Pratik Handore
Paramount+’s ‘Fatal Attraction’ follows Dan Gallagher as he becomes embroiled in the murder of Alex Forrest, a co-worker with whom he had a brief affair. In the sixth episode, the mystery of Alex’s death deepens as Dan and Mike round up several suspects. Moreover, we also learn a little about Alex’s past and her relationships outside her obsession with Dan. Hence, viewers must be wondering how the ending of ‘Fatal Attraction’ episode 6 deals with Dan’s quest to prove his innocence. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Fatal Attraction Episode 6 Recap
The sixth episode, titled ‘The Dillingers,’ opens in the past and follows Alex on her first day at work at the DA’s office. She meets Clay Bishop, a co-worker who guides her through the complicated building. Later, we see Clay present during one of Dan Gallagher’s prosecutions. Alex returns to her apartment and meets her neighbor, Emma Rauch, who is almost over-eager to introduce herself. Emma owns a pet rabbit and becomes a friend of Alex.
Meanwhile, Alex starts dating Clay, and their interactions mirror Alex and Dan’s. Eventually, Alex’s mental health issues start surfacing, which fractures their relationship when Clay fails to show commitment. As a result, Alex asks Clay to leave, and he never returns. In the present, Mike and Dan discuss interrogating the two other suspects whose fingerprints were found all over Alex’s apartment. Dan also contemplates checking out the lead given to him by Benny.
Mike has a poor relationship with the Legal Aid department, where Alex supposedly argued with a guy named Biff Cliffsmith. Mike leaves after signing some chores to Dan. However, when he arrives at the Legal Aid department, he is unable to gather any information about the potential suspect. Later, Mike approaches Gabriel Ibarra, who refuses to have any contact with Dan and his case. In a flashback, we see Alex behaving rudely with Emma. Later, Emma sees Dan leaving Alex’s apartment after their physical altercation and calls the police.
Detective Earl Booker is tasked with investigating Alex’s presumed death, but a body has not been retrieved. Earl speaks with Dan and tries to help him as Dan’s fingerprints are found in her apartment. Dan gives a story that paints Alex as a stalker but does not reveal his affair with her. When Dan fails to give a compelling alibi for his whereabouts at the time of Alex’s disappearance and claims not to know Alex’s address. As a result, Earl treats Dan as a suspect in Alex’s disappearance and presumed murder case.
Dan tries to convince Earl that Alex is dangerous, but the detective refuses to listen. As a result, Dan turns to his boss, Marcella Levya, and seeks help in defending himself. In the present, Ellen meets her friend Stella, who asks disturbing questions about Dan and her involvement in Alex’s death. Mike speaks with Olena Kuzma, whose fingerprints were also found in Alex’s apartment. Olena reveals that Alex was trying to help her escape her abusive boyfriend. However, Olena eventually returned to her abusive boyfriend, Artem.
Later, Dan and Mike meet Elijah Wood, who was accused of killing his father but was acquitted of the charges. However, his fingerprints were also found in Alex’s apartments. Elijah explains that he worked as a delivery person years ago, explaining how his fingerprints ended up in her apartment. Eventually, Mike deduces that Biff Cliffsmith is actually Clay Bishop and tracks him down. Dan interrogates Clay about his relationship with Alex, but Clay refuses to help since Dan’s defense is built upon portraying Alex as an evil woman because of her mental illness.
Fatal Attraction Episode 6 Ending: Who Attacked Dan? Did Alex Fake Her Death?
In the episode’s final moments, an intruder attacks Dan in the yard. However, Mike returns just in time to hold the attacker off with his gun. Mike holds the intruder at gunpoint and asks Dan to check him for an ID. The man is revealed to be Artem, the abusive boyfriend and now husband of Olena. Artem likely believed that Mike and Dan were trying to cause a rift between him and Olena, leading to him attacking Dan. However, Mike’s timely intervention helps de-escalate the situation. Nonetheless, the mystery around Alex’s death continues as none of the suspects, including Elijah and Clay, can be ruled out just yet.
Moreover, Artem’s violent streak puts him at risk of being implicated in Alex’s murder since she tried to separate him from Olena in the past. Ultimately, we cut back to a flashback scene, where we see Dan resting in his house. Meanwhile, Alex coldly walks into his house and lures Quincy away. Dan tries to chase after Alex, believing she has faked her death to torment him. Moreover, since Alex’s body was never recovered, Dan’s suspicion about her faking her death could be true.
Alex faking her death was the climatic plot point of the original ending of the 1987 film, which the television series adapts. Hence, the sequence builds tension within the story while serving as a neat nod to the source material. However, the sequence turns out to be a dream, and Dan awakens to find the police at his doorstep. The episode ends with Dan being arrested for Alex’s murder, implying that her body was recovered. Thus, the case against Dan is strong, and we already know how Dan fared in court. However, the closing scene definitively confirms that Alex was murdered, as her body was not found in her apartment.
Read More: Fatal Attraction Episode 5 Recap and Ending, Explained
