When Ann Archer shoots Glenn Close rising out of the bath tub, she should have put a bullet or two into Michael Douglas. Not enough to kill him, but enough to wound him. After all, Douglas was the cause of all the mayhem, betraying his wife and kid for an extended one night stand piece of ask. He SHOULD pay for it somehow. Anne would be in her rights to plug him.
shareBut the only problem with that is it would mar Beth's unblemished character. She needs to be seen to be the soft, forgiving wife to highlight the magnitude of Dan's betrayal (like how could he cheat on such a loving, gorgeous wife? sort of thing).
Dan did pay for it in a sense. He was running $hit scared over Alex' emotional blackmail and her various pay-backs such as infiltrating his home, boiling the pet rabbit, bombarding his office and home with calls, throwing acid on his car and "kidnapping" his daughter from school.
That said he would never have confessed to Beth had Alex been true to her word in her feigned need for discretion. He thought he could get away with it and what's more, he had ample opportunity to back away since he was forced to think about his wife during the restaurant meal when Alex asked him where his wife was. But still he gave in to temptation. He would never have cheated again, that's for sure!
"These days you have to boil someone before you can sleep with them"
I like your thoughtful comments. Nonetheless, Douglas should pay a price for the mayhem he caused (for no good reason other than pointless lust). It is because Ann Archer was such a great wife, that Douglas' transgressions are so egregious, the wife clearly did nothing to provoke him into cheating.
Recall the night before, when they came back from the book party, Douglas intends to get into bed with his wife, only to find their kid asleep there, ergo his horniness went unsatisfied within the boundaries of holy matrimony, making him more susceptible the next day to the Glenn Close Venus fly trap.
LOL well I have always pointed this out too (the audience being subtly led to believe that their love-making was fraught with missed opportunities). Beth says that night "It's just for tonight, honey" when daughter, Ellen is in the marital bed. But we can sense his sexual frustration. It further happens on the night he and Beth are hosting a dinner party. She sits there in her underwear pampering herself afront the mirror and Dan begins to caress her but they are promptly interrupted by the doorbell. So we establish that sex is at best difficult to execute!
But you are right - nothing justified Dan's betrayal. He had it all - a decent job, a lovely home and a loving family. He risked all that for what he assumed was a one-night stand. Of course the night of the dinner party he had already cheated and was riddled with guilt. That was the night Alex bombarded the home with calls until Dan eventually picked up during the middle of the night and was told to meet Alex the following morning where she revealed her pregnancy.
"These days you have to boil someone before you can sleep with them"