The tenth episode of Breathe: Into the Shadows opens at the hideout. Gayatri and Siya play ludo while the kidnapper enters. As he enters the girls’ room to drop the groceries, Gayatri throws the chemical solution on the kidnapper’s face. He is taken aback and grabbing this opportunity, the girls run outside. They sit inside the kidnapper’s car but the ignition takes time to start. The kidnapper is standing in front of the car. Gayatri hastily reverses the car but the kidnapper catches up with them. Gayatri manages to stop the kidnapper and let Siya escape so that she can get help. However, the next moment, Siya comes running back because she’s a scared little girl who doesn’t know where to go. Alas, yet another failed attempt to escape the captivity of the kidnapper!

The sun rises while all this happens. This means trouble for J as he should have been home by now. He immediately cycles back to his home. As he enters his home, Abha’s sister sees him and asks him about his limp. J ignores her and goes inside. Abha is also back from her night shift at the hotel. J hurries and changes his clothes. When Abha enters the bedroom, she finds Avi (J) sleeping. That was a close call!

The next morning, Avi has a massive headache because of all the exhaustion at night as J. Minor bruises are also present on his hands but he doesn’t know where they came from. Kabir calls Avi to come to Angad’s building. The media and police are outside Angad’s building. Kabir isn’t feeling well as his stab wound hasn’t fully healed. Kabir notices that the pattern of broadcasting the video of the murder has changed. Prakash wonders how the killer knows that the crime branch has issued a court order for news channels to refrain from broadcasting any videos without their permission. Kabir thinks that someone involved in the case might have leaked it out. Avi reaches the crime scene and asks about the dominant emotion behind this killing. Kabir answers that the emotion is fear of the dark. Prakash shows Avi the video of the killing. Kabir thinks that the footprints of the killer suggest that he is a limper but this is misleading as Meghna saw the killer run and he didn’t have a limp. The team tries to figure out the foot size and height of the killer which comes out to be similar to that of Avi. Avi is on a call while Kabir finds Angad’s degree and his college’s batch picture. Prakash recalls that he saw a similar degree at Avi’s clinic. They check the description of the batch picture and it has Avi’s name in it. Kabir asks Avi about his college and tells him that Angad was in the same batch as him. After a little hesitation, Avi pretends to remember Angad now. Prakash is surprised that Avi didn’t recognise his college friend at once. Kabir asks Meghna about her last conversation with Angad. She tells him that Angad said that something from his past had come forward. Kabir further asks her if Angad mentioned a college friend but Meghna isn’t sure.

Next, we’re shown Meghna’s home. Her father doesn’t like the fact that she is in touch with Kabir. We learn that Meghna is moving to Canada and has been meaning to tell Kabir this.

Kabir, Prakash and JP are at Angad and Avi’s college. Prakash still can’t believe that Avi couldn’t recognise his college friend. They know about Angad’s history of his imprisonment and subsequent drug addiction. Prakash and Kabir start doubting Avi because Himanshu (the student who Angad accidentally killed) was Avi’s roommate. Kabir remembers that when he had called Avi to make him watch a video of a suspect, the voice message tune of Avi’s phone was in Marwari. This means Avi wasn’t in Delhi. Kabir also recalls that he even saw Avi at the NA meeting which is also the place that Angad frequently visited. Avi’s name pops up again and again. Prakash finds Avi’s basement also fishy as he remembers Avi’s face when Prakash asked him if he could have a look at the basement. Although JP doesn’t believe that Avi could be involved in anything like this, Kabir and Prakash grow suspicious of Avi. They reach the crime branch and the news about Kabir beating up some political party workers is making headlines. A party worker claims that Kabir hit him with a bottle on his head. Looks like Zeba’s plan to defame Kabir is coming through.

At home, Avi and Abha clear the basement of all suspicious material. Avi feels he messed up by pretending to not have recognised Angad at once. Kabir visits Avi’s home on the pretext of ‘clearing his head’. Avi introduces Kabir to Abha. The three of them sit down and an awkward silence follows. In order to clear his name, Avi tells Kabir about the incident at college which caused Himanshu’s death. Kabir asks him why he didn’t say anything at the crime scene. Avi gives a psychiatrist-type answer and evades the question. Next, Kabir adds something about the late-night call and Avi clarifies that he was in Alwar, Rajasthan and not Delhi, thus giving his alibi. Kabir asks about the basement of their home and Avi tells him that they have made it into a games room. Avi and Abha let him have a look at it. As they come out, Kabir’s stab wound again hurts.

Prakash and JP have lunch at Prakash’s friend’s dhaba. There is some flirting going on between Prakash and his friend.

Next, we see Shirley and J again at the shady hotel. So, is this a regular thing now? A police raid takes place but Shirley handles the situation. She defends J in front of the officer and calls J her boyfriend. This brings back J’s memories from his childhood when Natasha had put all the blame on him when they were caught kissing. J and Shirley enter their room and J feels Shirley isn’t like other people. He feels confident about her and opens up about his childhood memories. He tells her about his school principal whom he fondly called “Pa”. But J adds that Pa broke his trust.

We’re taken 15 months back in time when Avi went to visit his boarding school in Nainital as the principal was in a critical condition. He is on his deathbed and thinks that it is time to tell Avi about J. He tells Avi to see a psychiatrist as J’s purpose has been solved. But J comes out at this moment. He is angry with his Pa for telling Avi to let J go. The principal apologises to J and pulls a tube out of his nose, thus killing himself. This is where the inception of J’s kidnapping and killing plan took place. J feels that his Pa taught him that the 10 emotions of Ravana make him a complete man but they are actually a man’s weakness. Now, J will kill the people who hurt Avi because of these emotions. One of the killings has already taken place, i.e., of the principal due to the emotion of attachment (with Avi).

This episode of Breathe: Into the Shadows dives deep into the psyche of J and his killings. Now that we know the inception of his plan, where will it finally end?

Episode Rating: 3/5