Down Cemetery Road: Who is Downey to Dinah? Their connection, explained

Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Downey in Down Cemetery Road (Image via Apple TV+)
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Downey in Down Cemetery Road (Image via Apple TV+)

Down Cemetery Road is the latest Apple TV+ thriller. This show has garnered a huge fanbase in no time. One of the reasons is the way it crafts its characters and gives each of them a compelling backstory. The show does not waste time pulling viewers into the mystery at hand. And that’s because it does not have to as the characters do the job with their many secrets.

One question that keeps coming up as the story unfolds itself is - who exactly is Downey to Dinah? And why does he risk everything for her? At first, their bond seems unclear. But it becomes obvious as the series goes deeper. We realize that it's their connection that drives the story forward.

Downey’s actions stop looking random as Down Cemetery Road finally peels back its layers. The reason he was following Sarah and how he kept going despite his pain and struggles point to his history that goes way beyond a chance rescue. Dinah is not someone random caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. She is related to Downey through guilt and love. We know that because the latter suffers from a past that was never properly buried.


Down Cemetery Road: Who is Downey to Dinah?

Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Ivy Quoi in Down Cemetery Road (Image via Apple TV+)
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Ivy Quoi in Down Cemetery Road (Image via Apple TV+)

Down Cemetery Road reveals that Downey’s first and obvious connection to Dinah comes through her father. Downey served as a soldier alongside Tommy, Dinah’s dad.

Tommy dies under mysterious circumstances. His body even goes missing from the morgue and is often referred to as "John Doe" in the show. Downey carries that loss with him throughout the show. Saving Dinah becomes his mission as he is guilt-ridden from not being able to save his friend and his wife.

Downey is one of the most intriguing figures in Down Cemetery Road. He is a man whose past changed him forever. He is a former soldier who was part of a covert operation. And that led to him being the victim of a terrible government experiment. Downey lives off the radar and is constantly looking over his shoulder. His instincts and nature suggest someone who has seen too much and trusts very little. He is driven by a sense of responsibility more than anything else.

The show later reveals that Downey's relationship with Dinah’s mother, Maddie, was not only friendly. He was in love with her. It is possible that Dinah may not only be his friend’s daughter but his own child. The show never spells this out clearly. But there are enough clues to make the implication impossible to ignore.

This possibility explains Downey’s behavior towards Dinah. His desperation and panic stems from his paternal instinct towards Dinah. She is family, regardless of her being his responsibility by blood or by promise. Down Cemetery Road touches upon emotional chords with this plot in the story. The military experiment, the cover-up, and the pills matter because they directly threaten Dinah’s safety.

Down Cemetery Road makes Downey’s role clear towards the end. He is Dinah’s protector and will do anything to rescue her. He fights the system, giving his own life to keep Dinah safe. It becomes irrelevant if he was her biological father or not because what matters is that he chose her, time and again, even when it cost him everything.


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Edited by Parishmita Baruah