The Good Son (1993)

Wendy Crewson: Susan

Photos 

Quotes 

• [Susan walks alone with Henry in the woods to talk about Richard] 

  Susan : Henry?

  Henry : Yes, Mom?

  Susan : You have to tell me the truth now. What happened the night Richard died?

  Henry : Don't you know?

  Susan : I'd like to hear it from you.

  Henry : I was downstairs playing.

  Susan : [Susan gets down in front of Henry's face]  Henry, don't lie to me, all right? Just don't lie to me. Now you tell me... Did you kill Richard?

  Henry : What if I did?

  Susan : Well, um...

  Henry : What, Mom?

  Susan : We'll get you help.

  Henry : You don't look too good, Mom. Looks like you need the help.

  Susan : You have to trust me, Henry.

  Henry : No. No, I can't. You just want to send me away, don't you?

  Susan : Why, no. No, I don't.

  Henry : You wanna put me in one of those places.

  Susan : No, Henry.

  Henry : Well, I'd much rather die, you hear me? I'd much rather be dead!

  Susan : Henry! Henry, no!

  [Susan runs after Henry into the woods] 

  Susan : Henry? Henry!

  Susan : [Susan runs to the cliff of the hill where Henry might've jumped off]  Henry! Henry! Henry!

  Henry : [Henry comes walking up behind Susan]  Looking for me, Mom?

  Susan : Oh, Henry.

  Henry : You really thought I was going to jump, huh? I guess you don't know me very well, Mom.

  [Henry runs to take a dash into Susan] 

• [Mark heads towards Uncle Wallace's work study to tell him that Henry caused the freeway accident] 

  Henry : [Henry comes up behind Mark outside of his father's work study]  Go ahead, tell him. Or better yet, why don't we tell him together?

  [Henry quotes himself sounding like an innocent child] 

  Henry : It was Mark, Dad. He talked me into it. We were just playing a game. I had no idea he was gonna do something like that. Please, Dad, go easy on him. It's not his fault he's all screwed up 'cause he misses his mom. What are we waiting for? Let's go.

  [Henry opens the door with them two outside the room] 

  Henry : Dad, Mark has something to tell ya!

  Wallace Evans : [Mark runs off to go upstairs]  What is it? What's wrong with Mark?

  Henry : I don't know. He's been acting pretty weird. I'd better go see if he's OK

  [the camera cuts to Henry entering the upstairs bedroom where Mark is] 

  Henry : I told my dad I'd see if you're okay. Well, are you OK, Mark?

  Mark : Leave me alone.

  Henry : Leave you alone? This is my room.

  Connie Evans : [Connie runs into Henry's room]  Guess what? Mom says we can go skating tomorrow.

  Henry : Connie, what did I tell you about coming into my room?

  Connie Evans : But you guys weren't working or anything.

  Henry : You didn't answer my question, so I'm gonna have to do it for you.

  Connie Evans : [Henry pulls on Connie's ears making her cry]  Ow!

  Henry : You're not allowed to come into my room. Not now, not ever! Never!

  Mark : [Mark grabs and slams Henry into the wall by his shoulders]  You're wrong about that! This is my room too. And I say she can stay.

  Connie Evans : [both boys start to grab and pull on each other's hair as Connie runs out, still up against the wall]  Mom, Mom, they're fighting!

  Henry : [continuing to pull each other's hair]  You like my sister, don't you? Such a sweet little girl. Too bad if something were to happen to her, if she got hurt. You'd be sad, wouldn't you, Mark? But, hey, accidents will happen. Just ask my mom about Richard.

  Susan : [Susan arrives upstairs when the boys let go of each other]  Boys, boys! Henry! What's going on?

  Henry : I'm sorry, Mom. We were playing this really dumb game. We weren't fighting. We were just playing. Weren't we, Mark?

  Mark : [pauses before answering]  Yeah, playing.

  Susan : Well, all right, but just not so rough, OK? You two looked like you were trying to kill each other.

  [Susan walks out of the room as Henry just stares back at Mark] 

• [Mark tries to tell Susan the truth about Henry] 

  Mark : There's something I have to tell you.

  Susan : What?

  Mark : I'm not sure. I wasn't real close. At the pond--I don't think what happened at the pond was an accident.

  Susan : What do you mean?

  Mark : The ice was too thin. Henry was spinning her around. They were going way too fast... and then he just let go. He threw her toward the thin ice.

  Susan : Mark.

  Mark : Henry said he hated her.

  Susan : What are you trying to tell me?

  Mark : I've told you. I'm telling you. Connie didn't just slip. You don't know what he is. Henry tried to kill Connie and he can do it again...

  Susan : [Susan slaps Mark across the face with tears in her eyes]  Oh! Stop it! Stop it, that's a lie.

  [Susan grabs and hugs onto Mark] 

  Susan : Henry is my son. He's my little boy and I love him. Don't ever come to me with these lies again.

• [Mark tosses and turns in bed quietly crying] 

  Mark : [a figure in white passes by the bedroom door]  Mom?

  Mark : [Mark gets up to follow the white figure down the stairs]  Mom?

  Susan : [Susan then turns around in her white nightgown]  Mark?

  [Mark sits at the bottom of the stairs in tears] 

  Susan : Honey... What's the matter?

  Mark : It is you. You came back. I knew you'd come back.

  Susan : Oh, sweetheart. I'm right here.

  [Susan sits with Mark] 

  Susan : OK? I'm right here.

  [Mark cries in Susan's arms as she rocks him back and forth whispering to him] 

  Susan : Oh, it's OK. Shh, it's OK. Oh, baby, it's all right. I'm right here. I'm right here.

  [Mark continues to cry] 

  Susan : I know you miss her. I know you do. It's OK. It's gonna be OK. It's OK. It's OK.

  [the camera moves to the second-floor balcony, where Henry is staring down at them] 

• [Susan talks to Henry alone in his shed] 

  Susan : Henry, if something were wrong... you would tell me, wouldn't you?

  Henry : What do you mean?

  Susan : I mean, sometimes when we're kids, we do things that, um...

  Henry : What kind of things?

  Susan : Things we feel bad about.

  Henry : I don't feel bad about anything.

  Susan : [holding up Richard's rubber duck]  Look what I found.

  Henry : [whispering]  Where did you get that?

  Susan : You know where I got it. I couldn't find it after Richard's accident. Have you had it all this time?

  Henry : [whispering]  It was mine before it was his.

  Susan : But you knew I was looking for it. How did you get it? Henry? How did you get this?

  Henry : I took it. I'm sorry, Mom. I took it because I wanted something to remember Richard by, that's all. So can I have it back, please?

  Susan : No, you can't have it back.

  Henry : But it's mine.

  Susan : Henry!

  Henry : [dashing forward to pull the rubber duck away from Susan]  Give it to me!

  Susan : [struggling with Henry]  Henry! Henry?

• [Mark wakes up late at night to find the kitchen fridge door open] 

  Henry : [Henry appears behind Mark]  Looking for a midnight snack? Go ahead. Eat, drink. Don't let me stop you.

  Mark : What did you do?

  Henry : Do? Me? Oh, I get it. You think I put something in my family's food. You think I--Mark, come on. Do you really think I'd do a thing like that?

  Henry : [Henry wakes up his parents]  Mom, Dad, it's Mark! Better come quick!

  [Mark dumps food into the garbage disposal] 

  Susan : No, Mark, stop. Honey, stop, stop.

  Mark : No, please, you don't understand.

  Susan : I know it's a hard time...

  Mark : [shouts]  He's trying to poison you!

  Susan : Oh, Mark.

  Mark : No!

  [Uncle Wallace and Henry stand outside of the kitchen watching Mark look crazy]