Neil has flashbacks to his altercation with Allison and Patty. After the sounds of the bar snap him out of his walk down memory lane, Neil catches the attention of a pub patron sitting nearby, asking the latter if he wants to hear a story.
Meanwhile, Kevin confesses something significant to Allison — he started the fire responsible for the city-wide blackout. With Tammy looking into the fire at Allison’s behest, Allison figures making Tammy meddle in Kevin’s problems will make them cancel each other out. Kevin vows to throw Tammy off his scent but makes a beeline for the bar first. Allison still has trouble sleeping, however, so she makes a cup of tea and sits outside, where she shares a chat with Patty. Allison admits her hesitation to leave because she feels like she’s forgetting something but can’t put her finger on what it is, and as a result, she’s been struggling with insomnia recently.
Later, Allison fills Sam in on what’s happening regarding the Tammy situation. He believes she doesn’t have the moral high ground by pushing Kevin toward ruining Tammy, who is Patty’s girlfriend. Allison argues Patty deserves better and asserts that orchestrating Tammy’s downfall, thereby keeping her off her tail, is how she stays in Worcester and not have to fake her own death.
Allison hangs out with Diane, who reveals she bailed Neil out of jail a few nights ago. She learns that Neil told Diane a “crazy story” about Allison’s plan to kill Kevin. Allison tells Patty about Neil and Diane’s relationship and how Diane bailed Neil out of jail. Allison also reveals that Neil is missing. Tammy enters the fray, offering to help find Neil. Patty insists that he’s an adult and can take care of himself. Tammy and Allison then chat outside Patty’s place. Allison learns of Tammy’s soon-to-be-fateful visit with Kevin later that day. Meanwhile, Patty enters Neil’s apartment and decides to clean it as it’s an utter mess. Later, Tammy arrives at Allison’s house to speak with Kevin, who whips out a folder marked “Evidence” as a means of pinning the blame on someone else for his crime. Tammy picks up on his scheming, setting her sights on him as a potential suspect.
Later, Allison stops by the motel where Diane was residing, hoping Neil might still be there. She coerces the front desk employee to spill the beans regarding if Neil’s been loitering around the building. When Allison departs, she runs into Tammy. Tammy calls Allison out for instigating Patty, wholeheartedly believing that Allison’s involved in the crime that happened at the gas station in Vermont.
Allison finds Patty in Neil’s apartment, wherein she discloses that her brother told Diane everything about their plan to kill Kevin. Patty dismisses it, claiming that a drunken Neil can run his mouth as much as he likes, especially since Allison will be “dead” soon. Allison urges Patty to call Tammy and ask her to cease searching for Neil, as Allison hopes to find him first. When Allison loses her balance while trying to stand up, Patty encourages her to head home and rest, and they’ll figure everything out tomorrow.
Later, Allison finds Kevin trying on sunglasses for a trip to the police station. He did some digging and learned about Tammy planting evidence for her partner, which he hopes to utilize against the detective. Allison finally locates Neil, who’s drinking at the bar. Allison offers to give Neil a ride so they can talk things out. She drives him over to the ice rink where Neil got himself and Patty banned after her birthday. Allison calls Patty to let him know her brother is safe while Neil heads into the ice rink in the hopes they reverse the ban on him. When he’s unsuccessful, Allison urges Neil to accompany her inside, where she pleads his case.
Meanwhile, Patty goes to see Diane at the liquor store. She warns Diane about how Neil occasionally goes on benders and disappears for a few days at a time. Diane asserts she can take care of herself. As this goes on, Allison successfully gets Neil unbanned at the ice rink. This still doesn’t lift Neil’s mood. When Allison confronts him, she learns that he told Kevin, and a bunch of others, about her plan, but was laughed off. Neil demands Allison stay away from him and Patty.
Later, Tammy shows Patty the footage from the Vermont gas station. Patty refuses to say anything and Tammy vows to find answers, tearfully wishing Patty luck.
Allison tries to relax on the couch, but Kevin’s entrance rouses her upright. Kevin asks Allison to sign an affidavit swearing she saw Tammy plant evidence after Nick broke into their house. After Kevin heads into the kitchen, Allison struggles for a moment as to whether she should sign the form and then rushes to Patty’s house. She finds an emotional Patty crying about Tammy drawing a connection between the two of them and Nick. Allison embraces her and promises that she will fix everything.
The following day, two police officers knock on Kevin’s door while Patty, Neil, Pete, and Lorraine are hanging out in the living room. The cops ask if Kevin has seen Allison in the last 24 hours. They pull out Allison’s backpack, revealing it was found on a hiking trail. Patty rushes to Sam’s restaurant and asks him if he knows where Allison is. Sam is only somewhat in the dark, but has a letter addressed to Patty from Allison that says, “I’m sorry, but you’re better off.”
Meanwhile, Allison begins her new life as Gertrude Fronch, looking at new apartments in another state.
Tropes
- Accuser of the Brethren: Neil refuses to accept any apologies from Allison, just wanting her to leave him alone and stay the hell out of his life.
- Act of True Love: Allison has begun toying with the idea of staying in Worcester but when Patty's livelihood and freedom might be at stake, Allison decides to go through with faking her own death and have Patty blame everything on her.
- The Cassandra: No one believes Neil when he says Allison plotted to kill Kevin. Deconstructed a bit, as being brushed off repeatedly clearly takes a toll on Neil's already fragile sanity.
- Heel Realization: Symbolized by the sitcom filter staying on Allison when she struggles with whether she should sign the form agreeing she saw Tammy plant evidence, which could destroy Tammy's career and solve her problems. The filter disappears when she finds herself unable to go through with it.
