Tear-Drinker is the upcoming fifth episode of HBO's The Outsider. It premiered on February 2, 2020.
Synopsis[]
After returning from an eye-opening trip to New York, Holly (Cynthia Erivo) searches for clues at several locations connected to the Dayton case. Jeannie (Mare Winningham) finds herself shaken by an unnerving incident at work and delivers an ominous warning to Ralph (Ben Mendelsohn). Jack (Marc Menchaca) is put on the defensive at Tamika’s (Hettienne Park) baby shower.
Plot[]
In Cherokee City, the hooded figure appears to Ralph's wife Jeannie, relaying a warning to Ralph that they will both be killed if he continues his investigation. Ralph brushes this off as a nightmare of Jeannie's, but is unsettled when her drawing of the intruder is extremely similar to the boy's drawing of the man who took the van.
In Dayton, Holly theorizes about the shape-shifting creature killing children, and visits the cemeteries of both Heath Hofstedter and his alleged victims, finding dilapidated buildings nearby and photographing them, believing that the creature would live in these buildings to feed on the suffering of those visiting the graves.
She also meets a man associated with Heath, who later commits suicide-by-cop and is shown to have the same sores on his neck as Jack. Holly suggests Ralph take photographs around Terry's grave, and Ralph's partner Yun notices that the barn where the clothes were found is right by the cemetery. Holly opts to drive back to Cherokee City to debrief Ralph, Howie and Alec. The night before, she invites Andy Katcavage, a Dayton security officer with whom she's had a courtship, up to her room. Holly leaves the next morning but her car breaks down on the way out of Dayton. Andy finds her notes on the investigation and researches them. Continually terrorized by the unseen entity, Jack offers to help Ralph with his case.