During half term, Nora, Ash, and Molly travel by train to Hammersmith to visit Joe and his husband, Dr Ewan Langford. Joe is working as a sound engineer, and Ewan is a consultant radiologist at the Royal Marsden, giving him common ground with Ash. Joe and Ewan dote on Molly, while Joe cooks a Puglian pasta-and-broccoli meal, prompting Nora to reflect on their Italian heritage and the many ways a life can turn.

In the kitchen, Nora notices a Californian Syrah from the Buena Vista vineyard, signed by Alicia and Eduardo Martínez, which triggers memories of another path. When Ewan suggests opening it after a hard day, Joe declines, saying he’s on a teetotal patch. Ash agrees to share the bottle with Ewan, while Nora abstains, recalling a previous conversation where Joe had admitted alcoholism.

As the evening settles into talk of news and movies, Nora steers the conversation toward the past, asking Joe if he resented her for quitting the band. Joe brushes off old grievances, and Ewan jokes about Joe still being a rock star. Nora admits feeling she let Joe down, and Joe counters by apologizing for being horrid and ignorant about mental health.

Joe explains that he once dismissed panic attacks until Ewan experienced them, which changed his understanding. Nora says it wasn’t only panic; being in the band felt wrong to her. She adds that she thinks Joe is happier in this life than in the one where he was in the band, nearly saying more. Joe smiles, perhaps unconvinced, but the exchange closes with mutual understanding and a calmer sibling bond.