Apple TV+ ‘City on Fire’ Episode 4 Review - Uncertain Alliances

Episode 4 of City on Fire, ‘Land of a Thousand Dances,’ opens with another scene from the past. Sam and Charlie spend some quality time in a library right when the scene cuts back to the library in the present, where Charlie and Sewer Girl are trying to distribute some pamphlets for another protest. Unfortunately, Charlie has to run away when a woman spots him after seeing all the wanted signs around.

A disturbing scene of William trying to get some money through prostitution follows. Another hilarious chase ensues, however, as William is put on arrest for this ‘solicitation’. 
Meanwhile, Sam is still in a coma when Keith tries to visit. He’s not allowed in though, so he nonchalantly gives the bouquet of daisies he brought to Sam’s father. We can also see that he is being followed by Nicky’s men. Hmm, I wonder what that could be about.

A heart-wrenching scene ensues as Charlie reluctantly severs his adorable mane of curls in order to blend into the crowd. Meanwhile, he bemoans the harsh reality of being a wanted man.

Later, William is trying to smart talk his way out of jail with Detective Ali, right when he becomes an actual genius after looking at the wall full of Sam’s case cues, which also has a picture of him with his ex-band. Where he also reveals the fact when Charlie was doing coke with Nicky in the first episode. And basically, everything else we saw in the first episode. Ali is intrigued, very intrigued, because Sam, a fan of William’s band, was shot right across his family’s house.

In a brief yet heartfelt moment, William shares a glimpse of his past when he left his family 15 years ago after his mother's death. It's a refreshing break from his usual unshakeable demeanor, even if only for a moment.

Meanwhile, Regan confronts Keith because it was actually their Will who wrote the note revealing Keith’s infidelity, not Sam. And she’s hurt because their son saw his father’s actions.

Later, we see a beautifully animated montage of the magazine Sam was in the process of making, a story that resembles her own life. Especially her own love for Keith and Charlie. And Ali is starting to make some connections. Maybe he will find his answer to who killed Sam in this book.

The next day, William is totally invested in Sam’s case, so much so that he is starting to unknowingly find motivation for his next painting masterpiece. Some may say that he is going crazy, but I think by William’s standard, this isn’t even borderline crazy.

Shortly after, Nicky embarks on a mission to uncover the truth behind Sam's disappearance—or so it seems. In reality, he rendezvouses with Uncle Amory, indicating that this is not their first encounter.

Then, a significant revelation emerges—Amory has been providing support to Nicky and his comrades, financing their endeavors and taking care of their expenses. However, Amory abruptly withdraws his financial backing, prompting Nicky to rue his life choices. Right when it starts looking like Amory ordered Sam’s death, he says that he’s not ‘inefficient,’ because Sam’s still alive.

Fortunately, William had followed Nicky and seen the meeting from afar.

A wild sequence of events follows somewhere else - the detectives figure out Sam was having an affair with Keith while the man in question is attacked by Nicky’s pals in a cinema. I get it that they’re angry they got fired, but they ruined Keith’s bonding moment with his son.

The next few scenes have a lot of business jargon, but basically, Amory has been taking steps with the company behind Regan’s back and somehow, he has manipulated Regan’s father, the boss, into thinking that whatever he’s doing is right. That slimy bas-Right when Regan finished her talk with her father, Detectives Ali, and Patricia arrive, and Regan discovers that her husband had an affair with a freshman, not with a senior as he had told her. She cannot believe that he would do something like that but it turns out, even he did not know Sam was that young.

As the episode draws to a close, a tender moment unfolds between Keith and Will. However, a flashback discloses a startling revelation: Will surreptitiously retrieved Keith's firearm when he unexpectedly stumbled upon his father and Sam. In the present moment, with perfect timing, the detectives arrive, their knocks resounding on Keith's door.

This episode had a mix of events that felt both busy and sluggish. It was mainly because the major highlights were gradual reveals, building tensions, and deeply emotional confessions among the characters. Personally, I cherished the heartfelt moments shared between Keith and Will, as well as the chaotic journey older William embarked on to unravel Sam's case.

The initial chases were amusing and got me pumped for the episode, although maybe a tad overly excited, as the rest of it didn't live up to that same level of intensity. Overall though, it was a decent episode that left me with a lot of questions.

Final Score- [6/10]