season has continued to lean on the show’s signature setting. Much of the season continues to be filmed in North London, with Camden Town serving as the backdrop for the family’s everyday life, including scenes around Camden High Street and Market. That familiar geography has kept ‘Trying’ feeling lived in even as the plot stakes rise around Nikki and Jason’s household.

‘Trying’ Season 5 Ending Explained Through Scott’s Storyline

The real tension heading into ‘The Hurricane’ had little to do with weather and everything to do with Darren Boyd’s Scott Filbert. The new season has constantly hinted that Scott might die, with the character returning in Season 5 even after the Season 4 cliffhanger. That cliffhanger loomed large over the episode’s release.

Fans have not forgotten how Season 4 left things. Karen convinced Scott to abandon his Atlantic rowing expedition, but he later appeared to lose control of his car while driving home, with the episode cutting to Scott rowing alone at sea and leaving viewers uncertain whether he survived the apparent accident, continued his journey, or whether the sequence carried a symbolic meaning. That ambiguity has hung over Scott’s every appearance since.

An exclusive clip shared by CBR ahead of the episode did nothing to calm those nerves. In the scene, Jason, Princess, and Tyler dig through a garage full of Scott’s belongings, including a Christmas album, a board game, a musical script, and even a poster from a stint running for public office. Princess remarks on how much stuff Scott has accumulated over the years, and while the character had not died at that point, the moment plays like unmistakable foreshadowing.

That kind of memorial style scene, sorting through a person’s belongings, has become a familiar shorthand across television for grief, and fans picked up on it immediately. Whether ‘The Hurricane’ ultimately confirms Scott’s fate or continues to dangle it a while longer, the episode has clearly leaned into the emotional weight of that unresolved thread rather than shying away from it.

The Cast Expands the Family Drama

Part of what makes these stakes land is the depth of the ensemble surrounding Nikki and Jason. Smith and Spall reprise their roles as the central couple, joined by Charlotte Riley returning as Kat, Scarlett Rayner as Princess, Cooper Turner as Tyler, Darren Boyd as Scott, and Sian Brooke as Karen. That returning core gives the season’s emotional beats their foundation.

The show also brought in fresh faces this year. Deadline reported that Season 5 added Celia Imrie, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Colin Morgan, Danielle Vitalis, and Leah Brotherhead to the cast, with Imrie playing Harriet, an upper class hoarder who Jason encounters. Phil Davis also remains part of the broader ensemble rounding out the cast this season.

Behind the camera, the creative team has stayed consistent with the show’s history. ‘Trying’ is created, written, and executive produced by Andy Wolton, with Josh Cole and Sam Pinnell also serving as executive producers alongside Chris Sussman, Smith, and Spall, with BBC Studios producing the comedy as a co-production with Apple. That continuity has helped ‘The Hurricane’ feel like a natural extension of everything that came before it rather than a jarring tonal detour.

What Comes Next

With ‘The Hurricane’ now behind them, fans are already looking toward the back half of the season. Episode five, titled ‘Ick,’ is set to premiere on August 5, followed by ‘Halloween’ on August 12, ‘Tuscany’ on August 19, and the season closer ‘WoodScott’ on August 26. That closer’s title alone has fans speculating about how directly it might tie back to Scott’s ongoing storyline.

Critics reviewing the season so far have noted its gentler approach compared to earlier years. Critics reviewing the new season have suggested that its lower stakes approach could be read as a kind of denouement, particularly if this turns out to be the show’s final chapter, though Apple has not announced any such plans. That framing gives extra weight to any hint of a major character’s fate.

The show’s music has also evolved for this run. This season’s soundtrack is helmed by Ivor Novello Award winning artist and producer Orla Gartland, following Guy Garvey, Maisie Peters, Bear’s Den, and BEKA, who wrote and performed the soundtracks for the previous four seasons. That new sonic identity has quietly shaped the emotional register of episodes like ‘The Hurricane.’

Whatever ‘The Hurricane’ ultimately reveals about Scott’s fate, it has succeeded in making the second half of ‘Trying’ Season 5 feel unmissable. Now that the garage scene has fans bracing for the worst, what do you think ‘The Hurricane’ really means for Scott Filbert’s future on the show?