Episode 5 of “The Time Traveler’s Wife” is centered around a sketch that Clare made of Henry in the clearing when she was 16. We also get to witness the first time Henry met Clare’s parents when he was 28. Though, of course, the meeting did not go as smoothly as the two would have preferred, what else can be expected from a man who time travels and has no control over it? The friendship between Gomez and Henry is also explored in “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” Episode 5. Even though their personalities were poles apart, they understood one another better over the years and became the best of friends. Clare continues to be in search of the man she fantasized about. The Henry she was with was not the man she had spent years with in the clearing. It is only when Henry becomes his older self that Clare falls head over heels for him.
‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ Episode 5: Recap Summary
Gomez and Henry decide to spend time with each other, particularly because they were told that they would be best friends in the future. Henry found Gomez to be an oddball and could not comprehend how the awkward lawyer could be his best friend in the future. Though Gomez considers himself quite lucky to have a time traveler in his life, Even though they tried to share pleasantries, Henry could not stop his humorous self from making fun of his future best friend. Gomez was offended by Henry’s behavior and stood up to leave. Before leaving, he added that he had known Henry even before the time he met him in the streets with Ingrid, and that was the reason why he gave funny stares. Henry was curious about it, but Gomez left without sharing any details.
Meanwhile, Clare, 16, is sketching Henry, 38. Clare was surprised to learn that Henry knew that she was drawing him naked even though he was fully clothed. She wanted to know how he knew what she was drawing. Henry heard a young girl giggling from the bush, and he replied that he had met her family and knew what was going on. We get to see how Henry’s first meeting with Clare’s family went for him. On the way to Clare’s house, Gomez called to mend their relationship, though it was again Henry’s humor that made Gomez lose his cool. When Henry met Clare’s family, her father wanted to know his future career plans but was disappointed to learn that he aimed to be a librarian and nothing more. After spending some time with her parents, Clare showed him his room. Henry wanted to go to the clearing that he had heard so much about. For Clare, this was all too strange. The man who had been to the clearing multiple times was asking her to take him there for the first time. Somehow, her fantasy was getting too real, and she did not feel good about it. She had been in love with Henry in the future, but she was now with the 28-year-old Henry, who was just a confused young man. What she had always dreamt of was not what was happening in her real life, and that, in a way, disappointed her. After Clare shared how she felt, Henry asked her to focus on the now since that was all that mattered. The fact was that even though she loved him from the future, his younger self was the man she would be with at the moment.
Young Henry had huge shoes to fill; he had to be the man Clare had fallen in love with. He had to be the version she fantasizes about. He could understand how difficult it must have been for her, and he hoped to make it better.
When Did Gomez Meet Henry For The First Time?
Just as Clare and Henry were about to share a romantic moment, they were asked to join her family for lunch. Henry entered the washroom to freshen up, and just then, he was greeted by a young woman who expressed that she knew he could time travel and jokingly appreciated his physique. Clare entered and explained that she was her younger sister, Alicia. Alicia knew about Henry from her childhood. She had seen Clare talk to a naked man whose appearance changed with time. She was about to report the incident to her parents when Clare thought it would be better to explain the truth. When Clare and Alicia left the room, Henry turned on the faucet. He knew that he was about to be transported to another part of his timeline. He fell on a mobster, naked, who did not take it the right way.
Henry had to fight with the man and somehow managed to gain control, but soon he was surrounded by the members of his gang. He was outnumbered, and they beat him down. Just then, a man drove his car and parked it right behind where Henry was lying. He looked up and saw that it was Gomez. Gomez lectured the men about the CCTV cameras that were present in the neighborhood and how his law firm had access to the footage at the given moment. He could take them to court, or they could leave the man alone. The gang left. Henry and Gomez then went to a bar. They discussed Clare and how Gomez had always been in love with her. But one thing remained constant throughout all this time, and that was Clare’s love for Henry. From the moment he saw Henry, he knew that Clare was madly in love with the man and he had no chance with her. It is here that Gomez confesses the first time he met Henry; it was through the sketch that Clare drew of him. She carried it with her to Chicago, where Gomez chanced upon it. Just one look at the sketch, and he knew that Clare loved the man in the drawing. This was the reason why Gomez constantly stared at Henry when they first met; he seemed too unreal for him, and at the same time, he knew that the woman he loved was deeply in love with this man forever.
Henry asked how he was doing in 2022, and Gomez replied that he was around. Henry added that he knew that falling on the ground naked would not allow good physical health, so he was prepared for the worst. He joked that if he died, it would mean that Gomez could try his chances with Clare. Gomez became emotional; he said that he would never wish for that since losing his friend was not something he was prepared for. Gomez asked him to note the year, the name of the bar, and the timing before Henry disappeared again. Henry returned to Clare’s house, where her family was waiting for them to join them for lunch. Henry, from behind the bathroom door, alerted Clare that she must be gentle with him today since he was not his best self. She joined her family downstairs. She established that she had an argument with Henry and they must spare him the details. Henry joined them soon after, and her family was surprised to see the injury on his body. They assumed that Clare had shown physical violence, which Clare denied. The two tried to cover up the truth, but they could not come up with a believable story. Losing her ground and, in a moment of anger, Clare declared that her parents better start accepting the fact that she would marry a librarian, declaring so she left the room in a hast.
‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ Episode 5: Ending Explained – How Did Henry Win Over Clare?
Henry went to her room and found the sketch she had drawn of his older self when she was 16. The love and admiration that she had for him were evident. Henry knew how overwhelming the day was for Clare, and he wanted to be the man she loved. He asked Alicia, who was a hairdresser by profession, to cut his hair short, to look similar to old Henry. Meanwhile, Clare ran off to the clearing. She was heartbroken at how perfect she had always thought the clearing was. But now that she had grown up, she could see the dirt around her. These were the elements that she willfully forgot about as a child. She remembered the sweet memories, but that place was not the same anymore. She sat down, sad and disappointed. She questioned what was real and what was fantasy. She spent her entire life waiting for the perfect man, but now that he had arrived, he was not the same. The place where they used to spend hours talking was no longer the same. Her dream was slipping away from her. Just then, Henry arrived. His hair was now short, he tucked in his shirt, and he looked just like old Henry. Henry asked Clare to share with him how they used to spend their time in the clearing. She told him how she grew up with him and that it was the place where they kissed and the place where he proposed to her to marry him. Old Henry had left after asking her hand for marriage, but she had the answer to it now. She was ready to get married to Henry, who stood before her. She confessed that she loved him from the moment she met him at the library, but she was expecting someone else. Henry promised to be the someone else she expected.
“The Time Traveler’s Wife” Episode 5 concludes with how young Henry managed to win Clare’s heart. It also provides an insight into their strange relationship, where he had to be a version of himself that he will be in the future. There is a certain adjustment and compromise at the beginning of their relationship in the hopes that they would figure out their perfect relationship eventually.
