The Conditions of Will

Georgia tries to understand what she’s feeling before calling Oliver. She reflects on his life over the past years, too. Just like their parents sent Georgia away to school in London, they sent Oliver away to military school in Los Angeles after they discovered he was gay. He’s been in California ever since. He had a few rough years because he developed an addiction to alcohol. He’s in AA and doing better now as far as Georgia knows. She and Oliver used to be best friends but haven’t been as close recently. Georgia sometimes feels bad that Oliver didn’t find the comfort that she did at Cawthorne Grammar School and Cambridge in the years since. (Georgia is pursuing a degree in psychology.)

Georgia calls Oliver about Will’s death and funeral. He agrees to come despite his and Will’s historically fraught relationship; Georgia already bought him the ticket.

Georgia flies to Charleston, rents a car, and drives to Okatie. She’s overwhelmed by memories as soon as she returns home. Inside, she runs into an attractive young man she’s never seen before. Assuming he’s Oliver’s boyfriend, Georgia flirts with him, learning his name is Sam Penny. Oliver appears and reveals that Sam is his AA sponsor and is straight. Georgia tries to recover from her embarrassment.

Maryanne, Tennyson, and Margaret appear. Georgia feels uncomfortable when Tennyson hugs her, because they’ve never been close. Then Margaret makes a show of greeting Georgia, although she’s never been a mother to her.

The house fills with guests. Georgia tries navigating the crowds and dodging their questions. Despite how long she’s been away, she knows how people see her. She tries avoiding Maryanne, too. Dismissing thoughts of her and Maryanne’s fraught history, she goes outside. Sam joins her. Georgia tells him about the behavioral science and clinical psychology master’s degree she’s pursuing. Sam tells Georgia about the coffee shops he owns in LA; he opened the businesses in the 10 years since moving there from Sydney. They’re talking about Georgia’s ability to read people well when Oliver surfaces. Sam remarks that all of the Carter kids are “named after poets” (34). Georgia and Oliver are confused because Will studied economics and Margeret didn’t attend college.

After the guests leave, the family convenes for dinner. Tennyson’s girlfriend—Savannah—and Maryanne’s husband—Jason—join, too. Georgia studies the table, noting how each family member’s body language and facial expressions reveal their emotions. Eventually, Maryanne breaks the silence, pestering Georgia about life in London. Margaret chimes in. They make judgmental comments about Georgia’s breakup five months prior and her roommate Hattie, who’s bisexual. Sam tries to steer the conversation in a different direction, asking Georgia why she moved to London. The family reveals that Will and Margaret sent her away when they discovered she was sleeping with Maryanne’s high school boyfriend. Frustrated, Georgia dismisses herself from the table. Only Maryanne and her ex know the true story and they’ve lied about it for years.

While sitting in her room, Georgia’s mind shifts to the past. One day, Maryanne’s ex Beckett went into Georgia’s room. He was on top of her, with his hands under her school uniform, when Will burst in and found them together. Then Maryanne appeared. After a pause, Beckett ran to Maryanne, insisting it was Georgia’s fault, not his. Margaret intervened, forcing Georgia into the shower in her clothes. Then she stripped Georgia’s bed and emptied her dresser, forcing her to sleep in her wet uniform on a bare mattress. The next day, her parents shipped her off to Cawthorne. (Will had a friend at the school who helped expedite the arrangement.) This was the last time Georgia was home.

Sam knocks on Georgia’s door to check on her. She wants to let him in but doesn’t.

In the morning, Georgia runs into Sam in the kitchen. She realizes she feels attracted to him. She reads his face and body language to determine if he’s nervous. Maryanne bursts in and accuses Georgia of sleeping with Sam. Sam changes the subject, suggesting he and Georgia go grab coffee for everyone. Maryanne suggests they go to Stomp.

Georgia and Sam drive to Stomp. On the way, Sam tells Georgia about his history of addiction. As a teenager, he enjoyed drinking because it was fun. Then, when he was 16, he crashed the car with his mom in the passenger’s seat, and she died. Blaming himself, he started partying all the time. He developed an addiction to alcohol and cocaine. Georgia appreciates hearing his story.

The two stop at the park to watch the sunrise. Sam offers Georgia his sweater because she looks cold. She eventually agrees to wear it but worries about the implications. Sitting together, Sam asks Georgia about what happened with her family. When she admits she doesn’t feel bad about the situation, Sam looks shocked. Georgia returns to the car, frustrated that everyone thinks she should feel guilty.

Sam and Georgia drive to Stomp. The place seems nice until they run into Beckett, who reveals himself to be the owner. Georgia realizes Maryanne sent her here on purpose. Back at home, she confronts her. Maryanne feigns innocence. Furious, Georgia dumps Maryanne’s coffee onto her lap.

Georgia takes a shower to calm down. She knows she’s behaving like a child, but feels powerless not to react to Maryanne. Maryanne has always been “the Madonna” and Georgia has always been seen as “the whore” (71). Back downstairs, she finds Sam alone reading. They chat, but Georgia feels uncomfortable with how aware of her emotions Sam is. Oliver’s appearance with Will’s sister Violet (the Carter kids’ aunt) interrupts their conversation. When Maryanne and Tennyson resurface, Georgia and Oliver race outside to avoid another confrontation.

Georgia and Oliver run down to the SS Avoidance, their dad’s boat. It has a different name, but this is what the siblings have called it since using it to escape family conflict. Lying side by side, they discuss Oliver’s sobriety. He admits he’s been taking Valium. Georgia urges him to take care of himself, but he insists he has an addictive personality—something Georgia argues doesn’t medically exist. To change the subject, they put on their favorite song.

Guests and family gather at the house for Will’s wake. Georgia navigates the crowd, searching for Violet. Then she overhears Maryanne and her girlfriends insulting Oliver. Their anti-gay remarks enrage Georgia, and she interjects. The women turn their judgment onto Georgia, accusing her of having premarital sex and betraying Maryanne by sleeping with Beckett. Georgia asserts that they have all had premarital sex, too.

Georgia dismisses herself outside. Sam finds her to see if she’s okay. They admit that they’re attracted to each other.

Georgia finds Tennyson, Oliver, and Sam in the kitchen the next morning. They invite her to join them at the cemetery to complete Will’s burial arrangements. On the way, Georgia teases and jokes with her brothers. At the cemetery, Sam pulls her aside and remarks on how complicated she is. She’s intelligent and insightful but acts like a kid with her brothers. Georgia guesses it has something to do with leaving home at 15. The two wander over to Will’s dad Brick Carter’s plot. Georgia tells Sam that she and Will were never close. Will was especially bad to Oliver, just like Brick. When Brick died, he left each grandchild over six million dollars, excluding Oliver. Sam is sympathetic.

On the way home, Georgia, her brothers, and Sam joke and chat together. Then they stop at Stomp. While Sam and Oliver run inside, Tennyson teases Georgia about Sam in the car. Georgia doesn’t know how to respond because she and Tennyson have never had this dynamic. The conversation shifts to Will. Tennyson admits he’s worried about the upcoming reading of his will. Shortly before Will’s death, Tennyson discovered he was sending money to someone in New Orleans. The money later started going to an offshore account. Neither sibling is sure what to make of this.

Back at the house, Sam asks Georgia what she did with her inheritance money from Brick. She reveals that she gave half to Oliver. She and Oliver stopped talking to the family thereafter. Violet appears with Oliver, interrupting the conversation.