I’ll Be Watching You
Stars: Janel Parrish, Rob Estes, Michael Welch
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
Based on the novel “The Purple Rose” by Christi R. Walsh. After narrowly escaping the clutches of a deadly stalker, a beautiful young woman flees to a remote anonymous town where she rebuilds her life and finds the man of her dreams — until the man of her nightmares tracks her down.
Thoughts
Kate (Mona from Pretty Little Liars) is getting stalked! She is a college student who is trying to just live her life in Portland. This stalker has no chill though! He follows her at the coffee shop, break into her apartment and drinks her milk, and leaves purple roses outside her apartment door.
Kate isn’t oblivious, she has the feeling that someone is following her and after putting together “The Purple Rose” was also the title of the book she was reading in the coffee shop she is sure something is off. After another purple rose shows up, Kate calls the cops. They don’t seem too concerned. They will be after she gets attacked at her place of work. The stalker holds her at knife point and cuts off a lock of her hair. After the stalker puts the lock of hair in his mouth (which was seriously disgusting.) her runs off. A different cop escorts her home and sweeps her apartment, not before taking a scarf and unlocking a window. (I guess we have our stalker!)
A stranger turns up dead with a note attached to his body that reads “Kate, do you notice me yet?” The police aren’t messing around this time and put a detail of three (very attractive officers) to follow her every move. They trail her for two months and there is no sign on the stalker. The police decide they can’t keep it up and stop the detail. Of course, that is when the stalker strikes again, attacking her at work. He still has his knife and this time he uses it and stabs her in the chest to “mark” her and then he licks the blood off the knife. The stalker tells Kate that he killed her friend who has been missing and that he will kill the cops if they are around her again.
One year later in Greenbluff, Wyoming. Kate has started a new life as a plaid shirt wearing waitress who can kick some serious ass. (She took self defense classes.) Kate checks in weekly with police to see if they’ve made any progress on the case.
A handsome cowboy, Jack, takes a liking to Kate and offers to take her out to a waterfall a mile into the woods. Kate calls her detective buddy just to tell him she is nervous but she is going anyway. At the waterfall, Jack doesn’t seem like a killer. The two even have a romantic picnic and talk about their past. He used to be a cop too. (Man, she has a thing for cops!) The date goes great and nothing scary happens! They even kiss, multiple times.
Don’t worry though, back in Portland lots of scary things are happening. The stalker is murdering girls that somewhat resemble Kate (as in they have brown hair…) and leaving a note and purple roses with the bodies. The police are worried but don’t want to tell Kate and put her in danger.
Back in Wyoming, Kate and Jack are having a romantic ass time. That is until a storm rolls in and knocks out the power. Kate has a freakout and shoots a gun. Jack sits her down and she tells him everything, including showing him her scars. Jack tells Kate that he loves her, every part. Then he kisses her scars, which sounds romantic, but as a person who has scars… it is just weird. After a sexy night, the police call Kate to tell her what’s been going on. They think the stalker is a cop. Could Jack be the stalker?
For some reason, the police all come to Wyoming and stake of Kate’s restaurant. Of course, the stalker is there too. He is the last patron in the bar and grabs her holding her at knife point. He violently throws her around and they struggle. Kate finally screams and Jack comes to her rescue. The other cops also all run in and realize that the stalker is their co-worker, Dower.
We get a weird epilogue, of Kate trying to get a confession from Frank Dower and then celebrating Christmas with Jack and her police friends…. I guess it was setting up for a Hallmark Channel crossover??
Side Note
Loving this female writer (Sydney Ortman) and director (Jodi Binstock) combo.
Alternate Title to the movie: The Purple Rose or I’ll Be Watching You
Overall rating
🔪🔪🔪 (3 Knives)
🍷🍷 (2 glasses of wine required)
*Photo Credit: © 2018 Lifetime
Half decent, half dumb, but I don’t know how much of that comes from the book. Let’s wait for several people to die before we figure out something really obvious, okay guys??
The lead was great, though! I’m a heretic, never watched PLL, so she was new to me.
I liked it, but where was it filmed at? I seen a road sign out side the bar scene SPANGLE CHENEY rd, and thats right outside of my hometown of Spokane Washington