Fellow Travelers Episode 4 Recap: 10 Biggest Story Reveals

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Fellow Travelers episode 4.

Fellow Travelers episode 4 continues the beautiful and heartbreaking tale of Hawk and Tim as they navigate the 1950s Lavender Scare, the pressures of McCarthyism, and the eventual AIDS crisis of the 1980s. The epic Showtime series acts as a thoughtfully constructed adaptation of Thomas Mallon’s 2007 historical novel by the same name, bringing the rich and complex narrative to the screen with appropriate intricacy and profundity. As one of Showtime’s best miniseries of 2023, Fellow Travelers will air four more episodes before concluding on December 15th.

Fellow Travelers episode 3 saw the passionate Tim make bold yet earnest demands of his relationship with Hawk, who is wisely more concerned about keeping the affair under wraps than allowing it to openly flourish. The pressures of McCarthyism and the Lavender Scare intensify for Hawk in unprecedented ways in Fellow Travelers episode 4, as he finds himself subjected to the investigative eye of the United States State Department. The increasingly frequent 1980s flash-forward scenes featuring an ailing Tim and a remorseful Hawk continue to add layers of poignancy to the decade-spanning relationship between the two secret lovers.

10 Tim & Hawk Visit Marcus & Frankie’s Home In 1986

Frankie & Marcus Represent What Tim & Hawk Could Have Been

Frankie and Marcus are depicted in 1986 for the first time in Fellow Travelers episode 4. By the appearance of it, the two have been happily together for years and share an apartment in San Francisco where Tim inspires young scholars about the significance of the California Proposition 64 bill in their living room. Seeing Marcus and Frankie free and happy together is a stark contrast to the unfortunate fate of Tim and Hawk’s relationship which fell apart in nearly irreparable ways. This scene further demonstrates Hawk’s inability to let go of his polished, conservative persona for the sake of his career and at the expense of Tim.

9 Hawk Receives A Summons To Appear Before The M-Unit

An Undisclosed Person Reported Hawk For Suspected Homosexual Activity

To Hawk’s shock and horror, he is given a notorious blue envelope at work that states he must appear before the M Unit after being reported for suspected homosexual activity. One of his assistants, Mary, who both Hawk and Tim know to be a lesbian based on the events in Fellow Travelers episode 2, spotted the letter and rushes into Hawk’s office to discuss the situation. To Mary’s knowledge, Miss Addison, Hawk’s other assistant, didn’t see the blue envelope and assured Hawk that their boss didn’t see it as well. Hawk, who is typically very poised and careful, is stunned to have been caught but is forced to play along.

8 Schine Gets Drafted & Asks Cohn For Further Protections

The Transactional Relationship Between Schine & Cohn Gets More Complex

David Schine is drafted into the United States Army despite Roy Cohn’s best efforts to keep him out. Cohn continues to use his political rank and influence to gain advantages for Schine including weekend passes and even custom boots. The continuous special treatment caused great alarm from top members of the United States Army. They eventually accuse Cohn and Schine of having a special relationship, the same kind that Cohn and McCarthy’s Subcommittee of Investigations were hypocritically working hard to expose within their ranks. Schine clearly uses Cohn’s apparent affection for him to get out of his military obligations as much as possible.

7 Marcus Is Given A Trial Run At The Washington Post

Marcus Gained Attention For Writing About A “Desegregated” D.C.

After Marcus publishes his personal account of getting denied access to a popular D.C. restaurant, his work gets noticed by one of the most prominent newspapers in the country, The Washington Post. Marcus is brought in for a meeting which quickly turns into a job offer to become a beat writer for The Post. Marcus humbly accepts, clearly proud of the fact that not only his writing had received recognition but also his stance on exposing the so-called “desegregated” Washington D.C. After accepting the new role, Marcus quickly learns that he would face racial disadvantages at his new workplace when it suggested he exclusively uses the bathroom on the fourth floor.

6 Hawk Gets Interrogated & Returns For A Polygraph Test

Hawk Passes Initial Screening With Ease But Must Come Back For More

Hawk obeys his Summons and attends the mandatory interrogation held in Room M305 as part of the State Department’s M Unit. Hawk is given a brief background on the M unit’s apparent success rate in exposing the “subversives” and “deviants” that they interview, an intimidation tactic that is unsuccessful in getting under Hawk’s skin. Hawk answers the standardized series of questions that point to instances of homosexual activity, denying all participation in any such encounters. He appears to have passed the initial test but offends the interviewer by bringing up the recent death by suicide of a recent interviewee. As a result, Hawk is told to return the next day for a polygraph test.

5 Hawk & Mary Realize Miss Addison Reported Hawk

Miss Addison Had Discovered The Book Tim Gave To Hawk

At the office holiday party, Mary and Hawk appear to be having a private conversation when the eavesdropping Miss Addison approaches with a major announcement. With a sinister grin on her face, Miss Addison reveals to Hawk and Mary that she discovered the book that Tim had given to Hawk and read the sentimental inscription that said, “Thanks for everything. You’re wonderful.” Based on this information, Mary quickly figures out that Miss Addison must have been the one to report Hawk in the first place, which Hawk doesn’t take kindly. Without making a scene, Hawk delivers her a harsh message that Miss Addison likely won’t forget.

4 Hawk Asks Tim To Hand Schine A Classified Envelope

Hawk Hopes His Evidence On McCarthy Will Silence Him For Good

Tim and Hawk have another romantic encounter in Fellow Travelers episode 4, and Hawk makes it seem like it may be one of their last. Hawk gives him a thoughtful yet fitting present of luxurious cufflinks with his own initials on them, which Tim later covers up as representing his college “Fordham” and his major “History”. Typical of Hawk’s two-tone character, the generous exchange is followed by an ask for a favor. Hawk asks Tim if he could hand-deliver a confidential envelope to David Schine without thinking of how that could affect Tim’s status at work. Tim does what Hawk asks and in doing so, provides evidence of McCarthy’s suspected homosexual activity to Schine and Cohn.

3 McCarthy & Cohn Are Charged By The United States Army

Cohn’s Suspicious Demands Have Finally Caught Up With Him

After McCarthy starts to crack down on Cohn’s excessive privileges and favors for Schine, Cohn starts to act erratic and borderline delusional. Inflated by his ego and his power as leader of McCarthy’s Subcommittee, Cohn threatened to essentially take down the United States Army if they sent Schine overseas to Germany or Korea. Cohn’s outrageous threats had reached a tipping point with the U.S. Army after the televised Army-McCarthy hearings, which resulted in both McCarthy and Cohn facing charges of using improper pressure on the Army to leverage advantages for Schine.

2 Hawk Passes The Polygraph Test Just In Time For Christmas

Hawk Escapes The M Unit Interrogation To Keep His Government Job

Hawk studies and trains for the polygraph test the night before he is called back into the M Unit. After doing some research, Hawk figures out how to regulate his heart rate when asked questions about his homosexual activity. Through his disassociation techniques, Hawk is able to successfully pass the exam without any suspicion whatsoever. The M Unit interviewer finally breaks his stern, unapproachable persona due to the “holiday spirit” and shares the good news with Hawk, who later reveals to Marcus at the Cozy Corner that the polygraph test wasn’t searching for reactions to truth but rather guilt.

1 Hawk Returns From A Bar To Discover That Tim Had A Seizure

Tim Was Rushed To The Hospital While Hawk Was Out Drinking

Back in 1986, Hawk returns from his bout of escapist hedonism at a bar to Tim’s apartment in San Francisco. Hawk tries to apologize yet again to Tim until he discovers that he isn’t there. He finds his glasses and cane on the ground and realizes he’s in Tim’s empty apartment. Moments later, one of the scholars from Marcus and Frankie’s apartment enters and tells Hawk some unfortunate news. Tim had been taken to the hospital after having a seizure. The terrifying reality sinks in as Hawk realizes he may be losing Tim for good at the end of Fellow Travelers episode 4.