WARNING! This article contains spoilers for Under the Bridge episode 5!

Summary

• Hulu's Under the Bridge has a lingering question about the tragic backstory of Rebecca Godfrey's brother, inspired by real events.
• The true story reveals that Godfrey's brother died by drowning when they were teenagers.
• Rebecca Godfrey's personal trauma and past tragedies are intertwined with the murder case, adding emotional depth.

Hulu’s Under the Bridge establishes a tragic mystery about the fate of Rebecca Godfrey’s brother, Gabe, which is based on the author’s real experience as a teenager. Under the Bridge adapts the true story of Reena Virk’s tragic murder, which took place in 1997 outside Vancouver, Canada. The real-life tragedy sparked outrage and widespread panic regarding violence among teen girls, with the story being given further analysis following the release of Rebecca Godfrey’s 2005 non-fiction novel, Under the Bridge, documenting the research she conducted on the accused killers and the murder’s aftermath.

Author Rebecca Godfrey becomes a character in Hulu’s Under the Bridge, being played by executive producer Riley Keough, as she returns to her hometown and is invited into the hidden world of Reena Virk’s accused murderers. All the while, Godfrey is contending with her own traumatic past when moving back into her parents’ house, with the tension being underscored by a largely unspoken tragedy regarding her brother, Gabe. Under the Bridge episode 5 finally discloses what happened to Rebecca's brother, with the show's true story inspiration also giving more context to the tragedy.

New episodes of Under the Bridge begin streaming Wednesdays on Hulu.

Rebecca Godfrey's Real-Life Brother, Jonathan, Died By Drowning When He Was 16 Years Old

Gabe's tragic backstory in Under the Bridge is inspired by a real incident

As is the case with a few other characters inspired by real people in the TV show, Hulu’s Under the Bridge changes the name of Rebecca’s brother for dramatization. In Under the Bridge, Rebecca’s brother is called Gabe, whereas her real-life older brother was named Jonathan Godfrey. While Rebecca hadn’t written extensively about her brother’s tragedy before her own untimely passing in real life, the incident was reported on in various obituaries for the celebrated author in 2022.

It’s unclear whether Under the Bridge will replicate the circumstances of this tragedy in its dramatized version of the death of Rebecca’s brother or adjust the incident as it connects to the fictionalized Rebecca and Cam’s backstory.

According to the New York Times, Rebecca’s brother Jonathan Godfrey died at age 16 on August 10, 1981, when Rebecca herself was only 13 years old. In a tragic accident, Jonathan reportedly fell from a bluff near the family’s home in Victoria and drowned, with his death having a massive impact on the real-life Rebecca Godfrey as she entered her teenage years. Under the Bridge's adaptation gives a similar explanation for Gabe's passing, which arrives shortly after the fictionalized character begins seeing her brother in visions.

In Under the Bridge episode 5, Rebecca and Warren (Javon Walton) take drugs in order to prove the former isn't a cop, which leads to the pair having a deep conversation about their fears and traumas. After Warren explains that he thinks the world would be better if he wasn't around, Rebecca states that she sometimes feels similarly. The author elaborates that her brother drowned in the ocean when she was 13 years old and she felt like it was her fault, but Under the Bridge episode 5 doesn't explain why she feels responsible for her brother's tragic fate.

Rebecca Godfrey sadly passed away in 2022 at age 54 from complications of lung cancer.

What Rebecca's Past Tragedy Means For Her Reconciliation With Cam

Cam & Rebecca will have to process their previous shared tragedy

While Rebecca and Cam have begun to rekindle their romance in Under the Bridge, the two have still barely discussed their feelings about Gabe's death, with the aftermath of his fate still looming over their relationship. It's still unclear how Rebecca and Cam were connected to the incident, but the two have mentioned that the former became distant after Gabe's death. Cam is a fictionalized character in Under the Bridge, but her role will seemingly continue to connect Rebecca’s past tragedy to Reena Virk’s murder regarding her grief, reconciliation with the past, and teen traumas.

As they face yet another teen death in their hometown, Cam and Rebecca will have to work together to solve the current case while resolving the aftermath of Gabe’s death long before. The show has implied that Cam and Rebecca's original romance ended while newly grieving Gabe, with their reunion setting up the two to make amends for where they went wrong in their past communications and responses. With photos of the characters as teens teasing Cam, Rebecca, and Gabe’s close bond, it seems a flashback could be in order before Under the Bridge’s finale to fully contextualize their past.

Source: The New York Times