Upamanyu Biswas
In Lifetime’s ‘Abducted in the Everglades,‘ a single mother named Beverly finds herself stuck in her worst nightmare when her daughter, Carly, goes missing on a night out in Miami, Florida. When news arrives that Carly’s close friend, Simone, who was traveling with her, has been found in a critical state, Beverly must travel to Miami to find answers about her daughter. However, the local authorities provide minimal help, forcing her to conduct the investigation by herself. Her desperate efforts are witnessed by a local boatman named Roy, who decides to help her find her daughter and get to the bottom of the mystery. Together, they have to find Carly before time runs out and something terrible happens to the young girl. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Review: An Engaging Thriller Centered Around a Mother’s Resolve
‘Abducted in the Everglades’ tells a powerful story of a mother taking it upon herself to save her child no matter what. The film effectively uses a thriller plot to dive into questions of parental responsibility, motherly instincts, and the paranoia associated with sending children out into the world without supervision. Both Beverly and Ray share a similar blot in their past, mainly associated with their inability to rescue their children from a dangerous situation. However, it allows the central characters to come to terms with the nature of their duties by opening the discussion. Beverly struggles with the fact that her daughter went missing due to her lack of oversight. This internal conflict stops her from realizing that she can only do so much, even as a mother. Still, it feels authentic and makes her character more well-rounded.
While the mystery behind the abduction is revealed quite early to the audience, it is intriguing to watch Beverly and Ray piece everything together like seasoned sleuths at work. Meanwhile, the use of dense green foliage and swamps as narrative backdrops only heightens the tension in every scene. The situation engulfing the characters feels as chaotic and uncontrolled as the jungles around them, effectively capturing the drama’s essence. Each scene that unfolds in these overgrown backwater regions adds to the sense of a predator stalking its prey with careful attention. The film may occasionally pull out a variety of familiar tropes; however, it still feels compelling because of the clearly defined character motivations and the fast-paced plot, which keeps moving forward without hesitation.
Abducted in the Everglades Plot Summary and Ending, Explained
Carly and Simone are college best friends who are out on an excursion during their Spring Break. The former remains in close contact with her mom, Beverly, throughout the journey, while the latter reveals that her parents have no care for her. Carly recently broke up with her boyfriend, Luke, after dumping him due to an opportunity to get into her dream medical school. She states that she is not entirely over him. However, Simone tells her to enjoy herself, at least for one night. The two girls arrive in Miami and hand in their bags at a luggage storage service. Simone also leaves her phone in her bag while Carly carries hers with her. The duo then begin diving in and out of bars and clubs throughout the night as they try to have a fun night without any attachments.
Meanwhile, miles away, Beverly worries about her daughter’s safety while constantly receiving messages about their whereabouts on her phone. Carly and Simone eventually run into a guy named Pete at a local bar who tells them he can introduce them to some better parties. Although hesitant at first, the two girls embark on this journey and find themselves on the beach area. There, Carly runs into her ex-boyfriend Luke, who is apparently Pete’s cousin. Carly has an awkward series of exchanges with Luke through the night while Simone playfully teases Pete. As the night wears on, Carly realizes something is not right when Simone goes into a seizure, and her lips start frothing. At the same time, she feels dizzy and loses consciousness.
It turns out that Pete spiked the girls’ drinks to allow Luke the chance to exact revenge on Carly. Luke was angry with Carly for dumping him so unceremoniously. Now, he wants to punish her by taking some risque photos of her and tarnishing her reputation. However, the whole plan goes awry when Simone starts overdosing. Luke begins panicking as Simone’s death may be a step too far. Pete steps in and orders Luke to take Carly hostage while leaving Simone behind for other people to find. The following day, Beverly wakes up and receives a phone call from Miami that informs her that Simone is currently in a coma. Meanwhile, there is no news about her daughter’s whereabouts.
When the local authorities provide her with no help, Beverly throws all caution to the wind and books a ticket to Miami at the latest. After her arrival, she travels to the Riverside Hospital to catch up with Simone. As the girl has no contact with her parents, Beverly is her only visitor. The mother desperately pleads for Simone to wake up as she needs her help to find Carly. On her way out of the clinic, she runs into a local resident named Ray, who is competent with boats. As Carly and Simone posted videos about their night out on their social media accounts, Beverly knew the last known location of the two girls. She asks Ray for directions to the place. However, Ray realizes that the woman is in a state of emotional and mental turmoil. Thus, he decides to help her find her daughter.
They travel to the lifeguard stand, where Carly and Simone were having fun with Pete and Luke the previous night. Beverly finds her daughter’s pouch hidden underneath the structure. Inside, she finds a receipt from the luggage storage service where the two girls left their bags. Meanwhile, Carly wakes up in a cabin in the middle of the Everglades swamp with ropes around her hands and a gag in her mouth. Pete and Luke have an argument about taking Carly hostage and how they took a step too far. The former tells Luke to calm down as this is their only choice. He tells Luke that he is heading back to town to deal with business. He also orders Luke to keep a close watch over Carly. As the latter has never been in such a position, he fumbles his duties by showing compassion to Carly. The young girl eventually sees an opportunity and escapes from the cabin.
In town, Beverly and Ray get the news that Simone has woken up from her coma. Ray gives Beverly his car to go investigate her daughter’s disappearance. Before she can reach the hospital, Pete slips past the medical security and enters Simone’s chamber with the intention of killing her. He cannot allow her to live as she could incriminate him and Luke as the main culprits behind Carly’s disappearance. However, before he can carry out the task, Beverly enters the chamber and talks with Simone. The young girl apologizes for causing so much trouble. She feels responsible for Carly being abducted. However, Beverly tells her it is not her fault. Simone tells her friend’s mom that the luggage storage service has her phone, which could help her find Carly’s location.
Beverly gets her hand on the device but is unable to figure out where the pin is actually located as she is a stranger in Miami. Sensing an opportunity, Pete steps in to help her. He decides to take her to the pin location in the Everglades on his boat. Beverly shares the news with Ray, who is worried for her safety. While on the boat, Beverly realizes someone threw Carly’s phone into the water to hide her location. At the same time, she realizes that Pete brought her out here to kill her. She manages to escape the boat by jumping into the river. Moments later, Ray arrives to pull her out of the water. The two then start scouring the Everglades region, realizing that Carly must be somewhere nearby.
The movie cuts to Carly’s perspective, where we see her find refuge at Doyle’s house, a local fisherman. However, Luke tracks her down. Doyle arrives just in time to stall Luke’s desperate attempts to corner the girl. When he tries to stop him from going after Carly, Luke accidentally kills Doyle, and the young girl runs away once more. Pete arrives not long after and notices Doyle’s dead body. He tells Luke he will take care of it, but Carly must be killed in exchange. They go their separate ways while Ray and Beverly find their way to Doyle’s house. The two corner Pete, who attributes the blame for Carly’s disappearance on Luke’s shoulders. Beverly goes after her daughter while Ray keeps a close eye on Pete. They get involved in an altercation, which ends with Pete getting bitten by a snake and then pulled underwater by an alligator. He meets a gruesome demise while Ray nurses a knife wound.
Beverly manages to find her daughter just as Luke bears down on her. Mother and daughter fight out of trouble and return to Doyle’s house. They carry an injured Ray to the boat and ride out into the Everglades, with Luke following close behind. They travel a great deal of distance in a high-speed chase over swamp water. However, it comes to an end when Beverly and Carly’s boat crashes, and the three passengers are spilled on the ground. Luke tries to take advantage of the situation, but it is already too late. The cops arrive momentarily and arrest him. With their nightmare over, mother and daughter can finally share a word of relief while carrying an injured Ray over to the boat. The movie then skips to the future, where we see Beverly enjoying a day on the beach with Carly and Simone. Later, she heads out for a boat ride with Ray, who she is now dating.
Read More: Is Lifetime’s Abducted in Everglades Based on a True Story?
