The Apology, a 2022 thriller from Shudder, centers on Darlene, a mother whose daughter vanished 20 years prior. Darlene is perplexed by Jack’s actions when he shows up at her door as the ex-husband of her sister. The latter wants to surprise folks for Christmas, but a strong storm prevents him from going anywhere else, and his car breaks down.
Given that Darlene and Jack have a long history together and have recently reconnected after 19 years apart, their dialogue has a sentimental tone. Jack speaks about her daughter Sally while Darlene recalls earlier days. Darlene soon learns Jack’s true nature, which sends her down a perilous path. We now comprehend what happened to Sally 20 years ago, the reason Jack came back, and what Darlene should do. Here is all the information you require regarding “The Apology’s” conclusion. Spoilers follow!
The Apology Plot Synopsis
In the first scene of “The Apology,” Darlene and her friend Gretchen prepare the Christmas dinner at the former’s house. Darlene reviews a video of herself speaking in an interview about Sally’s disappearance and supporting other families who are going through a similar situation. Jack visits Darlene’s home after Gretchen departs, and the two catch up. We find that after Jack and Darlene had a sexual encounter, Jack left his wife and the rest of the family. Soon after, Jack brings up Sally’s disappearance and queries Darlene about what she’ll do if she ever runs into her daughter’s kidnapper. Later, when the topic of conversation shifts and Jack tries to kiss Darlene, he tries to bring out a dark side in her.
Darlene declines, and Jack begins to bring up Sally once more. Jack acknowledges that he is aware of Sally’s fate. Sally tries to flee as Jack shares more information as she starts to dread him. However, Jack forbids her from speaking to anyone and forces her to hear the entire account. Jack begins by describing how he came across Sally strolling along the road and decided to give her a lift. He drove her to the lake point, where they shared a kiss and started a conversation. Later, Sally erupted in rage. He put his hand over her mouth and pushed hard to stop her from making a scene. She had a broken neck as a result, and he ultimately killed her.
Darlene doesn’t trust Jack, despite his insistence that everything was a mistake and that he didn’t do anything on purpose. After some struggle and fighting, Darlene manages to dominate Jack. In her growing wrath, she ties him up with zip ties and shoots him in the leg. Darlene chooses not to kill Jack despite Jack’s enjoyment of it. Jack breaks free, stalks Darlene, and makes an attempt to murder her.
Darlene, however, succeeds in getting away and once more ties him up. Gretchen hears the gunfire by this point and comes home to see Darlene tying Jack. Jack reveals the whole story after Gretchen and Darlene tie him up, but this time, Darlene forces him to speak the truth. Jack admits that he killed Sally and sexually assaulted her. The spectator is left with further questions after the revelation and wonders why Jack did what he did. Let’s clarify each one of them.
The Apology Ending: Why Did Jack Rape and Kill Sally?
Because he loved Darlene and recognized Darlene in Sally, Jack probably raped Sally. Therefore, Jack takes advantage of Sally’s weakness and rapes her. But as Sally began to scream, he put his palm over her mouth in an effort to calm her down. Sadly, Jack put too much pressure on Sally, fracturing her neck. Jack admits his affection for Darlene when he sees her. Numerous occurrences in their past suggest this. As part of the family ritual of reading and eating chocolate, he first gives Darlene a book and some treats. Jack started the custom by giving everyone a book and some chocolates, as Darlene reveals. But he did so in order to avoid drawing attention to the fact that he was also giving Darlene the present that meant the most to her.
In addition, Jack admits that despite his love for Darlene, he never asked her to marry him because they were both married to other people. Later, in the kitchen, Jack made an attempt to kiss Darlene and would have succeeded if she hadn’t objected. All of these incidents show that Jack has been and still is in love with Darlene. When the man initially recounts the experience with Sally, he claims that because Sally appeared to Darlene to be so familiar, he allowed himself to relax. The statement is a complicated way for Jack to express that he tried to have a sexual relationship with Sally, Darlene’s daughter, because he couldn’t be with her.
In the course of the movie, Jack’s assertion gradually alters. He claims that at first, he and Sally engaged in consensual sexual activity until the latter began to scream. However, as the story progresses, Jack’s belief in the assertion starts to waver. The pattern of behavior demonstrates Jack’s hallucination. Jack sees himself as the hero who gives Darlene the closure she needs in the beginning. Due to his inability to accept that he made a mistake and committed a heinous crime, Jack is in denial about the occurrence with Sally.
So, if we consider all the variables, we can conclude that Jack has loved Darlene from the beginning. Sally, Darlene’s daughter, was his second-best option because he couldn’t be with her. However, Jack couldn’t risk losing everything after discovering that he had raped a 16-year-old girl who may reveal him, so he chose to calm Sally down. But Sally refused, so Jack killed her and buried her later in a hidden location.
Where is Sally Buried?
Sally was buried in the same place where she had been raped and killed by Jack. Jack committed his entire crime on impulse. He was unsure about his next move as soon as he drove Sally to her destination. Sally was complaining about Darlene’s alcoholism when Jack hugged her, taking it as a sign to continue. Jack couldn’t stop once he started, so when Sally yelled, he sprung to attention. He wished to remain anonymous and to keep his activities hidden. Therefore, whether on purpose or accidentally, Jack killed Sally and buried her in the same location because he had to act swiftly, didn’t know of any other location, etc. So, Jack interred Sally where he had also raped and killed her.
Why Does Darlene Not Kill Jack?
After seeing her most recent interview, Jack goes back to see Darlene. The man wants to start again and let go of all the painful emotions. Jack feels sorry for himself and thinks he deserves to be punished. He then compels Darlene to embrace her sinister side and implores her to murder him. That, in Jack’s opinion, is the harshest penalty a person can receive. Jack is mistaken, though, because going to jail is the harshest penalty. Jack views death as an escape since he doesn’t want to accept responsibility for his errors. Darlene doesn’t, however, kill Jack. Darlene has more than enough justification, inspiration, and determination to kill Jack, but she chooses not to do so because she wants Jack to accept his fate head-on.
