Small wins, then a crushing blow for Alex in Youth episode 4

Back from Frankfurt, the fourth episode of Youth drops Alex and Ruari straight into new turbulence. It opens at Frank’s bar, where Alex and Sam pick over life and work while Ruari quietly gets on with his new gig behind the counter — the job Alex encouraged after finally making peace with his decision to leave university.

Work and exes collide

Sam pushes Alex to bring Malcolm back into the company, a hard sell given Alex says Malcolm propositioned her in a Frankfurt sauna. The day gets messier when Alex nearly drives off best-selling author Rachel Lash by steering their meeting into talk about relationships instead of business. Sam isn’t having it; she wants Rachel back on their roster, full stop.

On the personal front, Alex turns up unannounced at her ex Patrick’s place and finds him with Cara, the much-younger woman he’s been seeing. She bolts, dodges Patrick’s calls, then learns Sam already told him about Alex’s fling with Lars. When Sam confronts Alex for oversharing with Rachel, the two finally air it out: Sam says she only told Patrick after learning he’d already gotten with Cara.

• Work headache: wooing back Rachel Lash while debating Malcolm’s return
• Ex drama: Patrick and Cara go public as Alex’s fling with Lars comes to light
• New normal: Ruari settles into bar work at Frank’s

Michael seemed like a reset

Alex agrees to a date with Michael after balking at the age gap — she’s in her 50s; he’s 67. He wins her over with kindness, comes to dinner, talks her through the Sam situation, and even clicks with Ruari. Before he leaves, Michael suggests he can be someone Alex leans on — and even help guide Ruari — as Alex inches closer to landing both Rachel and Malcolm. Buoyed, Alex asks Sam about a partnership role; that goes nowhere.

Then the date implodes. Alex’s sister drops off their parents mid-evening, and Michael’s patience thins as they keep calling for him. Ruari, starting to warm to Michael, confides a worrying new issue — pain in his testicles — which only frustrates Michael more. When Alex floats a getaway to Ibiza, he turns her down and breaks things off, saying he’s too old to take it slow.

By the end, Alex proposes an Ibiza escape with Ruari after being dumped by Michael.

Ruari’s rough night

Ruari later runs into Bridget and her friend Mia at Frank’s. He tries to clear the air about the rumor that helped push him out of school, but Mia clocks him before Frank steps in to break it up. The episode closes with Alex telling Ruari about Michael and suggesting they leave for Ibiza together — mother and son, back on the move.