On this week’s episode of Flowers in the attic: the originMal’s tragic death hits the Foxworth household hard, and everyone not named Malcolm is grieving in their own way.
Corrine, who accidentally killed her brother with the poison meant for their father, destroys all of his dolls, Olivia is too despondent to interfere as Malcolm terrorizes the family, and Joel has fallen into the arms of Celia’s stepson Harry.
In another bend for the family, Alicia shows up unannounced to reveal that she is dying of cancer and hopes that the Foxworths will take care of her son Christopher after she is gone. Olivia lets her husband decide, and Malcolm lays out his condition: Christopher will have to work to live under his roof and pay his medical school tuition.
With her debut dance just around the corner, Corrine convinces Malcolm to let her go shopping in town for a new dress by suggesting she borrow one of her grandmother’s outfits. That prompts Malcolm to send her off with Joel, along with some extra money. As the brothers chat on the drive, Corrine suspects her brother is seeing a girl, but Joel refuses to say anything. At the store, he meets a handsome young man and they exchange flirtatious glances. But this is a VC Andrews story, so you know what’s coming. More on that in a moment.
Elsewhere, Joel and Harry are cute and flirtatious and talk about traveling together while Joel plays the piano. They kiss and are then interrupted by Malcolm, who had entered the room to prevent Joel from making a fuss. Angry at seeing his son kiss lips with another man, Malcolm arrests Harry for stealing the watch Joel gave him. When Nella begs Olivia to vouch for Harry in front of the police, Mrs. Foxworth remains silent and allows him to be beaten and then taken away.
Do you remember that piece of the store? It turns out that he is Alice’s eldest son Christopher, Corrine’s uncle and secret half brother. While the medical student hopes to do some office work, Malcolm stipulates that he must work in the courtyard along with the other servants.
Joel tries to convince his mother to help Harry, insisting that what happened between him and Celia’s stepson was consensual. But that doesn’t convince Olivia, who again leans towards Malcolm.
Malcolm meets privately with a physiatrist in search of effective treatment for his son. He is too wrapped up in paperwork to notice that Mrs. Steiner, who was fired as his housekeeper, is now the doctor’s receptionist and catches him leaving the office. Joel’s homosexuality treatment consists of being admitted to a center in Westmoreland where professionals will “take him out”. Joel only agrees to go if Malcolm drops the charges against Harry. However, Olivia is unaware that the “treatment” Joel has been forced to undergo is electroshock therapy.
Since Joel was forbidden to tell Corrine where he was going, she asks about him the next morning. Olivia and Malcolm’s story is that he left for Montreal after being invited to study with a composer at the Philharmonic. Corrine finds Joel’s letters to Harry and asks where his brother is. Really he went. It is then that he learns that he has been taken to Westmoreland and confirms with Christopher that this place is horrible and ineffective. She and Christopher then relay the information to Olivia, who finally steps forward and retrieves the child from her. Since she escaped him (using her doctor’s bribe move), she can’t bring him back to the mansion. She then she, of course, she asks Nella to take care of it for her. Nella only agrees because Joel helped break Harry out of jail.
The harsh treatment has left Joel seriously injured. He wakes up with seizures and Harry is at his side to help him. Corrine confronts her mother about Joel’s situation the next day, then runs off on horseback just as a storm is about to break. Later that night, the teenager still hasn’t returned, so her parents send out a search party. Christopher finds Corrine slightly injured but fine after falling off her horse. He takes her to a nearby chapel and rips a strip from her shirt to use as a bandage on her leg. The physical closeness leads to a kiss, which ends abruptly when they hear Malcolm calling Corrine’s name. Malcolm dramatically carries his daughter back to the house and shows his gratitude to Christopher for “saving” his daughter by relieving the young man of his yard duties and agreeing to cover his education at the whole of it.
Outside their rooms, which are next to each other, Christopher tells Corrine that they can never do that again since he is her uncle. “Half“Uncle,” Corrine points out. But Christopher doesn’t budge, and she reluctantly agrees that they shouldn’t go through with whatever. Things get awkward over breakfast when Olivia suggests that Christopher be the one to share her first dance at the dance. Corrine quickly offers her “friend of hers” Rockford (who got her pregnant) in her place.
Mrs. Steiner stops by the mansion threatening to find out Joel is gay if Olivia doesn’t pay her $3,000. While that won’t cover a loaf of bread today, it’s certainly considered a hefty fund in the ’30s.
Joel has improved a lot and has decided to leave town. Coming out of it, he sits down to play the piano and is relieved to learn that he can still do it. Malcolm finds him there, confused about how his son got out of the hospital. The beloved father becomes violent when Joel acts unconcerned about his verbal threats to cut him out of his will. But Olivia stops him, who clarifies that she helped Joel escape. Malcolm chides his wife, saying, “Everything you touch turns to ashes.” But Olivia backs off and reminds her husband that the It is the root of all your problems. Her boldness earns him an open-handed slap across the face.
Joel visits Harry and returns the watch that was reported stolen, telling his lover that he cannot force him to go with him as he deserves a life with no memories of this place. But Harry stays with Joel and insists that they will get through this. they are going to see the world together. A newly empowered Olivia even gives Joel her ring to pawn until she can force Malcolm to give her access to his trust fund.
When Mrs. Steiner shows up to collect her bribe money, Malcolm tells her that she can talk to whoever she wants, since he doesn’t have a son anymore. Focusing on her favorite child, Malcolm surprises Corrine with one of her grandmother’s dresses for her big night. Thus, her daughter will wear the same dress that her mother wears in the portrait that she keeps locked up in the attic. Disgusting, mate. Adding to the disgusting factor, Malcolm places a hand under his daughter’s chin and says, “Nothing should distract.” me Corrine. Not tonight.”
As guests arrive at Corrine’s ball, Malcolm is upstairs fondling his mother’s portrait like the perverted, soulless demon that she is. Meanwhile, Mrs. Steiner attends the party with fresh new blackmail material: she knows that Corrine is Alicia’s daughter. She call her the Suriel because this woman is in of all business.
Olivia confronts Mrs. Steiner in her office, and the former housekeeper presses for $5,000. Olivia says that she is going to get the money, but in reality she locks Mrs. Steiner in from the outside and looks for Malcolm.
Christopher steps in for Corrine’s first dance since Rockford somehow disappeared after asking Malcolm for her hand in marriage. During the dance, Christopher expresses concern that she is rushing to get engaged and she tells him that he cannot be jealous given her prior agreement. Christopher sends her into Malcolm’s arms, and that’s when we learn that Malcolm scared her fiancé out of her.
After telling Malcolm about Mrs. Steiner, Olivia returns to the office and exchanges tense words with her blackmailer. Mrs. Steiner tries to leave, but Olivia stops her, and in the fight, Mrs. Steiner hits her head on the desk and is knocked unconscious. This is the perfect time for Malcolm to come in and use her phone to finish the job, beating her to death so her ex-housekeeper can never tell anyone her secrets. The unholy couple return to the dance and dance together as if nothing has happened, and then head into the woods to dispose of the body. Nothing temporarily mends a dysfunctional marriage like burying the woman who threatened to destroy their lives. Malcolm even Kisses Olivia and tells her to rest while he finishes.
Meanwhile, Corrine admits to Christopher that she can’t fight her feelings for him anymore. Christopher asks him to stop from her, but then he relents on her and tells her that he loves her. As Olivia walks upstairs, she overhears Christopher and Corrine having sex in Malcolm’s mother’s bedroom. Ayyyyyy!
What did you all think of this week? Flowers in the attic: the origin? Turn off the sound below in the comments.