Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 88 (click to see context) from:
* TraumaButton: At one point, Ray tries to comfort Nancy by saying "Everything is going to be all right, little girl" (especially as she'd mentioned her late father used to affectionately call her and her mother "his girls"). Nancy has a visceral traumatic reaction; she lashes out, knocking Ray's coffee cup from his hand and barely noticing the hot liquid splashing her, while screaming "I am not your little girl! Don't call me your little girl!" She also previously emphasised that when her father called her "his girl", it "wasn't like that". [[spoiler:Nancy's abusive first husband called her "little girl"; coming from him it's particularly condescending and creepy, so it's understandable Nancy hates it and reacted violently to her current husband calling her it]].
to:
* TraumaButton: TraumaButton:
** At one point, Ray tries to comfort Nancy by saying "Everything is going to be all right, little girl" (especially as she'd mentioned her late father used to affectionately call her and her mother "his girls"). Nancy has a visceral traumatic reaction; she lashes out, knocking Ray's coffee cup from his hand and barely noticing the hot liquid splashing her, while screaming "I am not your little girl! Don't call me your little girl!" She also previously emphasised that when her father called her "his girl", it "wasn't like that". [[spoiler:Nancy's abusive first husband called her "little girl"; coming from him it's particularly condescending and creepy, so it's understandable Nancy hates it and reacted violently to her current husband calling herit]].it]].
** Ray notes that Nancy would sometimes get very quiet and withdrawn if she saw any dark-haired children, as [[YouRemindMeOfX they reminded her]] of her murdered children Peter and Lisa (who had dark hair). However, he also notes that she hasn't been so affected in past year or so.
** Nancy never takes tub baths anymore, only showers, because [[spoiler:they remind her of her first husband forcing her to bathe with him and sexually abusing her (she's also probably aware on some level her husband abused their children this way too)]].
** At one point, Ray tries to comfort Nancy by saying "Everything is going to be all right, little girl" (especially as she'd mentioned her late father used to affectionately call her and her mother "his girls"). Nancy has a visceral traumatic reaction; she lashes out, knocking Ray's coffee cup from his hand and barely noticing the hot liquid splashing her, while screaming "I am not your little girl! Don't call me your little girl!" She also previously emphasised that when her father called her "his girl", it "wasn't like that". [[spoiler:Nancy's abusive first husband called her "little girl"; coming from him it's particularly condescending and creepy, so it's understandable Nancy hates it and reacted violently to her current husband calling her
** Ray notes that Nancy would sometimes get very quiet and withdrawn if she saw any dark-haired children, as [[YouRemindMeOfX they reminded her]] of her murdered children Peter and Lisa (who had dark hair). However, he also notes that she hasn't been so affected in past year or so.
** Nancy never takes tub baths anymore, only showers, because [[spoiler:they remind her of her first husband forcing her to bathe with him and sexually abusing her (she's also probably aware on some level her husband abused their children this way too)]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* AllTakeAndNoGive: Nancy states that her first husband was always "good to [her]"; he made important decisions for her, got her medication and looked after her, including sometimes taking on extra childcare and housework, because Nancy was often depressed and "sick", especially as she'd been abruptly orphaned shortly before marrying Carl and had no family or close friends in San Francisco. Nancy often felt guilty that Carl took on so much and she couldn't be a better wife because of her frequent ailments; she also felt guilty that she never truly fell in love with Carl despite everything he did for her. [[spoiler:It becomes clear that Carl intentionally manipulated Nancy into believing she was constantly frail and helpless so that she'd be completely dependent on him]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* IncriminatingIndifference: One of the reasons many people - including the jury - believed Nancy murdered her children was because she didn't appear very emotional during the trial; she only cried once (when the judge sentenced her to death, which made it seem she only felt sorry for herself), her protestations of innocence came off as feeble and her attempts to explain the circumstances of her children's disappearances were vague and confusing. In reality, [[DeconstructedTrope Nancy didn't kill her children]] and she was devastated by their deaths to the point she felt part of her had died with them; her seemingly emotionless reactions were because she was absolutely exhausted, deep in grief and genuinely confused by what was happening, on top of already suffering from depression. She also did feel partly responsible for her children's murders, as she'd left them alone in the car from which they were abducted. Her current lawyer Jonathan states that in his opinion, Nancy's behaviour wasn't necessarily indictive of guilt but did strongly suggest she was severely traumatised and shouldn't have been put on the stand. [[spoiler:The fact she'd been strictly controlled and abused by her husband since she was ''eighteen'' likely had a lot to with it, too]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BackfireOnTheWitnessStand: Carl was called as a witness during Nancy's murder trial and was supposed to be defending her character, but he ended up doing her more harm than good, including breaking down sobbing when he was describing what a good mother she was. To the jury, it looked like Carl had tried and failed to convince himself of his wife's innocence; following her conviction, he confirmed in his suicide note he believed she killed their children. [[spoiler:Given Carl knew Nancy was innocent because ''he'' killed their children, he deliberately put on an act to make her look worse]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* TroubledChild: Nancy mentions that her late eldest children were "So good. Too good" and that they were always very quiet and reserved compared to her younger children, including rarely laughing or smiling. [[spoiler:Considering they lived at the mercy of their abusive and domineering father, it's not surprising they were often subdued and unhappy]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 87 (click to see context) from:
* UselessBystanderParent: Nancy was a {{downplayed|trope}} example when it came to Peter and Lisa, and she's portrayed more sympathetically than is typical. [[spoiler:Carl had initially convinced Nancy his authoritarian parenting was best for the family, but she became increasingly aware that the way her husband treated their children was abnormal and harmful. Despite this, she often struggled to stand up to him, as she was also being abused and controlled by Carl (not to mention she'd married him when she was barely an adult herself). When she began to suspect Carl was sexually abusing Lisa (and possibly Peter, too), she realised she needed to get herself and the children away from Carl, starting by [[SubvertedTrope insisting on making a doctor's appointment for Lisa]]; unfortunately, Lisa and Peter were murdered before any genuine intervention could happen, something she still feels immense guilt over]].
to:
* UselessBystanderParent: Nancy was a {{downplayed|trope}} example when it came to Peter and Lisa, and she's portrayed more sympathetically than is typical. [[spoiler:Carl had initially convinced Nancy his authoritarian parenting was best for the family, but she became increasingly aware that the way her husband treated their children was abnormal and harmful. Despite this, she often struggled to stand up to him, as she was also being abused and controlled by Carl (not to mention she'd married him when she was barely an adult herself).herself and had reason to suspect he'd murdered her mother). When she began to suspect Carl was sexually abusing Lisa (and possibly Peter, too), she realised she needed to get herself and the children away from Carl, starting by [[SubvertedTrope insisting on making a doctor's appointment for Lisa]]; unfortunately, Lisa and Peter were murdered before any genuine intervention could happen, something she still feels immense guilt over]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* MamaBear: Nancy goes into Mama Bear-mode in the climax, combined with {{Determinator}}, upon figuring out her kidnapped children are being held at The Lookout [[spoiler:and that her deranged ex-husband took them]]. [[spoiler:She drives to The Lookout alone in the middle of a raging storm and with her windshield covered in ice (she rolls down the side window to see better), then continues on foot after crashing her car into a tree without so much as a breather. Even though she's no match for him physically, she attempts to fight off Carl to save her kids, including [[ManBitesMan biting a chunk out of his jowl]] when he strangles her. She then chases him up to a narrow and slippery widow's walk to rescue Missy, barely being slowed down when Parrish kicks her in the head, and manages to grab Missy before she's thrown off the balcony]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Deleted line(s) 20 (click to see context) :
* ChekhovsGun: The white woollen dress Nancy wore to dinner the last time she saw her mother alive, and later wore to her wedding to Carl. Nancy recalls that Carl somehow got grease on it at the restaurant, and she had to get it dry-cleaned as she insisted on wearing it to the courthouse wedding; for some reason, the memory of the grease stain particularly bothers her. [[spoiler:Nancy came to suspect the grease wasn't from food but from her mother's rental car, realising that Carl intentionally sabotaged the vehicle and caused her mother's fatal crash]].
Added DiffLines:
* ChekhovsGun: The white woollen dress Nancy wore to dinner the last time she saw her mother alive, and later wore to her wedding to Carl. Nancy recalls that Carl somehow got grease on it at the restaurant, and she had to get it dry-cleaned as she insisted on wearing it to the courthouse wedding; for some reason, the memory of the grease stain particularly bothers her. [[spoiler:Nancy came to suspect the grease wasn't from food but from her mother's rental car, realising that Carl intentionally sabotaged the vehicle and caused her mother's fatal crash]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ChekhovsGun: The white woollen dress Nancy wore to dinner the last time she saw her mother alive, and later wore to her wedding to Carl. Nancy recalls that Carl somehow got grease on it at the restaurant, and she had to get it dry-cleaned as she insisted on wearing it to the courthouse wedding; for some reason, the memory of the grease stain particularly bothers her. [[spoiler:Nancy came to suspect the grease wasn't from food but from her mother's rental car, realising that Carl intentionally sabotaged the vehicle and caused her mother's fatal crash]].
