Lost Boys and Fairies – Season 1 Episode 2 “With or Without You” Recap & Review

With or Without You

Episode 2 of Lost Boys and Fairies begins at Neverland where Jake is performing in drag. He’s singing with his new adoptive parents, Andy and Gabriel. They all seem very happy together.

Unsurprisingly, that sequence was imagined by Gabriel who is waiting to meet the adoption panel with Andy. They head into the meeting, which turns out to be quite probing, with references made to Gabriel’s past addiction problems. Gabriel opens up about his past and tells the panel that he’s doing brilliantly now. He then makes them smile with a mention of his drag performing and wins them over with a monologue about love and empathy. 

The meeting goes well and the two men are accepted as adoptive parents. Later that night, they head to Neverland to let everybody know their good news. Most people are supportive but one performer, Celyn, shows signs of jealousy. 

The next day, Gabriel and Andy visit Emrys, Gabriel’s dad, and show him a picture of Jake. The conversation is a little tense when Emrys hints the guys should change Jake’s name to something Welsh. 

When they return home, they discover Andy’s mum in the house having a clear-out. She is even cleaning out the guys’ sex toys. She has bought Jake a lot of clothes but she didn’t need to as Andy has already filled out Jake’s wardrobe with outfits, unbeknownst to Gabriel. 

After tiring of time with his mum and Andy, who are watching home videos, Gabriel heads to Neverland. Here, he shares how he is feeling with his stage mother and discusses his worries about Jake not liking him. She gives him the encouragement and confidence he needs.

Back at the house, Andy gets Jake’s room ready. We then have a montage of scenes of Andy and Gabriel spending time with Jake at his foster home. In a touching scene, Jake gives Andy a hug. In an unhappier scene, the guys are at the park with Jake and have a confrontation with the father of a child who has been attacked by Jake. 

A little while later, it’s time for Jake to get a trial run at his new house.  He loves the room that Andy has prepared for him. The three of them then head to the park for fun and games.

Later, Gabriel heads back to Neverland where he gets drunk. Back at home, he promises Andy that it won’t happen again. The next day, Andy talks with his mum about about Gabriel getting drunk. He’s worried that Gabriel might be having second thoughts about the adoption. We then cut to a flashback of a younger Andy visiting his dad, who has abandoned him and his mum. His dad fails to answer the door when young Andy knocks on it. 

In the next scene, Gabriel and Andy have a video call with Jake. The call goes well but afterwards, Andy and Gabriel have an argument. Gabriel is unhappy that Andy is doing everything for Jake, such as preparing his room for the adoption. They have an intense conversation, wherein Andy tells Gabriel that he will adopt Jake, with or without his help. 

That night, Gabriel tells Andy that he does want to adopt Jake. But he’s concerned that Andy would have chosen Jake over him. There is tension between them so Gabriel returns to Neverland. Here, he talks to Celyn, who doesn’t seem happy that Gabriel is making changes in his life. A little while later, Celyn apologizes for his attitude in a scene that seems to show they used to be affectionate with each other.

Gabriel returns home and finds Andy on the stairs. Andy is upset and tells Gabriel that he doesn’t want to lose him. The two of them reconcile and reaffirm the love they have for each other.

The next day, Jake arrives for a sleepover. Gabriel and Jake head to the park to play football but it does not go well as Gabriel shouts at Jake for playing roughly. Jake recoils when Gabriel becomes angry and tells him he wants to go back to his foster mums. 

Back at the house, Andy has made a cake for Jake. The boy is happy to see it but he’s still upset with Gabriel. Jake hides away but Gabriel discovers his hiding place and shares his makeup with him. In a touching scene, the two have a reassuring conversation in which Jake calls him “dadi.” There is more bonding between the two later on when Gabriel sings a song to help Jake go to sleep. It’s a song Gabriel’s parents used to sing to him.

The next day, Gabriel and Andy meet with Jake’s foster mum. She wants Jake to move into their house the next day. The guys are happy at this news and form a plan to have one last night of freedom before Jake arrives.

The two men go on a date together and have a good time. When Gabriel gets up on stage, Andy goes outside to get some air. He sees a group of youths fighting and tries to break them up. But in a tragic twist of events, they stab him and seemingly leave him to die. The episode ends with Gabriel on stage looking aghast when he sees the police arrive at the club.

The Episode Review

Why can’t we have happy endings? Episode 2’s conclusion is a real gut punch – a guaranteed tear-jerker for anybody invested in Andy’s dreams of being a parent. If he is dead, then his dreams of being a dad have gone with him, which will be a real blow to both Gabriel and Jake. 

It would be nice to have a TV series that didn’t kill off a beloved character for the sake of dramatic momentum. In the case of Lost Boys and Fairies, it seems unnecessary. Of course, there’s a slim chance Andy isn’t dead – all will be revealed in the next episode. But if he is gone, it will be interesting to see how the last episode unfolds. Will Gabriel cope with being a single father? He has already shown signs of anxiety about being a parent. 

You’ll need your hankies at the end of this episode. Here’s hoping the tears we cry in the third and final episode are ones of joy and happiness and not sadness!