The Origin' Episode 4 Release Date and What to Expect

TV

The Foxworth family saga comes to a close (for now) in the final episode of 'Flowers in the Attic: The Origin,' airing July 30 on Lifetime.

Published on July 27, 2022

Olivia and Malcolm Foxworth’s twisted marriage took an even darker turn in episode 3 of Lifetime’s Flowers in the Attic: The Origin. The latest installment of the network’s V.C. Andrews adaptation featured devastating revelations and a shocking act of violence. It all set the stage for the gothic drama’s upcoming finale, which airs July 30. 

[Warning: The article contains spoilers for Flowers in the Attic: The Origin Episode 3.]

Mrs. Steiner tried to blackmail the Foxworths in ‘Flowers in the Attic: The Origin’ Episode 3 

Malcolm (Max Irons) continues to rule Foxworth Hall with an iron fist in the third episode of the Flowers in the Attic prequel. His relationship with his wife Olivia (Jemima Rooper) has calcified into one of mutual hatred and disdain. But at the end of the episode, a dramatic twist brings the two back together in a surprising way. 

The unexpected reunion is thanks to Mrs. Steiner (Kate Mulgrew), who is attempting to blackmail the Foxworths. First, the family’s ex-housekeeper threatens to reveal that Joel (Luke Fetherston) is gay. (Earlier in the episode, there’s a harrowing sequence where Joel is sent to an institution specializing in experimental electro-shock therapy.) Malcolm brushes off her demand for $5,000. He’s already disowned Joel and no longer cares who knows about his son’s sexuality. But the vengeful former employee has another trick up her sleeve. 

A shocking act brings Malcolm and Olivia closer together 

Mrs. Steiner corners Olivia at Corinne’s debutante party, then drops a bomb: She knows that Olivia is not the real mother of Corinne (future Bridgerton cast member Hannah Dodd). She demands $10,000 in exchange for not revealing the truth. As Mrs. Steiner gloats, an enraged Olivia orders her to get out. A scuffle ensues, and Mrs. Steiner falls and hits her head on a desk. 

Malcolm happens upon the scene in the study. Just as Olivia took charge when he killed his father, Malcolm steps up to deal with Mrs. Steiner, albeit in brutal fashion. First, he bashes the unconscious woman’s head in with a telephone, ensuring that the family’s secrets will remain hidden (for now, at least). He and Olivia then calmly return to Corinne’s party. Later, they bury Mrs. Steiner in the woods. Malcolm – who hasn’t shown Olivia affection in years, as far as we know – even tenderly kisses his wife as they dig the grave. 

Corinne’s forbidden romance sets the stage for the ‘Flowers in the Attic: The Origin’ finale 

Mrs. Steiner’s murder wasn’t the only dramatic development in episode 3 of Flowers in the Attic: The Origin. After disposing of the would-be blackmailer’s body, Olivia returns to Foxworth Hall, where she peeps through a keyhole and sees Corinne having sex with Christopher (Callum Kerr) in the swan bed. Christopher and Corinne believe they are uncle and niece, and they know their relationship is deeply inappropriate. But they don’t realize that they are actually half-siblings. Olivia is, naturally, horrified when she realizes what is going on. 

Those who’ve seen Lifetime’s 2014 movie Flowers in the Attic know that Christopher and Corinne’s forbidden romance resulted in a total estrangement from her family. In the finale of Flowers in the Attic: The Origin, we can expect to see exactly how their parents react when they discover the truth about the pair’s illicit relationship. A few preview images shared by Lifetime offer more hints of what’s to come, including a photo of Malcolm in a wheelchair, suggesting that some calamity befalls the Foxworth family patriarch. The episode will also presumably shed even more light on how the Olivia of this series evolved into the woman who would lock her grandchildren in the attic in the original film.

The Flower in the Attic: The Origin finale airs Saturday, July 30 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. 

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