The Good Samaritan

Several months after the stabbing, Ryan Smith reflects that he almost misses talking to Laura. He has recently returned to his job, where his boss, Bruce Atkinson, checks on him with awkward concern. Ryan recalls lying to his colleagues that the stab wound was from a hernia operation. In reality, after Laura fled, Ryan stanched the bleeding, drove himself to the hospital, and told staff he had a DIY accident. His brother, Johnny, picked him up from the hospital, skeptical of his story.

Although Ryan initially considered abandoning his desire for revenge, he feels that Laura is likely to continue manipulating others. He therefore resolves to escalate his plot against Laura, wanting to make her experience the same pain he has felt. Determined to find a new way to infiltrate her life, he opens his laptop and logs into Facebook.

Laura shoplifts a size eight dress, a small act that gives her a temporary thrill. She remains hyper-vigilant on the drive home and performs a security sweep of the house with a bread knife before relaxing. Although she has an “agreement” with Tony to stay away from such events, Laura shows up at a school meeting regarding their daughter Effie’s academic performance. Tony is visibly irritated by her appearance.

Inside the head teacher’s office, they are introduced to Effie’s head of year, Ryan Smith. Laura is stunned into silence as she recognizes him immediately as the man she knew as Steven.

On the day of the school meeting, Ryan watches from his office as Laura and Tony arrive. He earlier accessed the school’s administrative system and reinstated Laura’s contact information, ensuring she would be invited.

For months, Ryan has been executing an elaborate revenge plan. After recognizing Effie as a student at the school where he teaches, he systematically began to undermine her. He manipulated her English grades downward and held private meetings where he feigned concern while suggesting that her classmates were gossiping about her, further hurting her confidence. As Effie developed an innocent crush on him, Ryan used their one-on-one time to probe for details about her family. As he is introduced to Laura in the head teacher’s office, he feels a deep satisfaction watching the shock and fear on her face.

Inside the meeting, Laura fights to maintain her composure as Ryan discusses Effie’s declining grades. He suggests her daughter may be struggling with mental illness, deliberately using specific language from his “Steven” phone calls to taunt Laura. He insinuates that Effie is vulnerable and mentions a distressing conversation they had, implying he knows private details about their family.

When Tony’s phone rings, he steps out to take the call, leaving Laura alone with Ryan. Seizing the opportunity, Ryan leans in close and whispers a threat, telling Laura she should hurry home to check on Effie, implying her daughter is in immediate danger.

Ryan’s threat referenced an interaction with Effie earlier that day. After supervising her detention, he agreed to give Effie a ride home. In his car, she became flirtatious and leaned in as if to kiss him. Ryan cruelly rebuffed her, calling her a stupid and immature girl. A devastated Effie fled from the car in tears. Now, Ryan reflects that he has repaid Laura’s manipulation of his wife by manipulating her daughter.

Panicked by Ryan’s warning, Laura insists Tony take her to see their daughters. Confused, Tony reminds her that he and the girls moved out nearly two years ago, a fact Laura’s memory seems to have distorted. She forces him to drive to his new house. Upon arriving, they find Effie lying motionless on her bed. Laura panics, but Effie wakes up, annoyed, revealing that she was simply listening to music. Her younger sister, Alice, greets Laura happily.

As Alice gives her a tour, Laura enters Tony’s bedroom and spots an orange handbag. She recognizes it as belonging to Janine Thomson, her supervisor from the End of the Line helpline, and realizes they are having an affair.

That evening, Ryan returns to his apartment and senses someone has been there. He finds his brother, Johnny, who has discovered his hidden stash of revenge materials: surveillance photos, a Dictaphone, and a noose. A brief physical struggle erupts before Ryan breaks down, confessing everything about his elaborate revenge plot.

Johnny is appalled, calling Ryan’s manipulation of a teenage girl shameful and obsessive. He urges Ryan to abandon his vendetta, report Laura to the police or End of the Line, and move on. For the first time since Charlotte’s death, Ryan feels a wave of relief.

Alone in her empty house, Laura processes the dual betrayals of her colleague, Janine, and her tormentor, Ryan. She resolves to abandon her fear and fight back, deciding to target Ryan first. The next morning, she goes to the school and, after watching Alice play, she approaches another parent, Kate Griffiths.

Kate casually reveals that Ryan’s wife, Charlotte, died by suicide. She explains that the official story is that Charlotte was part of a suicide pact with a lover named David and that they jumped from a cliff together. The details click into place for Laura, and she has a shocking realization: Ryan is the husband of one of the callers she actively encouraged to die by suicide.

Following his brother’s advice, Ryan arranges a meeting with Janine in her capacity as Laura’s manager at End of the Line. He directly accuses Laura of encouraging vulnerable callers’ suicidal ideation, citing his own experience as “Steven” and the death of his wife, Charlotte. Janine appears skeptical. As proof, Ryan offers to play the incriminating conversations he secretly recorded.

Noticing the security cameras, Janine puts on headphones to listen privately. Afterward, she downplays the evidence, insisting that Laura is too valuable as a fundraiser to lose. A frustrated Ryan prepares to leave, but Janine stops him. She gestures toward the cameras and then leans in and whispers something in his ear.