Pratik Handore
Paramount+ ‘Fatal Attraction’ explores the brief affair between co-workers Dan Gallagher and Alex Forrest. However, Alex soon becomes obsessed with Dan and tries to meddle in his personal life, leading to drastic consequences. The fifth episode, titled ‘Medial Woman,’ sees Dan’s family life being drastically affected by Alex’s meddling while he faces a harassment investigation at work. As Alex continues to torment Dan, he is forced to make a separate move. The consequences of Dan’s actions and their impact on his fate form the ending of ‘Fatal Attraction’ episode 5! SPOILERS AHEAD!
Fatal Attraction Episode 5 Recap
The fifth episode, titled ‘Medial Woman,’ opens in the past timeline as Alex Forrest tries to break into Dan Gallagher’s house, believing no one is home. As she interacts with Quincy, Beth’s mother notices Alex and thanks her for stopping the dog from running outside the backyard. Beth’s mother offers Alex a drink, but the two women get distracted by a float in the pool. Alex pushes Beth’s mother into the pool and tries to drown her. Beth freaks out after seeing her mother nearly dying, and Dan is forced to confront the possibility of Alex trying to harm his family.
Later, Dan comes clean to Beth about his brief affair with Alex. Dan explains the reasons for sleeping with another woman. Beth finds it unbelievable that Alex is so obsessed with Dan that she would break into their house and harm his family. However, Beth is no longer willing to continue her relationship with Dan as his infidelity breaks her heart. At work, Dan speaks with Mike Gerard about Alex breaking into his house. However, Mike advises Dan to stay far away from Alex and not give her the reaction she seeks. Meanwhile, Beth confides in Arthur about Dan’s affair and asks him to keep it a secret.
In the present day, Ellen makes a new friend and searches for a topic for her thesis. Later, she spends some time with Dan, and they try to bond. Ellen asks Dan why he slept with Alex. Dan explains that he felt gutted by not becoming a judge at an age younger than his father. He asks Ellen to give him a psych evaluation, and she explains that his father’s constant disapproval of Dan might have led him to act in a self-destructive manner after learning he wasn’t appointed as a judge.
In the past, Dan runs into Alex in the elevator and warns her to stay away from him. Later, we see Alex taking a pregnancy test. Dan’s boss calls him to his office and reveals a complaint for inappropriate behavior has been filed against him. HR appoints an unbiased internal investigator to look into the matter. However, due to recent events, Dan’s boss asked him to take some time off work. Dan gets into a verbal argument with Detective Earl Booker.
In the present, Dan meets Gabriel Ibarra and tries to convince him to speak against Alex in court. However, Ibarra refuses to help Dan as it would make him a suspect in the case. In the past, the Internal investigator spoke with Alex and interrogated her about the complaint against Dan. However, Alex lies about her interactions with Dan and does not expose him. As a result, Dan is cleared of suspicion and returns to work. Nonetheless, Dan’s fears about Alex trying to destroy him only escalate.
Mike is convinced that Alex has a bigger plan and believes she has a story going on in her head about Dan. As a result, Alex’s obsession with Dan is taking a dangerous turn. Beth and Arthur argue with their constructor at a construction site. Meanwhile, Alex watches from outside and tries to set the house on fire. As a result, Beth is hospitalized, and Dan looks after her. He expresses a desire to give their marriage another chance. Later, Dan and Beth become paranoid after Ellen does not return home from school.
Fatal Attraction Episode 5 Ending: Is Alex Dead? Did Dan Kill Her?
In the episode’s final moments, Dan and Beth worry about Ellen when she does not arrive home after school. Dan forgets to pick her up at the bus stop as he is preoccupied with Beth at the hospital. Moreover, Dan fears Alex might have kidnapped Ellen and tried to harm her. Beth loses her cool on Dan while Mike searches for Ellen and finds her half a block away from their house. Mike brings Ellen home, but Dan tries to question her about her abductor, causing Beth’s anger with him to intensify.
Dan becomes furious with Alex and heads to her apartment to confront her. At Alex’s apartment, Dan trashes Alex as she tries to flee from him. However, Dan catches hold of Alex and nearly strangles her to death. Nonetheless, Dan stops and spares Alex. Nonetheless, he resolves to destroy Alex and send her away. He promises to use every favor and all of his power as a DA to ensure Alex is sent far away from him and his family.
In the present, Dan and Mike have dinner while going through some suspects who could be linked to Alex’s death. Meanwhile, we see a shot of Alex’s empty apartment with blood on the living room floor. The ending implies that Alex was killed shortly after her physical altercation with Dan. As a result, he was implicated in Alex’s murder. Nonetheless, Dan insists he is innocent and believes other factors led to Alex’s death. Hence, seeing if Dan can prove his innocence despite the evidence stacked against him will be interesting.
Read More: Fatal Attraction Episode 4 Recap and Ending, Explained
