Warning: The following contains spoilers from The Crowded Room.
In the new Apple TV+ show The Crowded Room, there are many mysteries yet to be solved, but one of biggest ones lies in what happened to Danny Sullivan's twin brother Adam. Tom Holland's character in The Crowded Room, Danny was involved in a shooting in Rockefeller Center in 1979. After his arrest, Danny is questioned by Rya Goodwin, Amanda Seyfried, who begins to unravel the details of Danny's past that led him to commit the crime.
In Rya's sessions with Danny, she learns many elements about his past, but details surrounding his brother Adam seem to be omitted. As Danny is often forgetful, it is hard to conclude what exactly happened to his brother Adam at this point in the series. However, by looking at the real-life inspiration for the show, subtle clues emerge on what Adam's fate is in The Crowded Room.
Is Adam Missing Or Dead In The Crowded Room?
As the narrative unfolds in The Crowded Room, the lingering question revolves around Danny's twin brother Adam. The show incorporates quick flashbacks in the show that allude to a tragic event involving Adam, which is further emphasized by Danny's statements to Rya, such as," Adam couldn’t take it anymore." Danny also says that he couldn't save him, which is the catalyst for him getting the gun for Ariana because he could have a second chance at saving someone.
While these moments suggest the possibility of Adam's death, there is also reason to believe the character could still be alive. The biggest evidence for Adam to still be alive is the fact that Danny is an unreliable narrator, coupled with Danny never itting that Adam is dead. With the puzzle still being pieced together through Rya's interviews, there is still more to learn about what happened to Adam, as the evidence present in the first three episodes of The Crowded Room leaves it unclear as to what the verdict is.
The Crowded Room's True Story Inspiration Hints At What Really Happened To Adam
The Crowded Room is a television miniseries that draws inspiration from the 1981 non-fiction novel The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes, which is about the first defendant found not guilty because of insanity due to multiple personality disorder. This diagnosis was then reclassified as dissociative identity disorder in 1993. This disorder typically stems from early childhood trauma with physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, a painful reality that Billy Milligan suffered. The show mirrors this in Danny Sullivan, as he subtly itted to Ariana that he suffered childhood sexual abuse.
Because the show is based on Billy Milligan and his complex psychological condition, one can infer that Adam could potentially be one of Danny's personalities. Having Adam as one of his personalities could have protected him from fully enduring the trauma he encountered as a child from his stepfather, and when Marlin no longer abused him, Adam was not needed. As the series progresses, more will be uncovered about Danny, and the mystery surrounding his twin brother Adam will be revealed.
Did Billy Milligan Have A Brother In Real Life?
By the end of the fifth episode of The Crowded Room, Danny finally revealed the truth about his brother Adam, although the show worked hard to keep it still a slight mystery. In this episode, he revealed how his mother started dating a new man named Marlin (played by Will Chase in the Crowded Room cast), and while she seemed happy with him, Danny was never sure about the man. However, the entire idea of sex still plagued Danny, as he said he was traumatized when he saw his mother and Marlin together and then later one of his guidance counselors got a little too close, causing feelings of discomfort. Luckily for Danny, Marlin showed up to save him from that.
Sadly, this led to Marlin showing his true colors. The entire moment was strange as Marlin drove Danny and Adam out into the country. The entire trip, Marlin spoke to Danny and never even acknowledged Adam's existence. It was one sign that Adam was not really there at all and was just a part of Danny's protective subconscious. When Marlin asked Danny to accompany him to a small barn, Adam tried to tell Danny not to go, but he went anyway. Just as Marlin took Danny's hand and started to lead him there, Adam showed up and said he would go and would never tell their mother.
This was the moment that it was revealed that Adam in The Crowded Room was not real. He took Danny's place and went to the room with Marlin while Danny played with the fireflies, clearly in his mind. As an adult, Danny tells Rya that Marin kept raping and abusing Adam, and this even went on after he married Candy. Andy became Danny's savior and was there to protect him from the pain. Adam was never real, but he was one of Danny's alters that was there to help him when the pain became too much, and it is curious how the show leads to Adam "dying" and leaving Danny alone to reach this tragic moment in his future.
