Now Read This: The Final Girl Support Group

Lynnette watches the news on the attack and feels for the latest “final girl,” Stephanie. The group panics when they learn that Adrienne has been murdered. The girls instantly scramble, as they know that this means they are not safe and someone is coming after all of the final girls. 

Lynette realizes that her home is not safe, so she goes to Dr. Carol Elliot’s house, where the therapist runs the Final Girl Support Group sessions. She meets Skye, Dr. Elliot’s older son, and enlists his help in going back to her apartment. She needs to retrieve her hard drive because, unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Dr. Elliot has been writing a tell-all book about the other survivors and the group itself. 

After Lynette is arrested when one of the other final girls, Heather, calls the cops on her behind her back, Lynette discovers that incriminating letters have resurfaced that lead cops to believe she had sex with her attacker, then persuade him to kill her family.

The reality of Lynette’s backstory is very tragic. 

We learn that on Christmas Eve, when Lynette was a teenager, Ricky Walker, a pen pal of Lynette, attacked and murdered her family, including her mom, dad, younger sister, Gillian, and even her boyfriend. The only reason Lynette was able to survive Ricky Walker was by playing dead and then being saved by Garrett P. Cannon, who killed Ricky. The following Christmas, Ricky’s brother, Billy, attacked Lynette and her foster family, but once again, she was saved by Garrett P. Cannon (“The Final Girl”). 

Lynette’s heartbreaking story gives great insight as to why she is the way she is.  Even though she survived her attackers, she doesn’t see herself as a “true final girl” because she didn’t fight back (Hendrix 164). It is sad that despite her survival, Lynette feels inadequate and weak, all because she didn’t fight back and wasn’t the one to kill her attackers.  

Despite having saved Lynette years prior and even having an affair with her, Garrett P. Cannon now hates Lynette. He joins in on antagonizing her since he believes that she is, in part, responsible for her family’s murder. 

Garrett helps break Lynette out of jail. To Lynette’s surprise, he tells her that something fishy is going on, and doesn’t fully believe those letters were written by her. He tells her he is going to let her go so she can find out what is going on and who is behind these final girl murders. Garrett tells Lynette what to say and do so that her escaping him after attacking him looks believable. 

Instead of following his plan, Lynette knees Garrett in the balls and says, “Just tell them it was one pissed-off girl” (Hendrix 188). 

This moment was so incredibly satisfying to read. Right when she felt at her weakest, she had her moment of strength.

Along with not feeling like a true final girl, Lynette feels extreme survivor’s guilt. Most of this guilt is the fact that she couldn’t save her little sister, Gillian. 

Lynette decides that she will make sure the latest final girl, Stephanie, is safe. She makes it to Stephanie’s house right before Dr. Elliot does and pretends she is a colleague of Dr. Elliot’s. When Dr. Elliot does arrive, and the parents go to speak to her, Lynette quickly explains to Stephanie that she is not safe here due to the killer on the loose and that she will keep Stephanie safe. 

The pair escape and head to another former final girl’s house. 

The final girl, Chrissy, uses her final girl status to exploit the stories of the other survivors and has even created a sort of museum with things honoring each of the final girls and their attackers.  Chrissy shows emails to Lynette, and Lynette is horrified to discover what seems to be proof that it is, in fact, Dr. Carol who is behind the murders.  

While Lynette is distracted, Stephanie is captured by Chrissy’s boyfriend, Keith, who finds Stephanie hiding in the woods. In an attempt to save Stephanie, Lynette drives her car into  Chrissy’s house, accidentally killing Chrissy (“The Final Girl”).

Lynette feels protective over Stephanie and sees Gillian in her. She promises to Stephanie and herself that she will keep her from getting killed. After her guilt of killing her fellow final girl, Chrissy, Lynette vows never to kill again.

The big plot twist is revealed when Stephanie turns against Lynette and reveals herself to be one-half of the pair of killers after the final girls (with the other being Skye. Dr. Elliot’s son). 

Despite being left for dead by Stephanie, the girl that she has been fighting so hard to save, Lynette is still determined to save her. She does not want anyone else to die, and she wants this horrific chapter of her life to end.

This final “act” of the book, when Lynette is at Camp Red Lake with the rest of the final girls and must save them, is definitely my favorite part of the book. Lynette is left in horrible condition after Stephanie bashes her head in. Little does Stephanie know that due to her attack from Billy Walker, Lynette has a metal plate in her skull. This is, ultimately, what saves her life. Lynette decides that rather than run, she is going to save everyone from Skye and Stephanie’s wrath.  

Lynette feels exhausted due to her injuries and contemplates just giving up. However, Adrienne appears to Lynette in the form of a hallucination and encourages her to keep going. Lynette comes to the conclusion that in order to save everyone else, she must sacrifice herself. 

One of the most amazing parts of the book is the following passage, which gives me chills every time I read it:

What gets me the most about this scene is that the women who have passed and whose deaths affected Lynette the most are the ones who encourage her to keep fighting. Lynette’s final battle helps her realize that saving her final girl sisters is more important than just making it out alive.

Thankfully, Lynette is able to save everyone, including herself and Stephanie. 

Stephanie is arrested, and the girls decide to have their support group meetings at the prison so that Stephanie can participate. In another emotional moment in the book, Lynette is feeling down on herself, and she tells Marilyn that Adrienne was “the best of them.” Marilyn disagrees with Lynette, saying, “You’re the best of us, Lynnette. You never quit. You never stopped. You saved everyone.” ( Hendrix 333).