The Breakdown

On Friday, Matthew tells Cass that someone from the alarm company was at the house when he got home, with a contract to install an alarm that has Cass’s signature. He found a client copy inside the house, filled out in Cass’s handwriting. She concedes that she must have agreed to it without full awareness since she was so eager for the alarm representative to leave. Cass and Matthew decide to have the alarm system installed rather than try to get the contract voided. Matthew leaves the hotel early the next morning to be at the house when they install the system.

A news report about Jane’s funeral leads to an opportune moment for Cass to tell Matthew about her memory concerns, but she lets the moment slip away. Back at home, Matthew teaches Cass how to use the new alarm system, and she practices entering the four-digit PIN. She avoids the next news report about Jane, but Matthew watches it and tells her the latest update: Jane’s throat was slit with a massive kitchen knife. Cass snaps and yells at Matthew for always talking about the murder. They both apologize and make up quickly.

After getting two silent calls from a withheld number, Cass wants to get out of the house. In Castle Wells, a newspaper reports that a witness saw Jane’s car at the same spot on Blackwater Lane in the past. The police think it was a rendezvous spot, meaning she likely knew—and may have been having an affair with—her killer. Some speculate that Jane’s husband killed her. Cass realizes that the murderer may have seen her license plate and may now see her as a threat.

Cass has lunch with Rachel and tells her about what’s been happening. Rachel remembers Cass specifically saying she invited Hannah for that Sunday. In addition, Rachel assures Cass that the silent calls are just salespeople and that she probably blocked out the memory of signing the alarm contract because she was ashamed that the salesman took advantage of her. She reminds Cass of all the changes she’s experienced in the last few years and says it’s natural to be stressed out and forgetful in those circumstances. Cass feels reassured and much calmer.

After lunch, Cass browses a baby store as she contemplates telling Matthew she’s ready to start in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The store clerk assumes she’s pregnant, and Cass goes along with it. As she leaves the store, she runs into her friend John. Over coffee, he says he broke up with his girlfriend. When Cass gets home, the alarm code doesn’t work, so the alarm goes off, and the police arrive. She thought the code was 9091 instead of 9190. Matthew minimizes her concerns about the silent calls but agrees to work from home on Thursday and Friday.

Cass yells at a caller to leave her alone or she’ll call the police. It turns out to be John, not her harasser, and she makes up an excuse about being pestered by a call center. The next call, however, is from the silent caller. Matthew’s birthday is coming up, so Cass orders the garden shed he’s been wanting. She sends Jane’s husband a card with a sympathetic note. As she goes to mail it, she feels like someone is watching her. Terror overcomes her, and she runs. After falling and getting the wind knocked out of her, Cass feels ashamed and frazzled.

Matthew mentions that a man just moved into the house up the road, not a couple as Cass expected. She wonders if that’s who’s been watching and calling her. A package is delivered, but instead of the garden shed, it’s the baby pram Cass admired when she was in the baby shop. She tells Matthew she didn’t order it, so he calls the store, but they assure him that Cass did order the pram. Matthew encourages Cass to see her doctor. He assures her that stress is more likely the culprit than dementia for her memory lapses, but he wants her to be happy and can tell she isn’t.

Matthew gets Cass an appointment with Dr. Deakin the next morning and attends with her. She feels betrayed when she learns that Matthew already told the doctor about her memory lapses. When the doctor asks about family history, Matthew is startled to learn that Cass’s mother had dementia. The doctor also questions Cass’s belief that Jane’s killer is calling her. By the end of the appointment, Cass feels humiliated by Matthew sharing every little thing she has forgotten. The doctor prescribes a medication, which Matthew explains is for stress. She realizes how hard this must be on him and apologizes. He says they’ll get through it together.

On Sunday, Cass and Matthew build the new garden shed together and then have cocktails to celebrate. Later, Cass sees a huge knife that looks just like the one used to kill Jane, as shown on the news. She screams for Matthew to call the police, saying the killer is out there, in the garden. He goes to check and only finds the small knife he used to cut limes for their drinks. Cass sobs, feeling sure she saw a different knife and like she’s losing her mind. Matthew is frustrated and doesn’t know how much more of this he can take. At his suggestion, Cass takes two of the pills Dr. Deakin prescribed.

The pills are a strong sedative, and Cass is overly drowsy the next morning. When she gets silent calls from her tormentor, she realizes that he hadn’t called either day that Matthew worked from home. He somehow knows when she’s home alone, so he must be watching the house. Terrified, she barricades herself in the sitting room but forgets to bring the phone. Calls come through over and over for hours. She hears someone enter the house and tries to flee through the window, setting off the alarm, but then she realizes it’s Matthew. He was worried that she wasn’t answering his calls. He returns to work, angry and clearly fed up. Cass is beginning to accept that she’s delusional when she sees the same man she saw before, walking toward the woods. She takes more pills and spends the day huddled on the sofa.