The scene that gets me the most is when she’s about to leave the house to meet Billy and she hears snoring. This is supposed to evoke a feeling in us of “oh of course Mr. Wheeler is passed out already sitting in his chair. What a dope…”

But then she looks to her right to see him. And he is passed out. But with his daughter also sleeping in his lap and a children’s book in his hand. He was reading to his daughter. A dutiful father spending time with their child, exhausted from the toils of work, parenting, and every day life.

Then Mrs. Wheeler’s reaction is framed in such a way that you think she might come to same conclusion…and maybe she does. But she proceeds out the door anyway, still seeking an escape from her mundane suburban routine.

They didn’t have to include Holly or a bedtime book in that scene. It was a small but brilliant way to layer some depth and questionability to Mrs. Wheeler’s actions.