"Freddie" (Episode 4.05)

"Freddie" is the fifth episode of Series 4 and the 34th episode overall.

This episode primarily focuses on Freddie Mclair and his familial relationship with his sister Karen Mclair and his romantic relationship with Effy Stonem, and his attempts to figure out the reason for her ever-increasing erratic and suicidal behavior.

Plot
Freddie is completely wrapped up in Effy and with Anthea away, the Stonem house has become their private world of drinking, dancing and fucking. Freddie however is worried that he's failing his coursework and when he voices this to Effy the couple argue. Effy begins to exhibit strange behaviour, such as babbling delirious fantasies to Freddie, being in alternating states of depression and delusion and continuously drinking alcohol, usually first thing in the morning. Freddie arrives back home at one point to find Effy in her mother's vacated bedroom pasting sinister newspaper cuttings relating to death onto the wall of the room. He becomes worried about her state of mind and searches for information on psychotic illnesses on a college computer. After an argument with his Dad about his deceased Mum and the mental condition that led to her suicide, Freddie turns to his grandfather, Norman for advice and becomes determined not to make the same mistakes with Effy that he perceives his dad did with his mum. He pushes his coursework aside and tries to fix things with the girl he loves. During a day out that Freddie had organised in an attempt cheer up Effy, she once again becomes frightened and delusional, talking about how Freddie has weakened her "defences" and that "they" are coming to get her. Freddie is determined to protect her and ends up chasing away a crowd of people who were walking innocently in the park. On their way home Freddie mistakenly rides their rented rickshaw into the middle of a street festival, where Effy panics and disappears into the crowd. After being spotted by Katie, they [Freddie and Katie] take Effy to the nursing home where Norman lives. Freddie talks with his grandfather, who convinces him to seek professional help, handing him the phone. Before he can do anything more, Katie enters the room suddenly saying that she has left Effy alone in a toilet, and that she wont come out. Freddie immediately breaks down the door to find Effy on the floor with her wrist cut and blood pooling on the floor. He later visits her in hospital, but storms out upset when Effy speaks to him only to tell him to “go away”. He returns home, where he proceeds to burn Effy's newspaper cuttings in a barrel in his garden. Cook arrives and Freddie gradually becomes upset and hysterical about Effy. He is restrained and comforted by Cook, who acts with unusual compassion and talks about Freddie going to the “ends of the earth” for their relationship and for Cook, suggesting that he is putting aside his feelings for Effy for the sake of Freddie's happiness.

Music Featured in "Freddie"
Note: The music tracks listed below only refer to the music featured in the episode's initial airing. Many of the music tracks featured in this episode have been substituted for alternative tracks for both the US and UK home media release of Series 4.

The Bug feat. Warrior Queen - Poison Dart

Pedro - Fear and Resilience (Dangermouse Remix)

Stina Nordenstam - Fireworks

Sparklehorse - Hey, Joe

Segal - Moonchild II

Bass Clef - Heart Break Soca Cascade

Pixies - Tony’s Theme

Segal - Explorer I

Bonnie Prince Billy - Ebb Tide

Segal - Explorer II

Bass Clef - Kiss Me

Segal - Carnivalesque

Hope Sandoval - Charlotte

Segal - Explorer III

Band of Skulls - Honest