Catherine confronts Frances over Tommy’s manipulation
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Catherine, denying jealousy, attempts to highlight Frances's delusion by asking if she would believe Tommy if he looked like notorious criminals; Catherine insists Tommy looks like them on the inside, and Frances will soon realize he's damaged her.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Controlled anger, deep disappointment, and urgent protectiveness—masking a simmering rage at Frances’ denial of Tommy’s crimes and the threat he poses to Ryan. Her emotional state is a delicate balance between professional detachment and maternal desperation.
Catherine enters Frances’ home with calculated restraint, her body language deliberately non-threatening to avoid triggering Frances’ defenses. She carefully observes the room’s sparse decor—particularly the absence of photos of Tommy and Ryan—as a visual cue of Frances’ shifting loyalties. Throughout the confrontation, Catherine maintains a controlled demeanor, though her internal struggle is palpable as she forces herself to remain composed while dismantling Frances’ delusions. Her dialogue is precise, alternating between empathy and blunt truth, culminating in a devastating rhetorical question that exposes the fragility of Frances’ devotion to Tommy.
- • To shatter Frances’ delusional belief in Tommy Lee Royce’s innocence and expose the psychological grooming she has endured.
- • To plant seeds of doubt in Frances’ mind, pushing her toward a breaking point where she may turn against Tommy and protect Ryan from his influence.
- • Frances is a victim of Tommy’s manipulation, but she can still be reached through reasoned confrontation and emotional appeals.
- • The truth about Tommy’s crimes—especially his rape of Catherine’s daughter and the murder of Kirsten McAskill—will eventually penetrate Frances’ denial, no matter how deeply ingrained her delusions are.
Defensive, delusional, and emotionally fragile—her surface calm belies a growing sense of unease as Catherine’s words begin to erode her carefully constructed narrative. She oscillates between defiance and vulnerability, her grip on reality visibly weakening under Catherine’s relentless questioning.
Frances is visibly defensive from the outset, her body language tense and her responses laced with justification for her actions. She touches her engagement ring repeatedly, a physical anchor to her delusional narrative. As Catherine dismantles her beliefs, Frances clings to religious absolution and accuses Catherine of jealousy, her voice growing sharper with each interruption. By the end of the confrontation, she is emotionally fragile, her refusal to acknowledge the truth betraying a deep internal conflict—her devotion to Tommy is crumbling, but she cannot yet admit it.
- • To defend Tommy Lee Royce’s innocence and justify her relationship with him, no matter the evidence against him.
- • To maintain her delusional narrative, even as Catherine forces her to confront the grotesque reality of his crimes.
- • Tommy Lee Royce is a victim of circumstance who can be redeemed through kindness and help, and that her devotion to him is justified.
- • Catherine’s accusations are motivated by jealousy and a refusal to accept that Tommy is capable of change.
Not directly observable, but inferred through Frances’ devotion and Catherine’s rage—his psychological hold over Frances is absolute, while Catherine’s determination to expose him is fueled by a deep, personal hatred for what he represents.
Tommy Lee Royce is the unseen but ever-present subject of the confrontation, his influence looming over every exchange. Frances’ defense of him is a direct reflection of his psychological manipulation, while Catherine’s relentless exposure of his crimes serves as a counter-narrative to his grooming. Though physically absent, his presence is palpable—his crimes, his grooming of Frances, and his attempted murder of Catherine are all central to the discussion, making him the invisible antagonist of the scene.
- • To maintain his influence over Frances, ensuring she continues to act as his proxy in grooming Ryan and facilitating his plans.
- • To undermine Catherine’s efforts to protect Ryan and expose his crimes, even from behind bars.
- • He is entitled to a relationship with his son, Ryan, and will use any means necessary to achieve it.
- • His victims—including Catherine’s daughter, Ann Gallagher, and Kirsten McAskill—are deserving of their fates, and his actions are justified.
Conflicted—her devotion to Tommy is crumbling, but she cannot yet admit it, leaving her in a state of emotional turmoil.
While not explicitly named, Frances is implied to be a victim of Tommy’s psychological manipulation, her infatuation with him a direct result of his grooming. Catherine’s accusation that Frances has been ‘picked, [and] chosen’ for what Tommy can get out of her underscores this dynamic, framing Frances as both an enabler and a victim of his predatory behavior.
- • To maintain her delusional narrative and protect her relationship with Tommy, even as Catherine’s words begin to erode her defenses.
- • To avoid confronting the truth about Tommy’s crimes and her own complicity in his schemes.
- • Tommy is capable of redemption, and her devotion to him is justified.
- • Catherine’s accusations are motivated by personal bias and a refusal to accept that Tommy can change.
N/A (deceased, referenced posthumously)
Brett McKendrick is referenced by Catherine as one of Tommy Lee Royce’s murder victims, his name invoked to challenge Frances’ belief in Tommy’s self-defense claims. Though physically absent, his death is a critical piece of evidence in Catherine’s argument, symbolizing the broader pattern of violence and manipulation that Tommy has inflicted on those around him.
N/A (deceased, referenced posthumously)
Kirsten McAskill is mentioned by Catherine as one of Tommy Lee Royce’s murder victims, her death cited to expose the grotesque reality of his crimes. Her name serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of Tommy’s violence, reinforcing Catherine’s argument that Frances’ denial is both dangerous and delusional.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The missing photos of Tommy Lee Royce and Ryan Cawood are a critical visual clue in the scene, signaling Frances’ shifting loyalties and the erosion of her delusional narrative. Catherine notes their absence early in the confrontation, using it as a starting point to dismantle Frances’ defenses. The empty spaces where the photos once hung serve as a metaphor for the gaps in Frances’ understanding of Tommy’s true nature—gaps that Catherine systematically fills with the brutal truth of his crimes. The removal of the photos, attributed to ‘your people’ (the police), also introduces a layer of institutional interference, framing Frances as both a victim of Tommy’s manipulation and a pawn in a larger game.
The cuddly toy in Frances’ sitting room serves as a poignant and ironic symbol of her delusional nurturing instincts. Its soft, childlike form contrasts sharply with the room’s sparse, almost ascetic decor, underscoring the disconnect between Frances’ self-perception as a caring figure and the reality of her role in Tommy’s manipulative schemes. Catherine’s observation of the toy—along with the absence of photos of Tommy and Ryan—reinforces the theme of Frances’ emotional detachment and the artificiality of her maternal fantasies. The toy is never directly interacted with, but its presence is a silent commentary on the unraveling of Frances’ delusions.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Frances’ sitting room is a claustrophobic battleground where the confrontation between Catherine and Frances unfolds. The room’s sparse decor—marked by a crucifix, a picture of Jesus, and the cuddly toy—creates an atmosphere of religious austerity that contrasts sharply with the emotional intensity of the scene. The absence of photos of Tommy and Ryan is a visual cue of Frances’ shifting loyalties, while the dim lighting and quiet tension amplify the psychological weight of the confrontation. The room functions as both a physical space and a metaphor for the unraveling of Frances’ delusions, its barrenness reflecting the hollowness of her devotion to Tommy.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Catherine arrives at Frances' house aiming to stop the harm to Ryan, and tries build trust by suggesting she she isn't a bad person. Paralleling their efforts."
Key Dialogue
"FRANCES: We’re getting married."
"CATHERINE: He’s a sex offender. He raped my daughter."
"FRANCES: He was very fond of your daughter."
"CATHERINE: Tommy Lee Royce is a psychopath. He’s a murderer and he’s a sex offender. And you must know - you must realise - that you’ve allowed yourself to be deluded by this dangerous man because you’re infatuated with him."
"FRANCES: Do you want to know what I believe? I believe that no-one is born evil. He may have done things... but we all do that, we’re all human. But he isn’t evil. He’s a product of his childhood... With help - and kindness - I believe he will become the person he was always capable of being. Good and kind and gentle and thoughtful."
"CATHERINE: He’s using you. He’s used you. To get close to Ryan. He’s groomed you. You’ve been groomed. You’ve been picked, you’ve been chosen, for what he can get out of you."
"CATHERINE: Tell me this. If he looked like - I don’t know - Ian Brady. Or Peter Sutcliffe. Or Jimmy Savile. Or some other twisted bastard. Would you believe a single word he said?"