Paramount+ ‘Fatal Attraction’: Was Alex Forrest Abused by Her Father?

Paramount+’s Fatal Attraction is one of the best psychological thrillers of 2023, with a groundbreaking plot that leaves viewers empathizing with almost all the characters. Despite appearing as the villain initially, Alex Forrest’s character is justified later in the show when her terrible childhood is revealed. Forrest’s mental instability had much to do with her evil father, which is why many fans wonder whether Alex’s father abused her as a child.

While Stanley Forrest doesn’t abuse Alex physically in the show, he does it verbally and mentally. Stanley used his daughter as his buffer when he carried her along while going to cheat on his wife so Alex would take the fall. Stanley also insulted Alex, making her feel stupid and useless whenever she tried to confront him. Alex’s mother also did her share of harm to the little girl when she made her feel unwanted.

Growing up with a lying, manipulative father and a harsh, uncaring mother left Alex feeling unwanted. The breaking point came when her father gave her favorite doll to the daughter of a woman he wanted to have sex with, proving to Alex that he didn’t care about her. That experience left Alex broken, leading to her inability to handle rejection and the need to always feel loved and appreciated. So, how exactly did Stanley Forrest’s abuse lead to Alex’s tragic death?

What happens to Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction?

Alex is killed by Beth’s friend Arthur after Beth tells him that Dan Galagher cannot protect his family from Alex.

Unknown to Arthur, Dan Galagher had just been at Alex’s house to threaten her for kidnapping his daughter, which led to him being arrested and convicted for her murder.

Dan Galagher started an affair with Aex after they met at work but tried to leave her when he realized that she was mentally disturbed.

She became angry at Dan when he tried to leave after they had sex and pretended to have taken an overdose of her pills to get him to feel pity for her and stay.

Dan took her to an emergency center, although they didn’t get inside because Alex wasn’t actually sick.

After the incident, Dan ended the affair, but Alex was already pregnant with him, although Dan didn’t know it.

Alex couldn’t handle the rejection, so she started stalking Dan and trying to destroy his family so that she would have him for herself.

She killed Dan’s mother-in-law by leaving her to drown in the family swimming pool, tried to kill his wife by setting fire to a house she was working on, and then kidnapped his daughter.

The kidnapping was the breaking point for Beth. She called Arthur asking for help since she felt Alex was too dangerous and Dan wasn’t handling it.

Arthur went to Alex’s house pretending to be a repairman and killed her. He tried to turn himself in when Dan was imprisoned for the murder, but his lawyer advised him against it, leaving Dan to serve 15 years for a crime he didn’t commit.

Why did Arthur Tomilson kill Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction?

Arthur felt like he was helping Beth and Dan because he was friends with the family and couldn’t stand to watch Beth suffer.

It seems he also had feelings for Beth but never came clean until after his wife died and Dan went to jail.

While committing the crime, he believed Dan would figure out of the legal fallout after the murder since he had been a prosecutor for so many years.

While Dan could have avoided jail time if he had humbled and come clean about his affair with Alex, he chose to stay proud and try to lie his way out of trouble.

So, while Arthur committed the murder, he wasn’t entirely responsible for Dan going to jail because Dan’s pride played a part.

However, staying behind to raise Dan’s daughter and marry his wife after causing him to go to jail is the worst thing Arthur does in the show.

What disorder does Alex Forrest have in Fatal Attraction?

Although it is not mentioned in the show, Alex is believed to suffer from a severe form of Borderline Personality Disorder.

It is a severe form of psychopathology characterized by impulsive behavior, self-harm, and difficulty in creating interpersonal relationships, just like Alex does.

Alex’s disorder comes in waves, and at its worst, she loses all sense of empathy, like it happened when she killed Dan’s mother-in-law.

She also struggles with emotional instability and can be angered when she feels unappreciated.

Despite refusing help from her psychiatrist and coming to LA to start over, she would still call the doctor and shout at her whenever she thought the doctor was angry.

Dan ending the affair made her feel worse because, as far as she was concerned, Dan belonged to her.

Unfortunately, at the end of the show, Dan’s daughter Ellen is revealed to be suffering from the same condition, and it could have something to do with the conversation she had with Alex before she was killed.