Villainess Review: Nora Hyatt (Who Killed Our Father?)

I have spent the last month looking forward to this film, Who Killed Our Father?; in fact, in the final week, I started counting down the days until this film hit Lifetime Movie Network. The film kicks off with a young woman, Leila Moore, entering her home and finding her foster sister murdered, and regarding the actual killer, a wrestling match over the knife ends with Leila killing the unnamed man in self-defense. Elsewhere, we are taken to the home of Violet Hyatt, who is living with her stepmother, Nora Hyatt, and their caretaker, Hazel. Regarding Violet's father, Scott Hyatt, Nora informed Violet that he was out on a run, practicing for a marathon.

Then, Nora gets a visit from Detective Howard, with grim news: Scott was found deceased. Foul play is suspected, and the scene shows a hooded culprit bludgeoning Scott to death. Meanwhile, Leila undergoes a DNA test to discover who her true family is, and lo and behold, Scott Hyatt is her biological father. She visits Nora and receives a warm welcome after introducing herself as Scott's daughter (from an earlier relationship), and finally introduced herself to half-sister Violet, which later turns into a team-up to find their father's killer. Each sister has a bit of a roadblock; in the case of Leila, it's her boyfriend (of sorts), Brad, while Nora served as one for Violet.

Things take a bit of a twist when it's discovered that Scott was having an affair; a major clue being a purchase at a jewelry store a few months prior. The investigation takes a sinister turn when Hazel is suddenly found dead inside her home, but that's not all that's discovered. We are also exposed to a suicide note and a confession, with Hazel being depicted as not only Scott's mistress, but his killer as well. Yeah, you don't really need Charlie Cale to tell you that it's bullshit (yes, I've been watching Poker Face).

As far as Nora's concerned, the case is solved, and the next focus is the reading of Scott's will. However, the half-sisters sense something amiss, and Leila's visit to neighbor Maya's house sees her learn that a familiar van was seen out driving that night. Said van belonged to Nora's sister, Faith Brewer, leading to a confrontation where Faith was accused of killing her brother-in-law. Faith stated that she was watching a movie wth Nora, but couldn't remember anything else. The suspicion also came due to her prescription pain medication being found near Hazel, though when Faith revealed that Nora told her the movie's details after it was over, it led to a conclusion that Nora actually drugged her sister and used her as an alibi so she could kill Scott.

The reading of the will took place, though Hyatts' family friend, Peter, privately spoke with Nora and revealed that Scott left everything to Violet, leaving Nora stunned. Meanwhile, after Leila successfully convinced Faith to confront Nora, she entered along with Violet and hurled their accusations towards Nora, who responded with denial and accusations of her own. She claimed that Violet was always a "troublemaker," and she stated that she and Peter often talked about sending Violet to a rehabilitation center, while adding that the sisters were conspiring against her to get Scott's money. However, Peter informed Nora that Violet was always going to be the beneficiary, and that finally broke Nora.

Nora grabbed a knife after shoving Violet down, and went after Leila, but at that moment, Faith arrived and stopped her deranged sister. Nora revealed the truth; she murdered Scott out of greed and revenge, and regarding Hazel, the insane madwoman killed her as well, staging that death as a suicide. Nora claimed that Scott attempted to destroy her, adding that her murderous actions were committed out of survival and that she and Faith were the same...only they weren't. Prior to Nora's villainous confession, Faith revealed that she had called 911, and they showed up to arrest Nora, while Violet and Leila finally got to enjoy their kinship and union as sisters.

Who Killed Our Father? aired on Lifetime Movie Network on February 16, 2023, and featured Joanne Boland as the evil Nora Hyatt. The film's production company, Reel One Entertainment, released their trailer to this film about a month prior, and the tail end revealed Nora's heel turn in the climax--though, honestly, I had Nora pegged even before the spoiler popped up. Nora Hyatt was an immensely delicious villainess; a greedy, deranged stepmother who stopped at nothing to enact her scornful revenge and get a payday for it too. We truly saw two sides to Nora in this film. We were treated to the kindly mother figure/sweet sister/grieving widow, but all of that was a very thick cloak that covered up the fact that Nora was an insanely evil woman. She brutally murdered her husband, her relationship with Violet was colder than MetLife Stadium in January, and she offed her caretaker and set her up in cold blood.

And then there's Nora's reveal; the moment where she goes insane, grabs a knife, and wields it at Leila. It's followed by a confession that truly showed how far gone Nora truly was, and in those regards, this was amazing acting from Boland. Boland performed well when it came to Nora's ruse, but that reveal saw the versatile actress go all the way on Nora's rant and her madness. Nora Hyatt was quite an epic villainess, and we have Joanne Boland to thank for such a performance.

Joanne Boland has appeared on a long list of shows filmed in her native Canada; shows such as Flashpoint (as terrorist Sandra Moore), Lost Girl, Haven, Private Eyes, Carter, Schitt's Creek, and Murdoch Mysteries. This film is Boland's second Lifetime movie (after 2021's Tempted by Danger), but it's her first time playing a Lifetime film villainess. Let's hope it's not her last time--in both regards.

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