Angel Darte, aka Zoe Brooks (Marlee Carpenter), is the hidden main villainess from the 2024 Lifetime film, The Past Comes Knocking (released on Lifetime Movie Club on March 1, 2024 and aired on LMN on September 5, 2024).
Backstory and Introduction[]
Angel Darte is the daughter of District Attorney Vincent Darte, who was using his position for corrupt methods. Vincent was arrested and indicted for his crimes, with main protagonist Susan Shaw, an investigative journalist at the time, being instrumental in Vincent's downfall. Ten years prior to the film's events, Vincent committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Following this, Angel survived her mother's attempt to kill her, with her mother's heel turn taking place when Angel was 10.
After her mother ended up in the psychiatric ward, Angel spent the decade that passed blaming Susan, now a professor, for her father's death and sought revenge, which began with tracking down Susan's school. The scheme included getting hired as Susan's aide, but in order to do so, Angel tracked her assistant, Jane Doherty, while Jane was jogging, and bludgeoned Jane to death with a shovel. The villainess later encountered Susan while working as a barista, and introduced herself as Zoe Brooks (having taken the identity from a four-year-old girl), while claiming to be a fan of Susan's. Angel/Zoe ended up hired as Susan's new assistant, and afterwards, the villainess continued her vengeful plan by staging her own disappearance and tracking Susan's search for her.
Upon seeing Susan at the home of Andi Johnson, who was Angel's roommate, Angel appeared after Susan left and murdered Andi, and she planted Jane's blood in Susan's home in an attempt to frame her for both murders. Susan's own investigation was assisted by her love interest, Thomas Darby (a fellow teacher), and longtime friend Donald Davies, who revealed that "Zoe Brooks" was actually Angel Darte, leading Susan to realize that her current assistant had been behind the murders.
Climax and Arrest[]
Angel holding Autumn Shaw at gunpoint
While Susan was fighting against the suspicions from detective Marissa Sharpe, the evil Angel cloned Autumn Shaw's (Susan's daughter) cellphone to track her every move, which resulted in the villainess abducting Autumn. In addition, Angel murdered Samuel, a janitor who had been following Susan, by bludgeoning him to death with a shovel, after which Angel took Autumn to the same place where Vincent committed suicide. She later sent a text to Susan ordering her to meet both of them at the location, and after Susan arrived, Angel appeared and held Susan at gunpoint before ordering her to handcuff herself to a post.
Afterwards, Angel properly introduced herself under her real name, and boasted about her vengeful plan to ruin Susan's life. The madwoman blamed Susan for Vincent's death, accusing Susan of killing Vincent before revealing her plan to kill both Susan and Autumn--staging the former as a suicide. Angel ordered Susan to sign a suicide note confessing to the murders, and after doing so, Susan asked Angel to take the note, using this to fight off Angel and disarm her. Susan later shot Angel in her left leg, and afterwards, Angel heard the incoming police sirens (due to Thomas calling the police) and snarled over her eventual defeat. Angel was later shown handcuffed by Sharpe and arrested, with the maniacal villainess vowing to get out of prison and continue her vendetta.
Victims[]
- Jane Doherty (Bludgeoned to death with a shovel)
- Andi Johnson (method unknown)
- Samuel (Bludgeoned to death with a shovel)
- Susan Shaw (attempted and failed)
- Autumn Shaw (attempted and failed)
Gallery[]
