Daddy Still Loves Us

Daddy Still Loves Us is a 2019 American supernatural psychological horror film that revolves around an adolescent boy named Marcus, who finds himself falling victim to an inner malevolence after the death of his father. The film stars Jordan Pressler, Drew Barrymore,

Tagline

Nothing is more terrifying than losing a loved one - or so he thought.

Summary

Following the recent death of his father, 19-year-old Marcus begins to experience a complete overhaul on his once-comfortable suburban life. His mother, Lynda, is also deeply traumatized by the loss and chooses to drown her sorrows away with a self-destructive plunge into alcoholism. Marcus receives a great deal of comfort from his close circle of friends in the neighborhood, all of whom want to support and care for their friend to the best of their distinct abilities. Refusing to seek professional help or come to terms with his father's passing, Marcus starts to follow in his mother's footsteps, smothering his deep-seated anxieties under drugs and booze. What commences as a chaotic aftermath of tragedy slowly progresses into something far more sinister, as Marcus learns that neither he nor his mother are safe living in their suppressed environment. Could it be his father trying to reach out to him from beyond the veil? Or has Marcus' life-altering trauma manifested in some sort of supernatural awakening?

Plot

In a quiet suburban neighborhood, an endless row of tall trees enclose the block, ablaze with color as the changing leaves fall carelessly onto the street and blow silently along in the wind across freshly mown lawn. The road is completely silent with nary a single car driving by. The bright blue sky is illuminating a lovely middle-class home adorned with thick bushes stacked up against the side windows and a large cherry tree standing on one side of the front yard. The green grass is slathered with red juice just below the tree. On top of the fruit-coated plant are some birds chirping happily as they feast on all the cherries. 19-year-old Marcus (Jordan Pressler) is relaxing by himself on the couch in his living room, watching an old black-and-white movie on his parents' widescreen TV. As he watches the old-fashioned yet artsy production with an almost deranged keenness, in comes his mother, Lynda (Drew Barrymore), complete with her half-drank glass of chardonnay, who wanders into the living room and slides beside Marcus on the couch with the glass in one hand and her cellphone in the other. Lynda scrolls through passages on her phone looking as though something is troubling her, but all Marcus cares to do is devote his full attention to the movie. Once she lets out her final glare of disgust upon her phone business, Lynda puts down her cellular device and turns her attention to an entranced Marcus. She questions Marcus as to why he frequently indulges in such ancient works of art, but he simply brushes off her obvious contempt and maintains his eyesight on the television screen. Seeing that he doesn't want to be spoken to, Lynda scrunches her face into a silly expression and playfully forces her way into Marcus' personal space, rubbing her face against his and asking him once again why he insists on watching old movies. Unable to keep his focus on the film, Marcus can't help breaking into a giggle and gives his mother a kiss on the cheek. Lynda wraps her arms around Marcus' neck and smothers him with hugs and kisses, resting her head on his shoulder and sharing in his fascinated viewing experience. Lynda realizes the movie Marcus is watching is George Waggner's 1941 horror film, The Wolf Man, catching the scene where Lon Chaney Jr. transforms into a werewolf. Lynda grows disturbed by the grotesqueness of this pivotal moment and asks Marcus why he's so consumed by the material, to which he unapologetically replies that he empathizes with the character, able to be scared by the effect but also moved by the notion of a man losing control over his physical and mental state. Lynda takes in her son's thought but can't resist taking another sip of her drink.

Later on in the evening, the sky takes on a dark blue palette. Leaves are still blowing along in the street. A Volkswagen CC pulls up in the driveway, and upon hearing the sound of the engine all the way from the living room, Marcus shoots up from the couch and eagerly rushes to the front door where he greets his father, Paul ( ) with a warm embrace. Paul gives his son a prolonged kiss on his scalp that's buried beneath mounds of brown wavy hair as he holds him powerfully in his arms. Lynda walks into the entrance and expresses her pleasant surprise that Marcus still greets his dad with affection even though he is 19. Marcus goes into the kitchen to get ready for dinner and Lynda welcomes Paul home from work with a long-awaited French kiss. As the couple becomes lost in each other's hold, Marcus lays out three placemats on the dining room table and then distributes cutlery and plates beside each. He strolls back into the entrance hall and finds his parents still canoodling, causing him to instinctively squinch his face up.

As the three sit around the table eating their dinner, Lynda reads conspiracy theory stories on her cellphone while Paul reads irrelevant hoax articles on his. Marcus, preferring not to waste his valuable time with his family eyeing a computer screen, chows down on his mother's rotisserie chicken with relish and applauds her for perfecting the meat as she usually does every Thursday night. Absorbed in the harrowing information she's reading, Lynda complains out loud about the government slowly destroying the ozone layer with chemtrails, but Paul rolls his eyes and insists that she's getting too caught up in details that have yet to be proven accurate. Lynda refuses to accept the possibility that her knowledge on this conspiracy is false, and proclaims she witnessed countless trails being left in the sky earlier from aircrafts. Marcus chimes in that Lynda may be confusing condensation left in the sky for chemicals, but she rebuffs any counterpoints in stubborn conviction that she is spot-on with her paranoid suspicions. Marcus proceeds to calmly eat his food, trying to avoid sending his mother into a frenzy, and asks Paul about his day at work. Paul proudly announces that he sold several life insurance policies to families going through a loss, as well as offering financial planning services to his clients approaching retirement. When asked about what he did today, Marcus tells his father he started working on writing his next screenplay on his fandom movies community. Paul humorously ridicules Marcus for writing fanfiction rather than getting an actual paying job, but Lynda comes to her son's rescue and commends him for devoting his time and energy into doing what makes him happy, encouraging him to continue writing his stories. During the course of their family dinner, somebody rings the doorbell outside. Paul and Lynda stare at each other in confusion, unsure of who would be arriving at their home so late in the evening, but Marcus has a pretty good idea of who it is.

He excuses himself from the table and saunters into the entrance hall. Slowly opening the door with a bit of apprehension, Marcus discovers his circle of best friends -- Brett ( ), an emaciated, long-haired smoke fiend, his younger brother, Charlie ( ) and their black straitlaced friend, Jay ( ) -- waiting for him on his doorstep. Jay gives Marcus his signature hug and Brett reveals a case of bud light beer hidden in his backpack. Marcus greets them with a vague grin and unenthusiastically welcomes them into his home. As soon as the three step foot inside, Marcus secretly releases a frustrated sigh accompanied by an eye roll as he closes the door. Brett leads the pack upstairs toward Marcus' bedroom, but Marcus begins to feel sick with dread as he follows his friends up the steps. Staring at his closed bedroom door as though it were a warzone, Marcus recommends hanging out downstairs in case they get drunk and create a commotion. The trio turns around and heads back downstairs, and on his way toward the basement, Jay peeks into the kitchen and gives a warm greeting to Paul and Lynda with his overemphasized smile and overtly polite exterior. Marcus ushers Jay downstairs in embarrassment and informs his parents they're simply going to watch television. Lynda voices her worry to Paul that the boys are planning on drinking and smoking, but Paul calms her down and asserts that Marcus would never engage in such an activity, believing he's too smart and educated to wreak havoc on his body or give in to peer pressure. Lynda thinks she should go downstairs and make sure they're not doing anything, but Paul urges her not to embarrass Marcus by making a scene and dismisses her fear by stating "teenagers will be teenagers". Lynda pulls herself together in hope that she's being irrational and falls silent, returning to her chicken with a resounding look of unease.

Down in the basement, Brett and Charlie take swigs of their canned beer and Jay sucks long drags off his electronic cigarette while Marcus stares at them with disdain and masks his discomfort behind an emotionless visage of calm. Brett offers Marcus some of his alcohol but he uses his dismissive wave to decline, insisting that he detests the flavor and prefers to maintain control of his faculties and behavior. Charlie proclaims that Marcus should experience what it's like to get drunk at least once in his life and criticizes him for being close-minded about attempting new things, but lacking the assertiveness to defend his choices, Marcus simply shrugs his shoulders and stares down at the floor in shame. Brett praises Marcus for having the courage to say no to things he doesn't want to do and even admires his ability to have a good time without relying on toxic substances, being that he has reached a point where he feels controlled and dominated by smoking and drinking in order to feel good. Injected with a spark of self-respect based on Brett's kind words, Marcus smiles at him as he mindlessly chugs away at his can. Looking over at Jay, who's emitting a cloud of vapor from his mouth, Marcus asks him what he's smoking, and Jay, surprised at his ignorance, explains that it's a nicotine-based liquid used to help smokers quit smoking. Marcus finds himself entranced by the sight of the growing cloud exiting from Jay's mouth, as well as enticed by the fruity scent, so he asks Jay if he could give it a try. Jay hands Marcus his e-cig and he observes its cigarette-shaped appearance with a transfixed blend of excitement and anxiety. Marcus slowly brings the electronic cigarette to his lips and inhales deeply, but struggles to hold the vapor in his mouth as it goes down his throat and starts choking on it. Brett, Charlie and Jay chuckle in merriment and Marcus hands the e-cig back to Jay as he continues to cough out the vapor through his mouth. Jay talks about meeting up with his girlfriend later in the night and indiscreetly mentions his plan to lose his virginity, which strikes Marcus with a tinge of envy and loneliness. Brett gets into an argument with Charlie over buying him a pack of cigarettes before he goes back to their father's house, leaving Marcus stranded in a mass of tedium as he apathetically listens to their bickering with his usual enigmatic gaze.

As the bright sun goes to rest and the blackness of night emerges alongside the moon, Lynda and Paul get ready for bed. Paul is in the bathroom brushing his teeth and Lynda is sitting upright in bed reading another article about chemtrails on her laptop. She reads troubling passages on the subject matter aloud to her husband, expressing her concern about where the state of the world will be if these actions continue, but Paul, talking through a mouthful of toothpaste, thinks these conspiracy stories are being written by unreliable misfits who are merely trying to stir up panic within the gullible population. Defiant to the sound of opposition, Lynda proceeds with horrified eyes as she skims through the article and silently reads theories regarding the connection between chemtrails and global warming. Paul spits his remaining toothpaste into the sink, wipes his face with a towel hanging off the door, and walks into his bedroom to find Lynda nervously scrutinizing the reports. Having had enough of her rambling for one night, Paul closes Lynda's laptop and forcibly moves it on top of the bureau despite her objection. He gets into bed and cuddles his wife closely, staring romantically into her eyes while she looks back at his with a smile of everlasting affection. As the lovers become more intimate with one another, hinting at the return of sexual desire, they suddenly hear a mood-threatening knock on the outside of their door. The knob is then turned and entering the room is Marcus, who seems as though he couldn't be happier to see his two best friends in the world. Lynda and Paul smoothly break off their intimacy and invite their son in, armed with the knowledge he was going to let himself in regardless. Marcus crawls in bed and lies down between Paul and Lynda, who both stare at each other with a mutual look of expected disappointment. Marcus, on the other hand, has on a smile of peace and relaxation painted across his face as he sinks his head comfortably on Paul's pillow and caresses his parents' hands. Paul informs Marcus that he can't sleep in their bed forever and must at some point learn independence, but Lynda feels honored to have a son who enjoys spending quality time with his parents. Marcus discusses his repugnance over associating with his friends when they smoke and drink because it's not something he can relate to, so Paul admonishes him to find new friends, but Marcus admits he is too shy and socially inept to meet new people.

Early the following morning, the sun rises over the suburban street and a couple more cherries fall from the tree and make a splat as they hit the ground. Marcus, Paul and Lynda are still sleeping together in their bed huddled under a cozy quilt. Marcus and Paul sleep face to face while Marcus keeps both of his hands wrapped tightly around his father's arm. Paul is suddenly woken out of his snooze by the incessant ringing of his alarm clock placed atop a wooden shelf next to his bed. He reaches over and turns off his bedside alarm, then delicately pulls Marcus' fingers off his arm, sits up straight on the edge of the bed and rubs his eyes. Looking over his shoulder and seeing as his wife and son are still asleep, Paul gives Marcus a kiss on his temple and edges away into the bathroom to take a shower. As a cloud of steam permeates the room and gentle running water bounces calmly off the enclosed walls, Marcus remains peacefully confined in his sleep and turns over on his back, lying shoulder to shoulder with Lynda.

With his hair neatly groomed, and sporting a white button-down shirt along with a professional-looking pair of khakis, Paul heads downstairs into the kitchen and brews a steaming pot of coffee. He snatches an avocado from a basket beside the refrigerator and begins to dig out pieces of the green, smooth oily flesh with a spoon and devours it at the table, while simultaneously drinking his cup of coffee and reading yet another story on his cellphone. Lynda, enveloped in a dressing gown, wanders into the kitchen with noticeably untidy hair and partially open eyes. She fixes herself a hot cup of coffee and complains about being stiff from lying so closely next to Marcus in bed. Paul mentions in a rather calm manner that his arm feels slightly bruised as a result of Marcus gripping it all night, necessitating him to drink coffee with his opposite hand. Lynda sits sipping coffee and asks Paul what he's reading, and he tells her it's regarding a priest who denied a transgender woman from entering his church. Lynda cringes at the stupidity of the article and expresses her discontent with the lack of tolerance and empathy going on in the world. As Paul continues to consume avocado by the large spoonful, Lynda confesses that she smelled nicotine on Marcus' clothing even though he promised he wasn't smoking with his friends, to which Paul surmises that some of his friends' smoke must have absorbed into Marcus' clothes. Lynda is concerned that Brett is a bad influence on their son, claiming he used to be a sweet, artistic prodigy but is now throwing his life away on booze and cigarettes. Paul agrees with her but trusts that Marcus is mature enough to make his own decision on who he hangs out with. After finishing reading his article, Paul smiles seductively at Lynda and notifies her that Marcus probably won't be waking up for a few more hours, but even though she clocks his advance, Lynda refuses to have sex with their son in the house. Paul starts moving slowly toward her and brushes a wisp of hair away from her face, promising that he can be quiet, but Lynda teases him with a slow kiss on the lips before pushing him away and making him a deal that they'll have sex tonight as long as they lock the doors. Paul reluctantly agrees to wait until he arrives home from work and shares one last meeting of the tongues with Lynda before getting ready to leave. He takes with him his briefcase and remaining cup of coffee while Lynda loyally accompanies him to the front door. Paul walks down the driveway and steps into his car, laying the coffee down in the cupholder and resting his briefcase on top of his passenger seat. Starting the engine, Paul stares through his windshield and sees Lynda standing in the doorway gazing at him with adoration. They smile lovingly at each other and make a romantic motion with their hands, signifying their mutual endearment. Paul subsequently backs out of the driveway and drives down the quiet street, honking his horn for Lynda along the way. Lynda observes Paul driving away with a look of anxious uncertainty on her face, but once his car surpasses her view, she steps back inside the house and slowly closes the door.

Marcus finally wakens from his sleep and stretches out his arms, releasing a satisfying sigh of weariness. Turning his head to the side to find the clock reading 11:30 am, Marcus slowly pulls himself upright and yanks the covers off his lap, letting it fall carelessly onto the floor hanging over the side of the bed. Constantly blinking his bleary eyes, complete with an appropriately messy bedhead, Marcus gets out of bed and strolls next door into his bedroom, where he finds his mackerel tabby cat, Jake, curled up sleeping on top of his bed. Marcus takes a prolonged glance around his room and cringes at the sight of his babyish surroundings: featuring a row of friendly animals painted across the wallpaper, a lamp beside his computer covered with blocks of giraffe heads, owls, squirrels, cows, elephants and dolphins, a blue chair with a smiley face and a bed designed with cartoon characters on the sheets. Marcus wraps his arms around Jake's enlarged, rotund body and showers him with kisses as he sleeps, whispering in his ear how much he loves him when Jake suddenly wakes up and begins licking his brother all over his face. Marcus sits down in front of his computer and attempts to work on his narrative, but once he clicks on the page to start editing, he finds himself frozen in a state of writer's block. Struggling to think of something to write, Marcus sits back and exhales deeply, relaxing his muscles and assuring himself that he can do this. He begins typing whatever comes to mind but doesn't feel content with his choice of words, so he erases his sentence and develops an instant sting of frustration. Running his hands through his hair and biting down on his teeth, Marcus allows himself a moment of pause before he takes another whack at writing his starting sentence. Lynda comes in the bedroom offering Marcus a fresh cup of coffee, much to the disruption of his creative mental process. Not wanting to express his irritation, Marcus remains focused on the computer screen and tells his mom he's working. Lynda asks him if he would like to join her downstairs for some breakfast, but Marcus chooses to get through his paragraph first before he does anything else. Lynda asks what his article is about, but as his concentration quickly goes out the window, Marcus snaps at her and explains that he would like to be left alone while he's writing. Sensing the assertiveness in his voice, Lynda carefully sets the coffee down on the desk and gives Marcus an understanding kiss on the head before leaving the room and quietly shutting the door to block out any noises. Marcus takes a sip of coffee followed by one last deep breath, then calmly recommences typing away. As Marcus writes his sentence freely without any restraint, he feels a rush of inspiration course through his veins resulting in a growing smile. Jake jumps off the bed and affectionately rubs up against Marcus' leg, earning him a rub on his orange-furred back. After Marcus accomplishes his first few sentences, he peacefully downs his coffee, leans back and folds his arms behind his head and stares out his window looking at the trees in his backyard with a discreet smile of ease.

Marcus goes for a walk with Lynda around the block, passing before an array of modest houses exemplified by immaculate lawns. As the two step leisurely down the neighborhood, Lynda makes conversation with Marcus about whether he has any crushes on the girls he goes to school with, but feeling too awkward to disclose that kind of personal information, Marcus simply shrugs his shoulders and steers the conversation about his mother, questioning her as to the potency of her own love life with his father. Lynda casually reveals to him that she and Paul were getting ready to have sex last night but were forced to refrain themselves because he wandered into their room. Disgusted by his mother's unrestrained honesty, Marcus playfully gags and begs her never to tell him something like that again. Lynda laughs at Marcus' childlike reaction to sex and begins prying into his personal life, asserting that he must have his eye on some pretty girl being that he's 19 years old and spends a lot of his time alone in his bedroom. Though he's annoyed by Lynda's nosy questions and a little embarrassed, Marcus finally mentions that he has harbored something of a romantic interest in a student named Brynn, who sits in front of him in his psychology class. Lynda encourages him to ask her out, but Marcus shakes his head and dismisses the idea as futile, believing that Brynn is far too popular to want anything to do with him. Sympathizing with her inhibited son's lack of confidence, Lynda tells Marcus that he is a remarkable, devilishly handsome boy with a strong talent for writing and that Brynn would be lucky to have a boyfriend like that, but all Marcus can give as a response is a distant roll of the eyes, and once Lynda informs him that she would have gone out with him if she was his age and unrelated, he flinches uncomfortably and asks her to stop. While Marcus and Lynda awkwardly continue their on-foot journey along the sidewalk, Marcus brings up his doubts about pursuing a career in college, claiming that sitting in a classroom everyday of the week studying for meaningless exams isn't going to guarantee him happiness in the future. Lynda instantly becomes nervous by his remark and worries that he'll be in for a bad path if he decides to quit school, but Marcus maintains his theory that he could be doing something more valuable with his time, such as devoting his full effort to writing fanfiction. Lynda supports her son on whatever it is he wants to do with his life, but struggles to get over the fact that he isn't making money off of his narratives, to which Marcus insists that doesn't bother him because writing at least makes him happy and allows him to make use of his skill.

Nearing the end of their street, Marcus sees his elderly, silver-haired neighbor, Sylvia Cooperman ( ), raking leaves in her front yard across the walkway. Sylvia sees them approaching and a radiant smile immediately arrives on her face. She waves enthusiastically, drops her rake carelessly on the lawn and rushes over to them, giving both Marcus and Lynda an overdue hug. Marcus conceals his annoyance behind a subtle, close-mouthed smile while Sylvia and Lynda engage in a lighthearted discussion about what they've been up to. Sylvia volunteers at the local synagogue with her husband every weekend and just recently mourned the death of her beloved friend, much to the sorrow of Lynda, who expresses her condolences and shortage of capacity to understand what that must feel like. Marcus listens to their somber dialogue with empathetic eyes, secretly scratching his leg out of discomfort and silent pleading to go home. When Sylvia turns her attention to Marcus asking what he's currently doing, the ungainly teen declares he is attending classes at a community college and writing fanfiction films on his free time. Sylvia wishes Marcus luck on his art and mentions that her daughter used to love writing as a child until she found her true passion for nursing in college, leaving a decidedly uninterested Marcus to nod his head in false approval. Sylvia then reminisces about the days when she and her husband used to babysit Marcus, bringing about a bittersweet nostalgia for she and Lynda while causing further unease for Marcus, still clawing at his skin using light upward strokes. Sylvia ultimately says her warm goodbyes to the pair and resumes her leaf raking, watching Marcus and Lynda as they carry on their walk back home. Marcus confesses to his mother that there's something off-putting about the Cooperman's, and while she agrees they're not pleasant to talk to, Lynda defends them as friendly old neighbors who were nice enough to babysit for she and Paul when Marcus was younger.

While Paul is sitting in his office typing an email to a client, he is suddenly broken out of his concentration by a knock on the door, turning around to find his close friend and long-time client, Lorraine ( ) standing outside in front of the window. Anxious to assist, Paul gestures Lorraine to come inside and she eagerly rushes into his office and takes a seat across from his desk, handing him a check in order to make an early payment. As Paul enters her financial information into the internet, Lorraine, looking as though something serious is on her mind, questions Paul in regard to him leaving his office within a few months. Ridden with guilt, Paul puts a stop to his work and confesses to Lorraine that he is in fact being forced to shut down his office as a result of failing to make his numbers. Lorraine begs him to reconsider leaving since he is not only her close friend, but her only financial supporter for the last 15 years, and she fears that nobody else will take care of her with the same level of honesty and commitment. However, Paul assures her that the decision to retire is not in his control and that he will refer her to the most trustworthy agent once he officially leaves his office. Lorraine's face is overwhelmed with a look of panic and helplessness, and she tries unsuccessfully to convince Paul into standing his ground and refusing to quit, but he regrettably informs her that staying is no longer an option for him, revealing that he hasn't even told his wife yet about his obligatory withdraw out of shame. As Lorraine hatefully absorbs this harrowing information, she looks around the office and is captivated by a photograph of Marcus sitting atop a shelf. Merely desperate for a distraction, Lorraine compliments Marcus' picture and in a melancholy tone reminisces about the days when Marcus was a little boy helping Paul around the office. Putting his scathing sense of humor to use, Paul denies Lorraine's allegation of his son having good looks and insists he has no proof that Marcus is actually his child, causing Lorraine to burst out in a mocking chuckle as she declares that Marcus is one face of him. On a personal note, Paul asks Lorraine how she's doing otherwise, and she confides in him that she has suffered from loneliness ever since she and her husband split up, but finds comfort in her Yorkshire terrier.

While Lynda is in her kitchen hovering over a large, steaming saucepan filled with chili, Marcus sits in the living room with Brett and Charlie watching an old cartoon. They're sprawled on the sofa and while Marcus is utterly intoxicated by the buffoonish comedy unfolding on the television, Brett appears resoundingly uninterested. He sinks deeply into the couch cushion with his feet lying on the coffee table and reads through a series of memes on his smartphone. Charlie munches on popcorn and mutters a few fake laughs to appease his brother's best friend. On TV, a sinister bird follows a worm with the desperate intention of eating him. Once the worm realizes he's being hunted, he starts hopping away while the bird angrily chases after him. Marcus looks at the black and white aesthetic with a mixture of merriment and reverence, chuckling consistently as the worm burrows into the soil to go underground, only to be caught in the bird's mouth at the last second. The bird pulls the worm out of his hole and the worm wiggles helplessly as his bottom is stuck in the predator's gums, but soon the worm slithers under all of the ground holes, wraps himself around a branch and yanks the bird through the 4 air holes, stripping him of his feathers. In the kitchen, Lynda chops up some vegetables to mix into the chili and gives herself a taste of her masterful concoction, only to flinch at the burning temperature. After she wipes the excess chili powder off her semi-burnt palm, Lynda calls Paul to ask him what time he'll be home, but he doesn't answer his phone. She leaves him a voicemail telling him she made chili for dinner and that the boys are hanging out in the living room. Not wanting to disrupt him in case he's busy with a customer, Lynda tells Paul she loves him and hopes to see him in a short matter of time. She then sets her phone on the counter and proceeds to stir in the seasoning mix, staring down at the soup intently as it boils.

As Paul is driving home from work, he hears his phone beeping inside his pocket and sees that he missed a call from Lynda. He presses a button to play the message she left for him informing him that she has dinner prepared and hopes he doesn't plan on working late. Confident that his driving skill is strong enough to handle two simultaneous tasks, Paul calls Lynda to tell her he got her message and that he's on his way home. While Lynda is sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a bowl of her chili, she brags to Paul about her cooking dexterity and proclaims that she has perfected the greatest chili to date, prompting Paul to tease her claiming that he works 5 days a week for more than 40 hours while she stays at home perfecting her "housewife pleasures". Out of playful spite, Lynda accuses Paul of being ungrateful for everything she does and vows not to give him anymore of her food, telling him he can starve every night from now on. Following their brief exchange of banter, Lynda and Paul once again express their love for each other ending with Paul promising to arrive home shortly. Stuffing his phone back into his pocket, Paul makes his way down the winding road through a wooded valley when suddenly a deer wanders out of the woods and attempts to cross the street. Paul slams on his brakes but unavoidably collides with the deer, splitting its body in half and causing Paul's car to swerve around a corner and crash into a tree. Once Paul regains consciousness, he finds himself lying upside down surrounded by glass and blood, peering up at the ceiling of his car. Paul reaches toward his ceiling, bracing himself with one hand while stabilizing his feet on the floor of the vehicle, and then undoes his seat belt. He crawls uneasily toward a window and breaks it open with his hand, clearing away glass shards before exiting through the confined opening. Once he's free from the car, Paul looks up at the sky as he lies wounded on the side of the road, gasping in pain and shock. Turning his head to the side, he views the bisected carcass of the ill-fated deer scattered across the road a few feet away. Paul's vision becomes blurred by a stream of tears in addition to blood dripping down from a gash on his forehead. His heavy breathing gradually diminishes, along with his suffering, and he draws in one last breath before his eyes go dead, facing the trees as they sway in the gentle wind.

Marcus and Lynda sit across from each other at the dinner table uncomfortably struggling to eat their chili, disturbed by the chilling disquiet brought on by the absence of their patriarch. Dipping his spoon into a thick glob of melted mozzarella cheese, Marcus finds himself too nauseated to even bring it to his lips, staring at his mother with a palpable expression of sadness and softly calls out to her, but she's distracted in her attempt to reach Paul on her cellphone. As Lynda patiently waits for the ringing on the other end to result in an answer, she only receives the despairing response of the voicemail instructing her to leave a message. Growing more overwhelmed by panic, Lynda looks at Marcus' stricken face, contorted with worry. She gets out of her seat and plants a compassionate kiss between her son's eyes, suggesting that he wait there while she goes to look for his father, but a determined Marcus rejects her idea and insists he's coming with her.

During their drive to Paul's office, Marcus stares out the window looking at the passing trees while Lynda mentions that if she finds his father with Lorraine, she's going to go ballistic. Marcus doesn't believe his father would ever cheat on her, especially since all he does when he isn't working is sleep, and Lynda subtly reveals to him that she and Paul plan on having a romantic night together, causing Marcus to briefly forget about his concern and instead become disgusted by the thought of his parents making love. As the two share a lighthearted laugh, Lynda suddenly runs over something in the road, forcing her to stop the car and breaking their moment of stability. Both of them gasping in shock, Lynda clutches a frightened Marcus on his shoulder and makes sure that he's okay. Once they regain their breaths, Marcus and Lynda exit the car and realize they ran over the bisected upper torso of a deer carcass. Lynda wanders further up the street to check for any oncoming vehicles for help and Marcus kneels down and stares into the deceased deer's eyes, caressing his face out of sympathy. Getting back on his feet, Marcus turns around and finds his mother standing on the side of the road with her back turned. He walks curiously to Lynda and tries to get her attention, but she is transfixed by a crashed car lying upside down in the grass. Marcus' face becomes flooded with dread as he recognizes the car is his father's Volkswagen CC, and Lynda, rooted to the spot in disbelief, orders him to get back in her car. Marcus starts breathing heavily and rushes back into Lynda's car where he waits for her to return. Lynda takes out her cellphone and dials the police, but as she holds the phone to her ear, she catches a glimpse of something lying on the ground a few feet away. Hanging up as soon as the dispatcher answers the call, Lynda slowly walks over to the figure. As Marcus sits silently in the passenger seat feeling a surge of anxiety, his greatest fear comes to fruition when he hears his mother let out a blood-curdling scream. Marcus shakes his head in disbelief and begins to whimper like a child, fully convinced that his father is dead. Sometime later in the night, the wooded area is swarming with police who have blocked off the road. A hysterical Lynda cradles Paul's head in her arms and weeps loudly over his body, pleading with him to wake up as police officers struggle to pull her away in order to put Paul on the gurney. Marcus stands immobile on the side of the road, tears welling in his eyes and spilling down his shocked visage. He watches in shell-shocked horror as his father gets carried away in an ambulance and his mother proceeds to break down in the arms of a sympathetic patrolman, burying her face into his armpit as she cries.