Ep 1. Episode One

Dominick Birdsey is a middle-aged man who is struggling with various personal issues, including his failed marriage, his below-average job, and most devastatingly, his mentally ill twin brother, Thomas. After an incident that results in Thomas being admitted to a hospital, Dominick becomes increasingly worried about his brother's well-being, especially after Thomas becomes convinced that he wants to cut off his own hand.

As Thomas' condition worsens, Dominick becomes more and more determined to understand their family's history of mental illness, which seems to have affected every member of their family in some way. He begins to investigate his ancestors' experiences with mental illness, as well as his own past traumas, in order to gain some understanding of what his brother is going through.

Meanwhile, Dominick's ex-wife Lisa tries to encourage him to move on and find a new relationship, while also dealing with her own issues related to her father's recent diagnosis with cancer. Throughout the episode, past and present events are intertwined, as Dominick's memories and day-to-day life become increasingly intertwined with his pursuit of understanding his family's history.

As he tries to get more information from his mother, it becomes clear that there are many secrets and unspoken truths that have been hidden within the family for generations. Dominick becomes more and more frustrated as he tries to get to the bottom of what happened to his ancestors, and why mental illness seems to have become such a pervasive theme within their family tree.

The episode is emotional and intense, both in terms of the subject matter and the performances from the actors. Mark Ruffalo (who plays both Dominick and Thomas) gives a particularly powerful performance, conveying both the frustration and compassion that his character feels towards his troubled brother. Overall, the episode sets the stage for a complex exploration of family dynamics, mental illness, and the power of the past to shape our present.