The Mother-in-Law

In the present, Eamon and Ollie’s fight breaks up quickly. He storms off to his office. After occupying the children, Lucy confronts him. When Ollie apologizes instantly, Lucy wonders if he is apologizing for murdering Diana. Ollie reveals that they are in serious debt because of the business and that he hoped his inheritance would allow him to pay off their debts and leave the business. Lucy comforts him.

Diana recalls what happened with the children. She prepares to swim with Archie in the pool and asks Tom to watch Harriet. She notices that Tom is acting strangely. As she swims with Archie, she sees Tom struggle to hold Harriet, who falls out of his arms and hits her head on the limestone floor.

At the hospital, Lucy and Ollie rush in to see Harriet. She has a skull fracture and has been sedated for an MRI. Lucy confronts Diana about swimming and unleashes her fury about their entire tumultuous relationship. As she inches closer to Diana, she eventually pushes her. Diana falls to the floor and loses consciousness.

Lucy wears Diana’s necklace to the funeral. Like Diana, the funeral lacks much emotion. However, during Ollie’s generic eulogy, Lucy becomes overwhelmed by emotion and begins to sob uncontrollably. Lucy stays behind at the funeral home to greet the remaining mourners. She meets Ghezala and Hakem, who offer their condolences and tell Lucy about Diana helping to deliver their son. They also reveal that they have been asked to serve on the board of Diana’s charity and promise to continue Diana’s work. Ghezala hints to Lucy that Diana’s philanthropic endeavors may have blinded her from being able “to give chances to those right under her nose” (219). Lucy feels like she understands Diana more after this conversation.

The next morning after the incident in the hospital, Diana prepares to leave after being held overnight for monitoring. Tom persuades a hesitant Diana to stop by Harriet’s room to check on her before they leave. They arrive at the hospital room and observe Lucy caring for Harriet. Diana watches them silently from the doorway and feels she understands Lucy more. They leave quietly. When they return home, Tom expresses his despair over dropping Harriet and confesses that he has seen a doctor about losing strength. The doctor referred him to a neurologist specializing in ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He asks Diana to accompany him to his appointment tomorrow. They attend the appointment the next day. After the appointment, Diana drives as Tom cries in the seat beside her. They return home and comfort each other.

The story flashes back to 1971. Diana has found a job at a local movie theatre that allows her to bring four-month-old Ollie. She begins contributing to the bills at Meredith’s home. One night at work, Diana serves a young man she recognizes as Tom Goodwin, a plumber who completed work at her parents’ home. As they chat, Diana brazenly tells Tom about Ollie and being exiled from her family. They laugh together.

Lucy arrives at the wake. Ollie and Patrick have already consumed a few beers. As Lucy cares for the children, Ollie jumps on a chair and begins to deliver a more heartfelt eulogy for Diana. A drunk Patrick interrupts Ollie’s eulogy and cheers that Diana is dead. Lucy attempts to stop him and notices Nettie crying.

In the past, Lucy continues to care for Harriet in the hospital. Harriet’s nurse informs Lucy that Diana calls the hospital repeatedly for updates on Harriet and Lucy. After Ollie arrives at the hospital for his shift, Lucy decides to drive to Tom and Diana’s home to forgive Diana. When Lucy arrives and greets Diana, she notices that Diana does not look well. Diana collapses to the floor. Diana reveals to Lucy that Tom has been diagnosed with ALS, which will cause him to lose total control over his physical body over time. She asks Lucy not to tell Ollie about the diagnosis as Tom wants to tell Ollie and Nettie himself. 

Later, at a family meeting, Tom tells Ollie, Nettie, and Patrick about his diagnosis. Ollie and Nettie’s lack of reaction surprises Lucy. Ollie begins to discuss Tom’s will and asks him what it states, much to Diana and Lucy’s shock. When Tom gets emotional, Ollie comforts him.

Lucy and Ollie return to Diana and Tom’s house to pick up any sentimental items. The lawyer has warned them not to take anything else. When they chat, Lucy expresses her commitment to Ollie and wonders how their lives will change because of their financial situation. Ollie comments on how Lucy is dressed more minimally than in the past and how it reminds him of how his mother dressed. As they prepare to leave, the two homicide detectives approach them with a neighbor who claims to have seen Ollie at Diana’s home on the day she died. The woman describes what Ollie was wearing that day. Though she denies the woman’s claims at first, Lucy suddenly remembers that the woman’s description of Ollie’s clothes that day is accurate.

In a flashback, Lucy takes the children to Diana and Tom’s house for a visit. Tom is in a wheelchair and has difficulty with his mobility and speaking. Tom’s illness has reunited the family as they work together to help Diana care for him.

Back at home, Lucy has called Nettie to help her with the children as the detectives question Ollie at the police station. As Nettie grows emotional, Lucy comforts her. Nettie shocks Lucy when she explains that she is upset over her fertility issues and not over her mother's death or Ollie’s implied involvement in her death. Patrick notices Nettie’s emotional outburst and insists on taking Nettie home.

In the past, Lucy has been assigned to greet mourners at Tom’s wake. Tom died of an upper respiratory infection. When Diana disappears in the middle of the wake, and everyone asks for her, Lucy searches for and discovers Diana crying in a closet upstairs. She tearfully shares that she cannot sell their large home because of her memories with Tom. Diana attempts to regain her composure to return downstairs, but Lucy lies to Diana about people looking for her and tells her to take all the time she needs.

As Diana hides in the closet for hours, Lucy takes control of the wake downstairs. Nettie and Patrick grow increasingly more drunk. Nettie angrily predicts that Diana will sell the house and donate the earnings to charity. Aware of Diana’s true feelings, Lucy disagrees and decides to bring Diana some food and tea upstairs. She finds Diana awake upstairs and leaves the food for her. Diana quietly thanks her as Lucy leaves. 

As Diana adapts to her life as a widow, she recalls how Tom insisted that Ollie never know the truth about his paternity to give Ollie the chance to live a normal life. She considers calling someone to come keep her company but resists. Patrick has been seen out with other women in multiple towns. When someone rings the doorbell, Diana ignores it.

Ollie returns home from the police station and shares with Lucy what questions the detectives asked him. Aware of Eamon and Ollie’s business struggles, the detectives also questioned Eamon about his possible involvement in Diana’s death. Ollie asks Lucy if she believes he killed Diana. She does not believe he killed Diana, but she does believe he is concealing information and asks him to tell her the truth.

In a flashback, Lucy decides to stop by and check on Diana at the last minute. When Diana does not answer the door, Lucy finds the door open and discovers Diana in a depressive state on the couch. Worried, she drives Diana to the doctor’s office. The doctor examines Diana and orders some blood tests. After diagnosing her with depression, the doctor prescribes her antidepressants and refers her to a psychologist. Lucy notices that the doctor refers to Lucy as Diana’s daughter and that Diana does not correct the doctor’s mistake.

Back in the present, Ollie confesses to Lucy that he did visit Diana on the day of her death. A phone call interrupts their conversation. The detectives request Lucy to come down to the station for questioning. They claim that Diana was involved in an organization called Voluntary Euthanasia International and that Lucy was aware of Diana’s involvement.

Lucy returns home from the doctor’s appointment and finds Patrick and Nettie outside, waiting to share some news. Inside, Lucy updates them about Diana’s meeting with the doctor. They agree to take turns checking in on her. Nettie shares an update on her fertility journey. Her doctor has suggested using a donor egg and a surrogate. Since Australia only allows egg donation and surrogacy to be voluntary, Nettie hopes Lucy will be their donor and surrogate. Lucy turns down the offer and notices that Patrick seems relieved by her decision.