'The Red Shadows' Episode 4 Provides Vital Clara Puzzle Piece

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Episode 4 of “The Red Shadows” ends on one of the most significant clues so far. The pieces that comprise the elaborate puzzle of Clara’s kidnapping subsequent past and potential present snapped into better focus as a startling revelation came to the surface. Brace yourselves, this is what happened in the fourth installment of the Sundance Now series.

Spoilers for Episode 4 of “The Red Shadows” are discussed below.

Time to get to the most crucial clue “The Red Shadows” has offered to date. It turns out the so-called “cleaner” as Aurore referred to him as is actually Clara’s presumed dead father. After he saved her from motorcycle assassins in Episode 4, Clara came up from where she was hiding and greeted him in a surprised tone. “Dad?” She said, shocked to see him.


He appeared to be injured, perhaps even mortally so. The “cleaner” getting revealed as Clara’s father is not an entirely clear-cut reveal. Clara’s shock seems to stem from the fact she thought her dad, the man who raised her, died.

A previous episode of “The Red Shadows” had indicated his body had never been found. As anyone who watches television regularly knows that tends to be a tell-tale clue, the “deceased” is still among the living.

What It Means

Hopefully, Clara’s father is not dead. He has too much insight to offer, including his role in her kidnapping, and her mom’s death. I am guessing he came to legitimately care about Clara, and that is why he saved her. Maybe that means he will be willing to tell her the truth when “The Red Shadows” continues. That is if he survives his apparent wound.

New Questions

Why did he fake his death? How did he get involved in the kidnapping, and what does he know about the original ransom plan? Clara ran into a brick wall with her mother’s brother, Julien, in Episode 4. Her father is her (and viewers) main hope for clarity now. Will “The Red Shadows” finally shed some light on it all?

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Episode 4 only provided the forward momentum necessary to get answers in its final minutes. The rest seemed to be noise. Clara’s motivation for denying the sale of the hotel remained a subject of speculation among her brothers. “The Red Shadows” did not explain her rationale in a way that gives viewers much of a head start on Fred and Gabriel.

A New Suspect Emerges

Someone who raised suspicion for the first time in Clara’s kidnapping was Grandma Garnier. Between her interaction with Julien in Clara’s hospital room and other moments in Episode 4, she captured a spot on “The Red Shadows” suspect list. A potential motive is unclear. However, her guilt would fit in with the “least likely suspect” motif.

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At this point, Julien is either lying about what he knows regarding Clara’s biological father, or he is clueless and no help at all. The Garniers’ suspicion that he called the police over the kidnapping is probably false. Father Garnier is a much more likely suspect for that. It would explain why he is so traumatized and distraught. He might blame himself.

Clara’s Paternity Mystery

“The Red Shadows” did not get viewers much closer to the reveal of who Clara’s biological father is. Of course, the man that she called her father at the end of Episode 4 could be him, after all. There are only two episodes left, so there is not much time to find out if he is. DNA test time!

One Mystery Solved?

While many mysteries remain unsolved at this point, am I right to surmise that Clara’s father killed her abusive fiancé? He has clearly been keeping watch over her. Why not protect her from him? Where there are many loose ends, “The Red Shadows” seemed to offer a resolute possibility where that case was concerned.

Will Clara’s father survive? Find out when the next episode of “The Red Shadows” is released Thursday on Sundance Now. There are only two episodes left! Stay tuned to Eclectic Pop as coverage on the limited series continues along with other streaming options.