The Perfect Son

As Erika makes breakfast for her family, she thinks about how mothers are not supposed to have a favorite child. However, she favors one of her children more than the other.

Her daughter Hannah comes downstairs to eat breakfast. Hannah is 14 and very emotional and moody. She is upset that Erika is making eggs for breakfast and ultimately searches for an alternative breakfast.

Liam, Erika’s oldest child, comes down for breakfast, dressed for a debate match. When he sees Erika making eggs, he is happy and appreciative. Erika thinks about how Liam has become increasingly handsome over the last few years. He looks like Erika’s father, who died when Erika was a young child. It makes her sad that her father will never meet his grandchildren.

Erika asks if she can come to his debate match, and he agrees. As Liam eats, Erika realizes she finds a lot of satisfaction from watching her children eat. When Liam asks why her eggs are so good, Erika tells him that love is her secret ingredient. This annoys Hannah, who reveals that parmesan is the secret ingredient. Liam and Hannah almost get into a fight, but Liam deescalates the conversation by ignoring his sister—something Erika often struggles to do. Erika loves Hannah, but Liam is her favorite child, and she will do whatever it takes to protect him.

Erika’s husband, Jason, comes back from a run. In the last year, after realizing he had gained weight, Jason started dieting and exercising. While Erika was skeptical at first, Jason is in great shape and more attractive than ever. Erika begins making Jason eggs as he makes egg-related puns that annoy Hannah. Erika worries that he’ll get sick of her because of his new attractive body. He reassures her he will not, much to Hannah’s annoyance.

Hannah and Liam miss the bus, so Erika drives them to school. They take her car, a Toyota 4Runner, which she loves despite its being a “mom car.” On the way to school, Hannah reveals that Liam has a crush on a girl named Olivia. Erika asks who Olivia is, but Liam denies having a crush. Erika is relieved to be attending the debate match so she can figure out who Olivia is and protect her.

The police ask Sharon Anderson, Liam’s former principal, about an event that resulted in Liam’s expulsion from school in kindergarten. Sharon thought Liam was a great kid until a girl with whom Liam often played during recess disappeared. It turned out that Liam and the girl were playing in the janitor’s closet, where Liam found a roll of duct tape, bound the girl’s wrists, and put tape over her mouth. He left her in the closet and didn’t tell anyone where she was while they searched for her. When the girl was found, she refused to tell anyone what happened. Sharon isn’t sure what Liam did to the girl but knows it traumatized the girl. When confronted, Liam apologized and cried, but Sharon didn’t find his apology authentic, believing he only regretted being caught.

When they arrive at school, Hannah gets out of the car as fast as she can while Liam lingers behind. After saying goodbye, Erika scans the crowd, trying to figure out which girl is Olivia. Jessica Martinson, Erika’s former friend and the head of the PTA, asks Erika if they can meet for coffee to discuss something urgent. Erika assumes Liam has done something and agrees to meet Jessica at a nearby diner. As Erika drives toward the diner, she tries to prepare herself for whatever Jessica wants to talk about.

Olivia Mercer, who has never been obsessed with boys, is failing math. She struggles to focus on or study for the class because of her crush on Liam. During class, she comments on his attire, and he tells her about his debate match. He invites her to come watch, and she agrees. Liam appears happy, and Olivia realizes she won’t be able to focus during the rest of class.

When Erika arrives at the diner, Jessica is already there. Erika reflects on their differing approaches to being stay-at-home moms: Jessica has embraced the role while Erika has struggled to do so. Before having children, Erika worked as a journalist in Manhattan. She didn’t make a lot of money, but she enjoyed the work and the purpose it gave her. She still works in journalism, writing for the local paper. However, her current work is not the hard-hitting journalism she did before her children were born, instead focused on fluff pieces about local events.

Jessica asks for Erika’s help with the PTA’s Movie Night, and Erika agrees, relieved that the conversation is not about Liam. She promises to attend the upcoming PTA meeting to help plan. The conversation then shifts to discuss their sons, who used to be good friends. Jessica says that her son, Tyler, spends most of his time with girls. She assumes Liam is the same way because of his good looks. Erika says he’s not, but Jessica says that her own daughter had a crush on him. Erika becomes deeply uncomfortable by the conversation and leaves, lying that she has an appointment.

Olivia Mercer has never had a boyfriend and is generally inexperienced with boys, unlike her best friend, Madison. She brings Madison with her to watch Liam’s debate match. Madison does not share her friend’s enthusiasm for Liam, finding him to be “fake.” On stage, Liam talks to one of his debate teammates, Olivia Reynolds. Olivia Mercer is jealous of Olivia Reynolds’s appearance.

Olivia Mercer is impressed by Liam’s performance in the debate, and his team wins the match. Madison encourages Oliva to talk to Liam. Madison’s boyfriend, Aidan, admits that he hates Liam and thinks that Olivia could do better than him. Madison and Aidan leave.

Olivia Mercer sees Liam talk to Erika and his debate coach. Olivia is impressed by his apparent politeness to Erika. Once the auditorium is nearly empty, Liam comes to talk to Olivia. She compliments his performance and makes small talk about their math homework. Liam asks if he’d like to go to a diner with him and some of his friends the next day, and she agrees happily.

Erika arrives at the debate early and sees Liam talking to a girl onstage. An audience member tells her the girl is Olivia Reynolds. Assuming this is the Olivia whom Hannah and Liam discussed in the car, she slips outside to call Frank Marino, leaving a message in his voicemail.

Back inside, she is impressed with Liam’s performance and at the man he’s become. After the debate, Liam and his debate coach come to talk to her. The coach talks about Liam’s debate prowess and Hannah’s neglecting to turn in her homework. The debate teacher is surprised at how different Hannah and Liam are. Erika thinks about how most teachers love Liam but also remembers the one teacher who didn’t. This memory makes her feel even more eager to talk to Frank as soon as possible.

After dinner, Erika confronts Hannah about not turning in her homework. Hannah gets upset and argues sarcastically that Liam is “perfect,” which makes Erika wonder if Hannah knows her fears about Liam. Hannah admits that she knows Liam is Erika’s favorite.

Jason and Liam return from a driving lesson. Erika thinks that Jason is a good husband but wishes he was less laid-back when it came to Liam. Liam says he’s excited to get his license and get a car of his own, but Jason tells him to stick with Erika’s car for the time being. Erika receives a phone call from Frank and leaves the room to answer it.

Erika speaks on the phone with Frank, who is her private investigator. Frank makes her nervous, but he’s always done what she’s asked him to do. She tells him the girl’s name is Olivia Reynolds, and she wants him to do the same thing he did the “last time.” Frank says he’s never met anyone “so eager to cock block her kid” (66). Annoyed, Erika threatens to find someone else, and Frank tells her he is kidding. He tells her his price has gone up, and she agrees to pay it. When she hangs up, she is annoyed but relieved that Frank will help her save Liam from himself.

Olivia Mercer is very nervous about meeting up with Liam. She changes clothes multiple times and waits with Madison for him to finish track practice. Madison is annoyed that Liam is late and continues to express her doubts that Liam is a good fit for Olivia. She relays to Olivia a warning from Tyler Martinson, Liam’s former best friend and a football player whom Olivia romantically rejected earlier in the year. Tyler said he’s afraid of Liam and worries for any girl who gets romantically involved with him. Frustrated at Madison’s repeated dismissal of Liam, Olivia snaps at her, saying that Madison’s boyfriend is a bully and probably uses steroids. Hurt, Madison leaves Olivia to wait for Liam alone.

When Liam arrives, Olivia is impressed with how handsome he looks. He appears surprised she showed up and offers her his jacket when she looks cold. Impressed by his chivalry, Olivia realizes she is in love with Liam.

The police interview Olivia Reynolds. She tells them a man approached her while she was walking her dog. The man asked if she was Olivia Reynolds and if she knew Liam. After she confirmed both, he showed her screenshots of embarrassing text messages and nude photos from Olivia’s phone. He tells her that if she continues to hang out with Liam, he will release the photos. She agrees to not hang out with Liam anymore. However, she ends her interview by saying that she doesn’t think Liam hurt anyone because he’s smart and kind.