Lights Out

Josh wakes up and thinks he is blind until Aly rearranges his balaclava. An alarm on his phone indicates that someone has been at Aly’s back door longer than an animal would stay there. Josh immediately gets up and gets Aly’s gun. He tells her to stay in the bedroom with Fred and an additional gun while he goes to investigate. Aly refuses at first, and they exchange a kiss and assurances that they will stay safe. Josh stands at the door, listening to someone pick the lock, and he punches the intruder in the face immediately upon entry. Aly comes down, and they reveal the intruder to be Brad Bluhm. Aly kicks his groin and ribs while Josh looks through his bag, finding rope, chloroform, and a knife. They conclude that Brad has been sexually assaulting and killing women and that he planned to do the same to Aly. They bind and gag Brad and stuff him in a bag, planning to drive him to the family home of his most recent victim, Macy Harold.

Before they leave, they discuss their willingness to kill Brad. Josh does not explain his past, but he insists that he cannot involve the police or leave any evidence behind. Aly is suspicious, but they conclude that they are both dangerous and unhinged people. Josh arranges a blackout, and they get Brad into Josh’s trunk. They drive to Macy’s home, where they know her husband and father are, hoping that the family will kill Brad. Josh explains that Brad has been abusing and killing women since he was a teenager but that his family’s wealth has kept him from a conviction. When they arrive, Aly finds Brad dead in the bag, telling Josh that she taped both Brad’s mouth and nose. Josh removes the balaclava to vomit, and Aly jokes that she knows his identity now.

Aly drives while Josh looks out the passenger window. Aly is captivated by his beauty, but she worries about his sullen mood. Josh explains that he is upset that he killed Brad and that she is not sufficiently disturbed by his actions. Aly says that she is disappointed that Brad did not suffer more and that her only fear in this situation was that Macy’s family would not successfully kill Brad for them. Josh hints that he has always worried about becoming a killer, so she reveals a dark truth of her own.

Her mother’s brother, Nico, is in the mafia, which led to a falling out between Nico and the rest of the family. Aly does not have contact with Nico, but he asked her to get Greg, her cousin, a job at the hospital. Aly is driving them to Nico’s home because her father, before he passed away, told her to go to Nico if she was ever in trouble. Aly says that Nico is a bad guy but that he will know what to do with Brad’s body, adding that Nico cleans crime scenes for the mafia. She warns Josh that Nico will want them to do favors for the mafia in exchange, and Josh says that he will do anything to stay out of the media. Aly still does not understand what Josh is hiding, and she is startled when he asks her to be his girlfriend. She agrees.

Josh is giddy about his newly confirmed relationship, but he reminds himself of their grim situation. Josh puts on a disguise, realizing that Nico might recognize Josh’s resemblance to his father. He and Aly banter before arriving. Nico greets them, and Josh does not like how Nico talks to Aly. Nico is upset that Josh and Aly brought a body to his house. He calls his sons down, and one of them, Greg, takes Aly to the car. Aly and Josh are nervous about separating, but Greg takes Aly to an autobody shop to dispose of the body and clean the car. Josh explains to Nico and his other three sons why they killed Brad. The way Nico snaps at his sons reminds Josh of his own father. Josh offers to go with Nico’s oldest son, Junior, to hack Brad’s laptop.

Josh and Junior get in a power company van with a driver and four large men. Aly texts Josh that they arrived, and Junior complains that they took too long. Aly says to threaten Junior if he does not promise to return Josh unharmed. Josh tells Aly to go to Josh and Tyler’s apartment with Fred so that Nico’s men can clean the house, and he texts Tyler to tell him about his and Aly’s relationship. Tyler is happy for Josh, but he worries about how Aly will react to learning about Josh’s father. At Brad’s home, the police are already there, and Junior uses a gun to tell the driver to slow down. Junior takes Josh’s phone, points the gun at him, and demands that Josh explain why the police beat them there.

Aly leaves the autobody shop and drives to Josh’s apartment. Aly has not heard from Josh in two hours, and she is worried about what Nico’s sons might do. Fred meows in the back seat, and she assumes that he needs to go to the bathroom. A police car speeds past Aly, making her panic, but she manages to get to Tyler and Josh’s apartment. Tyler lets her in, and Aly sees how Tyler pales in comparison to Josh. After setting Fred up in Josh’s room, Veronica calls and tells Aly who Josh’s father is. Aly panics and tells Veronica to keep Josh’s identity a secret. Aly struggles between thinking that Josh is innocent and worrying that he is a serial killer like his father. 

Aly tells Tyler what she knows. Tyler explains how Josh’s childhood was brutal and disturbing but notes that Josh is nothing like his father. Aly instinctively believes that Josh is a good person, and Tyler’s explanation of Josh’s paranoia comforts her. Tyler explains how Josh adapted to the aftermath of his father’s arrest by obsessing over safety, keeping track of all his family and friends’ whereabouts and keeping them safe from harm. Additionally, Josh’s fear of becoming like his father stems from a psychologist who believed that psychopathy was genetic and treated Josh for many years with anti-psychotics. Tyler reveals that Josh only recently stopped taking medication. Aly feels terrible for thinking that Josh might be a serial killer, and she reflects on her insensitive comments about Josh killing Brad. Tyler adds that Josh is vegan because his father once fed the neighborhood burgers made from one of his victims, which Aly connects to Josh’s poor cooking skills.

Josh comes home, Tyler says that Aly knows about Josh’s father, and Aly tells Josh that she is already over the initial shock of the news. Tyler leaves, and Josh and Aly talk about his father. Aly tells Josh that she knows he is not a bad person and that she is comfortable with his stalking, understanding that it is part of his protective nature. Josh says that he and Junior had to leave Brad’s because the police were there. They agree that they are exhausted and go to bed.

Josh looks for Fred to put him away while he and Aly shower. He marvels at how Aly’s reassurance convinces him that he is not like his father, even though Tyler, his mother, and his stepfather have been trying to convince him for years. They have sex in the shower, referring to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. Afterward, Aly says that she needs to get a last-minute contraceptive, and Josh thinks that he would like to have children with Aly. Tyler comes home, and they agree that they do not want to risk having sex again with Tyler in the apartment. They joke about their similar sexual interests, planning to have sex in various places in the future.

Aly and Josh drive back to Aly’s home with Fred yowling in his carrier. Aly is distracted by thoughts of their sexual activity in the shower, and they joke that they need to acquire additional contraceptives. Aly enjoys the thought of having children with Josh. Aly asks how Josh decided to stalk her, and he tells her about the picture she sent Tyler. Aly briefly wonders if Tyler arranged the entire situation but rejects the thought. At Aly’s home, there is an unknown SUV parked in her driveway. Josh says that the hood is warm. Aly gets Fred inside to use the bathroom and finds that her house is cleaned beyond just the areas where Brad was.

They find Junior sipping coffee in the kitchen, and he announces that they need Josh to finish wiping Brad’s computer. Aly insists on coming with them, and Junior says that he does not think a woman should come for the job. Josh holds Aly back from attacking Junior. Aly insists on coming along, and Junior says that Nico will not like it. Junior outlines how the crew took apart Brad’s car and Nico’s best cleaners took the body. He cannot say more since he needs everyone to retain plausible deniability if the police investigate Brad’s disappearance. Junior says that Aly owes Nico a favor and that Nico wants Aly to repay him by having dinner with the family once a month. Josh and Aly agree. Hugging Josh, Aly feels like they are an unstoppable team.