Amid the chaos of Kristen’s kidnapping, Sarah Horton, Brady Black and Rachel Black become an emotional trio that adds depth to the episode.

While many characters run after power, these three bring viewers back to the human element: fear, cracks and internal struggles.

Sarah Horton is on a difficult emotional journey. Spoilers show that she is at a major turning point: she finally has to look at her true feelings, face the situation instead of running away.

Kristen’s disappearance makes Sarah realize that everything in Salem is unstable – and she can’t just stand by and watch.

Brady Black plays the role of a father trying to be a rock for his daughter. When Rachel panics over her mother’s disappearance, Brady puts everything personal aside to hold her in his arms. These scenes between father and daughter make the audience sob: the pain of children always makes clear the price of adult wars.

Rachel, despite her young age, becomes the emotional center of this arc. She utters the words that make the audience “heartbroken”:

“What if something bad really happens to mom?”

Rachel never believed that her mother would leave without a word. She knows Kristen is not someone who can be caught easily – so her mother’s disappearance can only be a terrible thing.

In the meantime, Sarah is seen as the person who “sees” Rachel’s pain more clearly than anyone else. Sarah has experienced loss, has had moments of fighting with her psychological shadow – so she understands Rachel. And the scene where Sarah puts her hand on Rachel’s shoulder, saying: “You are not alone”, makes the audience choke up.