The cruelest lies are often told in silence.
Catherine helps a local woman escape from an abusive relationship with her well-connected father.
Tropes
- Abusive Parents: The father for the physical and sexual abuse, and the mother for neglectful abuse.
- Big "SHUT UP!": Connie's mother screams this when she told the court about the abuse.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Connie demand to know why did he do it to her, that he's supposed to be her dad, and to just love her for her.
- Christmas Episode: It starts off at Christmastime, anyway.
- Death Glare: Joe Bangs gives one to Rhonda Preshutski after she mentions the evaluation found something significant, which implies that the younger sister Sara is actually Connie's daughter.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: Connie has a nightmare where her dad kidnaps Sara.
- Driven to Suicide: Joe Bangs threatens this if Connie (and later Sara) doesn't do what he says.
- Laser-Guided Karma: It's implied that Joe Bangs is declared guilty.
- Madness Mantra: "Stay on the yellow line. Stay on the yellow line..."
- Must Have Nicotine: Connie's mother is a chain-smoker among chain-smokers.
- Not Helping Your Case: The mother wants to pretend that nothing is wrong, and she screams at Connie to shut up when she reveals the truth.
- Parental Incest
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: One reason Joe Bangs has been able to get away with abusing his daughter for so long.
- Smug Snake: Joe Bangs
- Villain with Good Publicity: Joe Bangs appears as a very good person in the community, which made it difficult at first to convict him.
