Jack the Bear

After Elizabeth's death, Jack and Dylan move in with their father John in Oakland, where John hosts Midnight Shriek as 'Al Gory'. The brothers begin adapting to a new home while Dad's drinking creates instability at times. Jack also takes on some parental duties, including taking Dylan to his first day of preschool.

The Learys' neighbor Norman Strick walks with a cane and reveals a volatile neo-Nazi mindset that unsettles the neighborhood. Dexter, Jack's next-door friend, lives with his grandparents and is drawn into Norman's influence after his grandmother dies. The toxic dynamic foreshadows the danger looming over the family.

Jack begins a romance with his classmate Karen Morris, adding pressure to his responsibilities at home. The relationship is strained as the family's attention shifts to John's escalating turmoil and the neighborhood danger. Karen becomes part of the larger conflict surrounding the Leary household.

On Halloween, Norman asks John for a donation to a racist candidate and provides Dexter with a Nazi costume for the event. The exchange exposes the community's tensions and the pull Norman has over the neighborhood. The incident foreshadows the violence that will follow.

During a broadcast of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, John, intoxicated, interrupts the film and imitates Norman's racist beliefs while naming the candidate. The on-air moment becomes a public spectacle that damages John's career and strains his family life. The incident intensifies the looming threat Norman represents.

The next day, Norman's dog Cheyenne dies on the Leary lawn from suspected poisoning, triggering a wave of community backlash. John apologizes on television and offers condolences, but Norman refuses to shake his hand, signaling a growing rift. The incident damages John's reputation and jeopardizes Jack's relationship with Karen.

The fallout from John's on-air conduct threatens his job and strains Jack's relationship with Karen. The family grows more unsettled as Norman's influence continues to cast a shadow over the neighborhood. Jack wrestles with the responsibilities of protecting Dylan and keeping the family together.

Norman abducts Dylan after Jack leaves him in Dexter's care, revealing how far the danger has reached. Jack and John frantically search for him, and the whole family is consumed with worry. The nightmare underscores the vulnerability of the brothers.

Dylan is found alive in a nearby forest days later and is taken to the hospital, where his trauma leaves him mute. The ordeal marks a lasting scar on the boy and on the family’s sense of safety. The episode forces the Learys to confront the real monsters that haunted their neighborhood.

Three days after Dylan's return, John becomes agitated and goes to the Strick home, terrorizing them with a bat as he searches for Dylan. He then destroys Norman's beloved T-Bird, symbolically breaking the hold Norman has over the street. The in-laws take the boys to Los Angeles to escape the escalating tension.

John sends his sons to Los Angeles with their in-laws to stabilize, deciding to shape up for a fresh start. He eventually gets his job back, and his show returns with a theme of more lighthearted horror like Abbott and Costello. Family life begins to feel more hopeful as they adjust.

Back in Oakland, John tells the neighborhood children that there are real monsters, but promises to play a better game with them. He consoles Dylan and Jack as he helps them say the lullaby title Elizabeth's lullaby, 'Jack the Bear'. The family shares a quiet moment of closure before the next ordinary day begins.