Everyone Is Watching

The narrative flashes back in time.

Maire Hennessy drives across Iowa after dropping off her daughters and their dog at their grandmother’s house. Dani, 10 years old, and Keely, 12, dislike the prospect of spending two weeks with their grandmother, even when Maire explains she is participating in a contest that will earn her a lot of money if she wins and exposure for her jewelry line even if she loses. Maire frets over Dani’s cough; the family cannot afford the expensive nebulizer treatments required to manage Dani’s cystic fibrosis without her ex-husband’s health insurance.

Though Maire initially assumed the invitation email for One Lucky Winner is a scam, continued financial troubles caused her to reconsider. Her decision to try the show feels “ridiculous” and “irresponsible,” but also “ignited a spark of hope” (19). Even so, she frets about leaving her kids at their grandmother’s grim home.

Fern Espa looks out over the gorgeous estate where the competition will be held, thinking about how her abusive boss, Catalina “Cat” James, could not get the extensive restorations done in time despite threatening the contractors. Fern has served as Cat’s assistant for four years, during which time Cat gained fame from regular Instagram livestreams. On the night Cat’s husband left her, Cat grew enraged, breaking and throwing things. Fern was cut with a shard of glass, but didn’t quit.

While filming a promotional video, Cat impulsively fires the show’s host, Philippa, assuming that she is late because of drug or alcohol use. Cat then demands that Fern host, adding that Fern better not embarrass Cat and must also attend to her regular duties. Fern agrees, seeing this as her chance.

Cat plans to keep her role in One Lucky Winner secret until the show’s final episode. Fern was responsible for nearly the whole show and is pleased that she will finally get credit. Fern resents Cat, who is often critical, but feels she owes her: 10 years earlier, Cat protected Fern from sexual assault by the CEO of their company. Still, Fern now finds Cat’s behavior “bordering on abuse” (30).

Fern finds Cat’s choices around the show puzzling, including her desire to have only five contestants: married restaurateur Aubrey Abreo, single attorney Samuel Rafferty, former US Senator Richard Crowley, divorced psychiatrist Camille Tamerlane, and artist Maire.

When a driver picks her up at the airport to head to the show, Maire feels special, but quickly grows uneasy when the driver takes her directly to the foreboding estate instead of a hotel. She calls Shar, her daughters’ grandmother, to confirm that Shar is following the correct protocols for Dani’s cough.

Fern greets Maire, explaining that the estate is hosting a pre-competition party. Maire’s anxiety intensifies when Fern takes her phone, citing show rules. They enter a grand library, where Maire sees Richard Crowley, whom she recognizes but cannot place. Then, she sees someone from her past.

Camille Tamerlane muses that her celebrity-packed client roster makes her well deserving of a spot on the show. She is in desperate need of money. Camille finds Fern vaguely familiar, meets Crowley, whose politics she dislikes, and notes Maire and a man cautiously regarding one another. Fern seems nervous that the final contestant is late.

Crowley and Camille introduce themselves. Samuel Rafferty modestly calls himself “just an attorney from Atlanta” (49), but Maire interjects that he was the prosecutor in a high-profile case of a murderer who killed multiple boys. Samuel brushes off any praise for his work. Maire says she is “just a mom” (51) and subtly rebuts Camille’s false compliment. Camille concludes that Maire “might be her most formidable opponent” (51).

Show director Alfonso advises the contestants to “be [themselves]” and warns that the competition “will be intense, brutal even” (52). Fern explains that the show will air at random times and viewers will be sent links urging them to watch livestreams of the competitors doing challenges. Each challenge winner will earn a Super Clue to “solve the overarching mystery of Bella Luce,” the estate (53). They may also encounter a Game Changer—“a tool” with “the potential to steer the game” (53). Losers will be sent home unless viewers vote for them to remain. Camille spots several hidden cameras that indicate recording has already begun.

Contestants will be staying at the estate; contacting anyone off the estate, leaving the property, or entering restricted areas is forbidden. Camille feels confident that she can beat Samuel and Crowley, though not Maire.

Fern takes the contestants to the Vault, a repurposed wine cellar. Fern thinks that Samuel and Camille are likely to do well in the competition. 

Cat, watching through the cameras, speaks into Fern’s earpiece, urging her to open a door on the way to the Vault. Fern, who didn’t get an alert about another arrival, is shocked to find Ned Bennet, the CEO who assaulted her. He doesn’t recognize her. Over the earpiece, Cat shouts to Fern that the newcomer should have been someone called Aubrey, accuses Fern of staging this, and demands Fern act as though nothing is amiss.

Maire notes Fern’s discomfiture and wonders if Fern is using drugs. Maire recognizes Ned, who produces a salacious true crime show. She wants to speak to Samuel to “get their stories straight” (64). A narrow staircase into the wine cellar puts Samuel close behind Maire, which makes her recall her college crush on him, when he was her roommate’s boyfriend.

Fern leads them through dark passageways where wine is kept to the Vault, a confessional where contestants can share their “completely, brutally honest” thoughts about the competition (69). The confessions will be aired to audiences, who can then vote for the competitors they like best.

The contestants each receive gift bags with personalized wine bottles that spell out their crimes in Italian, which none of the contestants speak: Crowley’s reads “imbroglione” (cheat), Ned’s “degenerare” (degenerate), Camille’s “sfasciafamiglie” (someone who breaks up families), Samuel’s “traditore” (traitor), and Maire’s “uccisore” (killer [71]).

Fern reminds them that they will be filmed everywhere and at all times except in their bedrooms and bathrooms. Maire vows to win for her daughters, planning to confess almost everything to viewers—except the secret that Samuel knows.

After getting the contestants’ introductory vault segments recorded, Fern retreats to the cellar to process Ned’s arrival. She puzzles over who might have invited him as she cleans up wine that she dropped earlier in the evening.

Cat enters and castigates her for dropping the expensive bottle. Cat is unsympathetic to Fern about Ned, blaming her for going into his office ten years prior and lamenting being stuck with Fern ever since. Fern cuts her hand on the bottle, shocked by Cat’s disregard. When Cat calls Fern a “waste of space” (80), Fern furiously shuts Cat in the soundproof wine cellar. Fern then uses Cat’s phone to access the video feed of the wine cellar, which only she and Cat have. She decides not to let Cat out immediately, determined to prove herself by making the show a success.

In his vault segment, Crowley introduces himself, emphasizing his family connections, military history, and decades of public service. He claims to have joined the competition for the money, which he intends to use to buy his wife “the biggest damn diamond ring” (84) before donating the remainder to charities that support veterans. He thinks Samuel is the biggest threat, and Camille the weakest competitor. Viewers are divided on liking or disliking Crowley.

Camille struggles to sleep in the hot, crowded room. Soon after she falls asleep, an alarm wakes her. The group stumbles in the dark, fearing fire. Outside, Fern is unperturbed: The alarm was not an emergency, but the start of the first challenge. The group must traverse a hedge maze with only one exit. The first one out wins a Super Clue; there may be Game Changers inside.

Fern tells them there are no rules and provides them with Tasers that can only be fired once. The group is nervous, but nobody refuses the weapon. Fern assures them the Taser shocks are safe, and then fires a starter’s pistol to start the race.

Maire moves through the dark maze as quickly as she dares, glad she thought to put on shoes and grab her small flashlight keychain before she left the bedroom. She spots a Game Changer, but Ned shoves her and grabs it before Maire can. Samuel is cheating by climbing over the hedges, not navigating the maze. Maire wants to knock him down, amazed at her anger. As Maire and Samuel sprint toward Fern, Maire tases Samuel, who drops to the ground in agony. Maire runs, beating Crowley to the Super Clue only when she takes a painful running dive.

Even as Maire gasps for breath, Fern peppers her with questions, asking if she had reservations about tasing Samuel. Maire lies that she did not, calling herself “a mom on a mission” (102). After the interview, Maire tells Samuel, who is still on the ground, that she wouldn’t have used the Taser if she’d known about its strength, Samuel counters that they “both know that’s a lie” (102). He thanks her for returning for him, which she considers accusatory. Maire decides to keep the clue for herself instead of sharing it with the others.

Viewer MarketingMama eagerly waits for One Lucky Winner. She works in marketing for an ice cream company and hopes to leverage the buzz around the show into professional gain. With horror, she recognizes Ned, who raped her when she was 19. She considers revealing his crime in the livestream comments, though she has never spoken of her assault.

MarketingMama watches Maire, now labeled “The Best Friend” by the show (107), open her clue: a family tree with chunks missing. Ned, labeled “The Executive,” opens his Game Changer. It’s a slip of paper that he doesn’t show the camera and a switchblade, which frightens MarketingMama.