'Reverie' episode three recap: 'No More Mr. Nice Guy'

On the newest Reverie, Mara works to discover why a man is insistent on staying in his Reverie and learns more about Paul and Alexis in the process.

Previously on Reverie, Mara helped save a young woman’s life and reconnected her with her biological father. She also embraced seeing Brynn.

“No More Mr. Nice Guy” opens on a bank robbery in a Reverie simulation. A woman comes in and finds the man unresponsive in the real world.

Mara speaks to the hallucination of her dead niece Brynn, but the girl doesn’t respond. Mara reaches towards Brynn to touch her, but the phone rings. She answers and discovers she’s needed at work.

Arriving at Onira-Tech, Mara finds Amanda Hallo and her lawyer. Her husband Nate is spending too much time in Reverie and lost his job. Amanda says Reverie changed Nate and she wants to sue Onira-Tech. The two are having a baby soon and Amanda is worried Nate will never come out of the program. She wants them to shut it down, but Reverie users must choose to end the program. Mara asks them to give her a day to get through to Nate and Amanda agrees.

Mara goes into Reverie and finds herself outside as the bank robbers emerge. She tries to talk to Nate, but he refuses to listen and leaves via a ladder on a helicopter. In the real world, Mara talks to Paul about Nate. He suggests she find a way to make Nate need to follow her in the simulation.

Photo by: Colleen Hayes/NBC

Paul goes to talk to Alexis about a presentation, but Charlie interrupts him and asks for an update on Mara’s condition. He says her EKG’s are normal and she should be fine. Meanwhile, Mara goes to some of the Reverie designers and asks for help. Designer Casey Hathaway says she can help make an armored truck for her to use. 

Mara sits in the back of the truck waiting for Nate. She confronts him about staying in Reverie for too long and causing trouble in his real life. He claims everything is better for everyone if he stays in Reverie. He pushes Mara, locks her in the truck, and tells the driver to drive into a wall. Mara says the exit word and wakes in her office.

Mara goes to the Hallo’s house and asks Amanda if anything happened lately that might be keeping Nate in Reverie. She mentions a break-in and says the intruder had a knife. She claims Nate got over it quickly, but Mara isn’t convinced. Amanda is confused, explaining Nate is a kind and helpful person. After, Mara calls Charlie and asks him to get information about the break-in. Unbeknownst to Mara, Charlie is in her home at that very moment. He sees the items connected to Brynn in the living.

Mara gets back to the office and talks to Paul and Casey about her next request. In Reverie, she lights Nate’s car on fire as a distraction and steals the jewels he just stole. He chases after her and she tries to talk to him again. She tries to convince him not to throw his life away. He lost his job, now his relationships and home are in jeopardy because of his addiction to Reverie. Nate listens, but a man on a motorcycle appears. He pushes Mara down and ties Nate up to the motorcycle, dragging him behind as he races down the street.

Mara talks to Paul about the Reverie experience. Paul explains Reverie figures out its user's actual wants and needs. He offers to take her into one of his own Reverie’s to explain fully, and Mara accepts.

Mara and Paul go into a Reverie designed to look like his childhood house. He says he used it as an example and was confused when he kept returning to the home that he never liked. Paul has anxiety and it was really bad when he was a child in that house. He’s been using Reverie to help. He shows Mara a creepy door Reverie added to the house. Paul reveals his father was an alcoholic abuser and he’s the one beating on the door. The Reverie helped him more than therapy and medicine. When they exit, she asks about his other doors, but he doesn’t want to talk about them yet.

Charlie brings Mara the information about the man suspected of breaking into the Hallo’s house. He also reveals Nate continually ignored the police’s invitations to look at lineups. Mara tells him about the man in Reverie, including his specific tattoos. She believes the character was too specific not to have been inspired by someone in the real world.

Charlie goes to meet Detective Jeanine Bregman at Mara’s request. He asks about the two x’s tattoos. She says he might belong to a gang she’s heard of and might know someone who can get his name.

Mara asks Alexis about a presentation she has to give to investors. Alexis admits she hates having to talk in front of the investors. Mara helps her figure out what to say. Alexis opens up, saying her dream is for everyone to use Reverie. She calls it a gift and believes people can use it to learn how to connect with others.

Mara gets a call from Charlie and says the LAPD found the man who broke into the Hallo’s home. They say Nate has to come in and identify the man.

Mara goes back into Nate’s Reverie and finds him drinking in a bar. Nate admits to not telling his wife the truth. The attacker went to their home again and threatened to kill him if he went to the cops. Mara confides in him, talking about how her family was killed and saying she hasn’t been able to return to that house. She says both of them have to face their fears. He believes his wife will think less of him for hiding in Reverie. Mara tells him that’s nonsense and his family wants him back. Nate wakes up in the real world.

Charlie confronts Mara about seeing Brynn. She admits she’s not following Paul’s orders and was happy to see Brynn, even for a moment. She says the job is making her life better and she needs to stay. He says he will see her tomorrow.

Later, Nate goes to Detective Bregman and identifies his attacker. He goes home and tells his wife what happened. She forgives him, saying they should protect and care for one another.

The episode ends with Mara confronting her past and going back to the house where her family was killed. She continues to flashback to that day as she walks towards the room where they died. Mara walks in to see the hallucination of Brynn, and she finally speaks. Mara touches her and Brynn says Mara is “there for a reason.” The room starts breaking and Mara realizes what she’s seeing isn’t real.

This was an interesting episode of Reverie, but I didn’t enjoy the Nate storyline. Instead of telling his wife what happened, he put his pregnant wife in danger of losing him and her home. So far this show is three for three on Reverie clients I don’t like, which makes me wonder if any of them will be likable or even very interesting. I’m still interested in Mara’s storyline. Paul’s backstory was interesting, and a bit unexpected given his relaxed demeanor. I liked that Alexis finally opened up a little to Mara.

Reverie airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC. The preview for the next episode can be viewed below. Catch up with all our Reverie recaps here.