Nine Perfect Strangers – The Crabapple Clubhouse

By starrymag | May 28, 2025

By: Malasha Parker

 

 

Back in 2014, Masha (Nicole Kidman) meets Helena (Lena Olin) for the first time. Helena asks her how she is coping with the death of her daughter. She tells her she isn’t coping at all and that she is afraid she won’t be able to remember what her daughter looks like. She is already starting to forget her. Helena quickly persuades her to find a solution to remembering her daughter and the two begin to gather natural herbs to do so. They make a drink out of it and Masha drinks it. 

 

In the present, Masha and Helena are discussing how Helena is worried about Masha’s unorthodox methods. Masha casually ignores any concern and leaves to make a delivery with what can be assumed is Brian’s forgotten suitcase. 

 

Wolfie (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) and Tina (King Princess) are lying in bed while Tina worries over Masha. She feels like she is in a nightmare while Wolfie tries to persuade Tina to continue at the retreat to get rid of their trauma. But Tina is not as nonchalant about the topic and leaves the bed. 

 

Peter (Henry Golding) and Imogen (Annie Murphy) are in bed together when Imogen tries to sneak out without telling Peter. They tell each other they had a great time the night before, but Imogen still feels the need to go. As she’s putting on her clothes, they try to navigate how to move forward. She tells him to tell her what he wants her to do and they start to joke around and he playfully throws her back onto the bed. 

 

Brian (Murray Bartlett) is in his room worrying about his bag’s location. He eats a chocolate wrapped in a piece of paper that has a note beside it telling him to “have courage.” He then makes a call in search of the case. While he is on the phone Masha comes in with the case. Masha lies about where it has been and tells Brian he should express his aggravation about the bag being misplaced. She urges him to let his anger out by yelling. He eventually does. He learns that Masha’s daughter used to watch his show. She asks him about the contents of the case and it is indeed who she thinks it is, the puppet from Brian’s television show. After meeting him, she sheds a quick tear and tells Brian she will see him later. 

 

Victoria (Christine Baranski) asks Martin (Lucas Englander) about changing her breakfast, but the meals are on a strict protocol. Tina is refusing to eat breakfast and Wolfie asks her to not be rude. Brian stands outside the doors in hesitation of entering the room when his puppet shows up to encourage him to go to school. It seems the puppet is focusing on his childhood worries. He then tells the puppet he’s scared and when he does the scene materializes to the set of Brian Funkin’s Crabapple Clubhouse television show. The puppet is talking to a child about being afraid to go to school. He tells the child, “You’re special. There’s only one you. And isn’t that wonderful?  As he says this, the moment returns to the present where Brian finishes the sentence. He gets up and walks into the dining area to join the others. He looks worried still, but eventually works up the courage to apologize to Agnes (Dolly De Leon) for mistaking her as an employee. Meanwhile, Victoria and Matteo (Aras Aydin) lightly tease Peter and Imogen about their night. While they’re eating Masha is watching over the video feeds and texting Martin. Imogen and Wolfie notice him looking at the plants strangely, so Imogen asks if he’s talking to someone. He denies it but continues communicating with Masha through texts and looking directly into some of the hidden cameras. Martin tells the group they will start foraging. Not everyone is on board to start taking the drugs. Tina mentions she is there under false pretences, but eventually says she will do the drugs. Martin reminds them that foraging is about connecting to the land and the people around them. Wolfie questions Peter’s dad again but instead of answering, Martin relays Masha’s message about Brian being the leader of the group. 

 

Imogen is skeptical of Brian being the leader and raises awareness to the group. She reminds them that he was in a position of power before and it did not lead to any good place. Agnes believes everyone deserves forgiveness and some of the group agrees. Then, everyone begins to break out into heated discussions causing the volume to rise as Martin tries to settle everyone back down. Agnes then lets out a loud yell and everyone gets quiet from shock. She tells Brian to guide them. 

 

Martin goes to Masha to question her on why they are making sudden plan changes. She says that the plan is dependent on the dynamic of the group so protocol cannot begin until they have Peter’s father present. He tells her she will not dominate over him when she moves closer and Masha points out that Martin is upset he was not chosen to be in charge. Martin tells Masha that he just wants to be able to trust her. 

 

The group is hiking in the snow as they listen to Brian tell them about his hiking skills. Victoria didn’t join them so Matteo joins Imogen’s hiking group and the others split into their groups for the hike. Victoria (Christine Baranski) is in the room drinking and looking over her “End of Life” notebook and documents.

 

Wolfie is talking to Brian about her relationship troubles with Tina. She wants Tina to get help, but doesn’t know if she is doing it the right way. She asks Brian for advice but he has trouble connecting because his work deals with children. Wolfie is upset because not only did Tina’s actions stop her work, but it also stopped Wolfie’s career. While he’s listening, Brian sees his puppet and starts to give her some advice. It ends in him calling out, “Everyone deserves a best friend!” 

 

Tina tells Agnes it was nice of her to make the room listen to Brian earlier.  She asks Agnes if she believes the stories, but Agnes says everything is not always as it seems regardless. Agnes inquires about Wolfie and Tina asks why Agnes stopped being a nun. Agnes then questions why she stopped playing the piano. Tina says it’s like the music stopped playing her and Agnes says something similar happened to her when it comes to believing in God. Peter, Imogen, and Matteo are looking at the view during their hike. Matteo mistakenly thinks Peter’s dad is dead when he mentions how he would have loved the view, but Peter corrects him. When Peter tells Matteo his dad’s name, Imogen makes a comment about how knowing who his dad is explains a lot. She’s making a judgement. When they ask about Matteo’s parents, he lets them know they are no longer living.

 

Masha and Helena are working when Helena says she’s reached her work limit for the day. Helena says she’s going to go hunting. As she gathers her gun and coat, David Sharpe (Mark Strong) arrives in a helicopter onto the property. Masha directs Martin to take David to his room and isolate him as the others arrive back to the house. 

 

Brian congratulates Martin on his work and then tells the group they have to make dinner. Brian is still in charge. Brian asks Imogen why she sighed, but Wolfie quickly diffuses the situation before it can go further. Brian’s puppet tells him to get her because she was making fun of him. There is a flashback Brian has of a time where people behind the camera were having a discussion while he was filming his television program. In the present, he audibly responds to his puppet while others are around and Matteo questions who he is talking to. Brian brushes it off and quickly changes the subject. 

 

Everyone is in the kitchen at their various stations. Victoria joins them and Imogen gets upset that she is only now just arriving after most of the work is done. Tina and Matteo try to calm her down, but she doesn’t want to listen to them. Brian asks her a question and then Imogen tells him she ruined his childhood. Brian says the video didn’t benefit him and her mother is the one who ruined her childhood. He says he was treated wrongly because lashed out and told children to express their feelings like he did but he failed at delivering the message. He says instead of helping he let them down because people judge instead of giving people a break. The entire room is quiet as they watch the conversation and Brian runs out the room. Imogen exits the kitchen on the other side of the room. 

 

Outside, Brian thinks about the day on set that ended his career. He aggressively asks who was talking because they’re trying to teach children how to have respect and the people talking are not showing them a good example of that. He continues to yell and when he sees someone filming, he explodes by flipping a table over. He looks towards the disappointed child on set as the audience is shown the worry in his own eyes. 

 

Tina finds Brian sitting outside and tells him that it was a good thing that he had a human experience in the kitchen. He thinks it may have been the chocolates because no one else received them that morning. Tina tells him she was on his show. He remembers her and how she wanted to be an astronaut when she grew up. She tells them how her parents reacted to her saying she wanted to be an astronaut. No one else listened to her but he did. Brian pulls out Jesse and tells her he’s sorry that Brian said the world sucks. But Tina says it’s okay because it kind of does suck.

 

Imogen is hurriedly packing her clothes into her suitcase to leave when Peter enters the room. She tells him she has to go because she is constantly saying too mucus and never letting anything go. She doesn’t understand why she does that to people and why she always makes people react in such a way. Peter says it’s okay that she is judgemental and he wonders why she cares so much if Brian likes her. She says it helped her keep it together to watch Brian when her dad died. He encourages her to talk about it since she says she doesn’t like to.

 

Masha goes to David’s room. She says she will put a stop to his technology use and then inquires about his lateness to the retreat. David tells her he only came for his son, Peter. Before she leaves he asks if that was all and she turns back. The two share a kiss and then she leaves saying that won’t happen anymore. She leaves but looks back to his isolated cabin separate from the main house menacingly.