The evil Jeanette Mason
Jeanette Mason (Sarah Aldrich) is the main villainess from the 2020 Lifetime film, Adopted in Danger (alternately titled, Killing Your Daughter; airdate January 26, 2020).
Backstory[]
Jeanette Mason is the wife of Tom Mason and the mother of sons Alex and Bruce Mason, with the family running a lucrative business together. At least two decades prior to the film's events, Tom engaged in an affair with his secretary, Henrietta, which resulted in the conception and birth of their daughter, Candace Burke (the film's main protagonist). Jeanette found out about their affair, and believing that their company would be ruined if Tom's affair was publicized, Jeanette ordered Tom to kill Henrietta, as well as Candace.
Tom flatly refused to kill his daughter, but gave in to his wife's order to kill Henrietta. He was set to eliminate his lover at a cabin where they had their affair, but in actuality, Tom gave Henrietta $30,000 to run off and start a new life, while also remaining separated from Candace out of fear that Jeanette would be after both of them if she found out they were alive.
Events[]
Candace was put up for adoption, but the film's events had Candace looking for her family history, as she and her husband, Sean, were having a baby of their own. A DNA test linked Candace to Tom Mason, though her first meeting with Tom resulted in Candace being ejected by Tom and his sons after he denied being Candace's father. Jeanette found out about Candace's appearance and urged Tom to keep his daughter away, but after scare tactics and a botched break-in attempt to steal the DNA files, Jeanette decided to revert to her original plan of murder to continue the cover-up.
Jeanette's first victim was Felix Bossman, who was Tom's former partner. Felix had become senile in his old age, and fearing that he might reveal the truth about Candace at a random moment, the villainess entered his room and smothered him to death. After the murder, Jeanette phoned a nurse and asked her to contact her if anyone asked about Felix, with the nurse (unaware of Jeanette's plans) doing so after Margot Allen, a reporter and friend of Candace's, visited Felix. The villainess later sabotaged Margot's brakes in her car, causing Margot to be killed in a car accident, and afterwards, the evil Jeanette shot and killed Candace's other friend, Allie, while both women were out at a swimming pool.
The film's climax saw Candace sneak into Tom's office after failing to contact Margot, only to hide when Tom and Jeanette entered. She overheard the couple arguing, with the argument including Jeanette revealing to Tom that she killed Felix, Allie, and Margot to continue their cover-up, while lashing out at her husband for not doing his part to keep Candace away. The villainess added that they killed Henrietta to save their business, and ordered him to think of their family and do the unthinkable: kill Candace. Tom voiced his refusal to do so many times before leaving, but once Candace was about to leave, she ended up knocked out by Jeanette.
The sinister villainess took Candace to the aforementioned cabin and tied her up, after which she informed Candace that the cabin was where Tom killed her mother (unaware that Henrietta was still alive) before she left to dig a planned grave for Candace. Candace managed to break free from her capture and contact Sean on a land phone, only to be pursued by Jeanette, who fired a shot at Candace. Jeanette shouted to Candace that she killed her friends and that Candace would join them, only for Candace to appear and knock out Jeanette with a 2X4. Jeanette was arrested (off-screen), and it was revealed that Tom received a six-month prison sentence (as well as six months of house arrest) for testifying against his wife.
Trivia[]
- Sarah Aldrich also played villainess Victoria Garrett in 2019's Stressed to Death.