As we hit the halfway point in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, things have begun moving quickly, and the bodies are starting to pile up. Episode 4 ended with the death of Abby Borden, and it was clear from the final moments of the episode that Lizzie has set her sights on her father next.
Episode 5 opens not in the immediate aftermath of Abby’s death but rather takes us to Andrew and Sarah’s wedding day years earlier. We watch as John ushers Sarah down the aisle to give her away to Andrew, who is filled with excitement about their future.
We jump to the night of their wedding as the happy couple talk about their dreams and hopes for the future. Andrew cannot wait to build a house for her, which will be surrounded by fruit trees everywhere, and hopefully children will come into their lives eventually. She shares similar dreams of a happy life together and is excited to go to bed with him to consummate their marriage, which they do and share news of the following day.
Andrew begins to spiral after Abby asks for a divorce
It’s then that we cut to the present time and return to the scene from episode 4 in which Abby asked for her divorce, watching her take leave and head out. This time, instead of following Abby, we remain with Andrew at his workshop. He begins to turn to alcohol as Stephen comes in to remind him they have a body to prepare. As Andrew examines the body, he realizes he’ll have to cut at the knees to make him fit into the coffin, and he orders Stephen to hand him the poleaxe. Stephen observes that Andrew is in no condition to wield the axe, but Andrew dismisses his concern and ends up chopping the man’s body in half by accident.
Shortly after, John arrives at the workshop to press Andrew for the money and threatens to sleep with Andrew’s wife again if he does not give him the funds. To his surprise, Andrew informs him that it is not his wife anymore, so he can have at it as he stumbles out the door.
Andrew eventually finds himself at a bar where he catches the eyes of a pair of prostitutes who pick up on how wasted he is. The woman approaches him, and he asks about the ring on his finger, which he reveals was given to him by his daughter, Lizzie. He gives the ring to the woman as a trade, as she takes his hand and shows him to her room, where he engages in sex before passing out.
He wakes up the morning after to find himself still in the room with the woman, who has ordered breakfast for them, and he apologizes for being rough last night. She offers to go another round, but he declines, noting he needs to get to his wife to try to win her back, and he asks for the ring back as well.
Andrew discovers Abby’s body as Lizzie begins to cover her tracks
Andrew stumbles through town and ends up at his workshop and is confronted by the widow of the man whose body he cut in half. She beats him with her cane, knocking him out. When he comes to from the beating, he’s finally home and enters the door, calling out for Abby. He notices blood on the floor and a trail leading up the stairs and follows it upstairs to the bedroom, where he finds Abby’s dead body.
As he remains kneeled on the floor by Abby’s body, Maggie enters the room and swings the axe into his back. To her surprise, it does not do much damage as he grabs her and questions what she has done. Maggie calls out for Lizzie, who enters the room and raises her hand, prepared to strike him with the hatchet in her hand, but Andrew grabs her wrists before her blow lands.
Andrew realizes it was Lizzie who killed her as he releases his daughter and makes a run for it, stumbling down the stairs. He makes his way to the basement and locks them out, but he falls and hits his head, passing out. Maggie and Lizzie put a chair under the door handle to prevent him from leaving as the pair begins work on cleaning up the house. This includes strategic efforts for Maggie to clean the windows outside so that as many people as possible see her and to support her alibi when one is needed.
Lizzie ends her father's life in a brutal manner
In the basement, Andrew eventually comes to and pulls the axe out of his back. As the night wears on, he speaks to his late wife about something not being right within Lizzie and his intentions to put her straight now and do what he should have done years ago: he’s going to send Lizzie to her to be raised properly.
Lizzie and Maggie hear him shouting to Sarah from the basement, confirming their suspicions he was alive. They unblock the door, and he begins to make his way upstairs, where a struggle ensues. He might be injured, but he’s still bigger than them both and uses his strength to overpower them, and makes it clear to her he’s going to end Lizzie now.
Lizzie shouts that he was never a father to her and doesn’t deserve to keep living, as the door opens behind him and he sees his late wife, Sarah. Sarah agrees with Lizzie, telling him that he hasn’t been good to her as she encourages him to end this now and come to her. He drops his axe and begins walking towards Sarah, giving Lizzie the chance to strike.
She swings the hatchet into his face, but it’s not a swift death as he stumbles through the living room before collapsing on Abby’s couch. Lizzie approaches him, pulling him off the couch and throwing him onto the floor. With his dying breath, he tells Lizzie he’s sorry as she strikes him several times with the hatchet before handing it to Maggie, who uses it to bash his face in as the episode draws to a close.
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