“George & Tammy” Episode 4 was a perfect episode. The first half of it set the stage for the latter half with a relatively smooth transition into why what happened needed to happen. We find it really hard to be heartbroken at the turn of events. It was a long time coming, and our only complaint is that it didn’t happen sooner. We believe it was the scene where the women were playing cards, which is undoubtedly the highlight of the episode. While some would argue that it is not as important as some of the other events that take place, we would say that this is where all the cards were laid bare, pun not intended. The music was beautiful, as always, and reflective of the journey of the characters and the stage that they were at in regard to their relationship. So, without further ado, let’s get into “George & Tammy” Episode 4.
Spoilers Ahead
The Breakdown Of George And Tammy’s Marriage
It has been five years since George and Tammy got married, and they are doing very well for themselves professionally, delivering one hit album after the other. However, unlike George, Tammy’s solo career is also going pretty strong alongside their joint one. George seems okay with it, unlike our apprehensions that came with the previous episode of “George & Tammy.” He claims to be proud of Tammy, and we believe him when he says that. But the general sentiment within the music circles is that he is not pulling his weight, and it is just Tammy who is keeping it all together. The sentiment is right. George is dealing with a severe alcohol addiction that is destroying everything he holds dear.
Christmas is approaching, and Tammy has organized a party to which she has invited “half of Nashville.” She is working hard to keep up their social life, as fame and success bring certain obligations, but George is beyond caring about all of it. While he dedicatedly makes a dollhouse for his daughter, he tells Tammy that he wishes that the “half of Nashville” would choose to stay at home. Tammy gets increasingly worried, so she decides to get something for him as a distraction. But while leaving, she takes the keys to every car that they have. George has had these bouts where he goes on a drinking binge and disappears for days. The last time he had done that, Tammy told him that with every such episode, she found some of her love for him disappearing. But George’s idea of love was blind endurance while he did whatever he wanted to. What he failed to see was that Tammy was enduring enough. She was taking care of their house and business while being in excruciating pain from her failed hysterectomy. He was taking on none of the responsibilities and, instead, continued making her life more and more difficult. Tammy loved George, which is why she held out in the hope that he would change, that he would become the man she needed him to be, the man she could trust to take care of her for once. Because the fact of the matter is that love is probably the strongest emotion out there, but it cannot survive without trust, compatibility, understanding, and compassion. Love by itself is nothing but a hollow emotion waiting for a foundation, which was clearly disappearing from George and Tammy’s marriage because the former refused to deal with his demons. Tammy taking away the car keys was not really a deterrent for him, and he just took the keys to the lawn mower to go to the local bar.
While he is away, Tammy is playing cards with her girlfriends, Jan and Sheila. We see her laugh out of her heart, and somewhere, the realization dawns that she hasn’t done that in a while. Tammy is quite literally on edge, and she says that “marriage doesn’t change a person.” She has realized that she is unable to change George Jones’ alcoholic ways and is at her wits’ end as to her next course of action. Meanwhile, Sheila talks about how she is not her husband’s “muse” any longer. Marrying someone because you are their muse only means that you have accepted to be their crutch for work. Once the romance of it wears off, you realize that all you are is a tool for some other purpose and that your actual being is of little to no consequence. Sheila is going through something like this, though she doesn’t say it in as many words. That night, George comes back home, drunk out of his mind, and passes out in the room that the ladies are in. They take him upstairs, and while Tammy is trying to make him more comfortable, he hits her. He is completely delirious and doesn’t recognize her. Tammy escapes, but not before George starts firing his shotgun in the house and destroying everything in sight. The police are called, and they take him away. Tammy has had enough, and she decides to leave the destruction as it is to let him see what he has done.
While George is dealing with the aftermath of it all in his jail cell, Tammy is taking care of business by keeping their tour dates in Canada. It is here that Richey tells Tammy that maybe it is time that she considers a divorce. But she is reluctant, as she feels that separating from him would break her. Back at home once George comes back and finds that Tammy isn’t there, he is left alone to face the consequences of his actions. But he doesn’t do that. Instead of reflecting on how he can be a better person, he mopes around the house, waiting for Tammy and feeling disappointed that she did not come to meet him at the cell and wasn’t at the house either. After finishing her Canada tour, Tammy comes back to their other house, where she learns that the first question George had asked was why she hadn’t come to visit him. Understanding that he is beyond gone, Tammy decides to consider divorce and asks Richey to get the papers. But George comes to visit her, and he seems earnest enough to correct his mistakes. Tammy’s disappointments against him are stacked high, but she did invest a lot of love and labor in him. It is also possible that he was the only person to have ever made her happy in her life. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that she wasn’t ready to let go of him.
‘George & Tammy’ Episode 4: Ending Explained – Do George And Tammy Get Divorced?
George and Tammy spend the night together, and she looks genuinely happy the next morning. However, what happens next is probably in the best interests of everyone. George makes his way downstairs to make some coffee when he finds the divorce papers. Angry and hurt at having his worst fears realized, which he did nothing to prevent, he drives away from the house. Tammy is heartbroken because she realizes that this is the end of her marriage. Previously, she had gotten some Dalmane from the pharmacist because of her pain. She had been putting off a much-needed surgery for quite a while now, which had only worsened her pain. Double that with the pain of heartbreak, and we understand what made her take the step she did. As she is recuperating in the hospital after getting her stomach pumped, the doctor tells her that her surgery must happen without any delay. As for Tammy, she says that she never wants to talk about it again.
Coming to George, he is in pure rage, but that does what love can’t do. He gets smart about his work and joins rehab. Meanwhile, it is published in the newspaper that Tammy tried to commit suicide. She gets worried about the effect it could have on her career, but her friends tell her that she is not just any singer; she is Tammy Wynette. Additionally, George’s band also joins Tammy, as it is her they feel more loyal to. Tammy recovers and is well on her way to continuing her career with the sheer force of her strength and her friends’ support.
What Can We Expect From Episode 5?
The first thing we are worried about is knowing whether Tammy’s health is completely okay or not. She is definitely going to have to struggle with her career now that George isn’t with her and the world is a sexist place, but we know she will come out of it stronger. Something we are curious about is whether George will ever realize how he was responsible for driving away a woman like Tammy, who gave him more than her all. We would like to believe so, but we just know that such a thing seldom happens. He will likely continue blaming her for “abandoning him.” All we want is for Tammy to have a good life, and that is what we want to see take shape in the coming episodes.
See More: ‘George & Tammy’ Episode 5: Recap And Ending, Explained – Does Tammy Marry Richey?
