Upamanyu Biswas
Lifetime’s ‘Death Saved My Life‘ chronicles the lives of Jade and Ed Thompson, a married couple who seem perfect on the surface but hide dark secrets behind the walls of privacy. Unbeknownst to their friends or family, Ed is an abusive husband who mistreats his wife mentally, emotionally, and physically. When their fraught relationship reaches a breaking point, Jade must figure out the best course of action for her and Kayla, her daughter. However, the protagonist’s life is upended when she begins suspecting that her husband may have hired a hitman to kill her. Fearing that he may manipulate his way out of trouble, Jade fakes her own death in a bid to escape his clutches. Subsequently, she concentrates her efforts on bringing his actions to light before he can carry out more damage. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Death Saved My Life Tackles Compelling Domestic Abuse Themes But is Derivative in Places
The key highlight of ‘Death Saved My Life’ is its focus on the domestic abuse endured by Jade in the confines of her house. The thriller movie does a commendable job of illustrating the horrors of such a broken family dynamic and how it can affect loved ones, especially young children who witness such terrifying acts in their vicinity. A young mother’s struggle to escape such violence breeds a complex premise that is both relatable and grounded in its exploration. Additionally, it also portrays how such ugly acts are often masterfully concealed from the eyes of the public by the abuser, which, in the case of the film, is Ed. His manipulative efforts are extremely skin-crawling and have a dire effect on the psyche of Jade as she navigates the responsibilities of motherhood with a successful marketing career.
However, the film slightly falters as it tries to make sense of the ins and outs of Jade’s plan and what exactly she is trying to accomplish. Although a general objective emerges that she intends to make her husband pay for the damage he visited on her, it still breaches the boundaries of subtlety and moves into more heightened territory. Furthermore, Ed’s slow descent into madness is an overriding aspect of the plot. It is also one that feels slightly undercooked despite being one of the more pivotal elements within the film. To that end, the specific plot device of a seemingly dead character coming back to haunt their killer has been done in a more effective and resonant manner in other films and shows. Still, overall, it captures the essence of Jade’s harrowing journey and survival, provoking a lot of thought with regard to the safety of women in abusive households.
Death Saved My Life Plot Synopsis
‘Death Saved My Life’ begins with Jade Thompson, a successful marketer at a top-end firm, receiving an award for her work. Jade is married to a brilliant heart surgeon named Ed, who is considered a savior by the local community. The duo have a daughter named Kayla and seemingly have the perfect blend of professional success and family goals. However, unbeknownst to others, Jade is regularly abused by Ed, who is extremely possessive of her. When Jade decides to wear a new, elegant dress for her award ceremony, Ed becomes jealous of her and tears the dress. The abuse continues as Ed becomes suspicious about Jade’s close relationship with Liam, a work colleague. Although his doubts are unsubstantiated, Ed still punishes Jade for mingling with him. He also urges her to leave her job to care for their daughter more.
With the stress of her relationship finally taking its toll on her, Jade decides to take matters into her own hands and leaves Ed. She takes Kayla and moves in with her sister, Leigh. Ed is furious at her disappearing act. Over the coming days, he changes his tune and tries to coax her back to him. However, Jade’s mind is fully made up as she files for divorce papers, which makes Ed even more mad. One day, while returning from work, Jade is frightened by a man walking up to her with a gun in hand. He points the weapon at her but leaves when Liam comes over. Convinced that Ed is out to kill her, Jade reveals the truth about his abusive behavior to Leigh. Subsequently, the protagonist stages her own murder to ensure that Ed believes his assassination plan worked. Her next course of action is to torment her husband and find evidence to lock him up.
Death Saved My Life Ending: Is Ed Apprehended?
After successfully faking her death, Jade begins a crusade to haunt her guilty husband everywhere he goes. As Ed remains safe in the notion that his wife has been taken care of by the hitman he hired, he does not suspect that she may still be alive. Jade uses this to her advantage by carefully sneaking around and finding out her hitman’s identity and connection to Ed. She uses her ingenuity to steal incriminating evidence about Ed’s domestic abuse and his plans to off her. The protagonist fears that Ed’s impeccable reputation may help him wriggle out of any accusation unless a concrete case is built against him. The second part of Jade’s plan is to torture Ed emotionally and psychologically. She replaces Ed’s wardrobe with her own, leaves the dress he tore for him to see, and fills his kitchen with white flowers.
Another notable thing Jade orchestrates is playing a song over Bluetooth that has sentimental value to both her and her husband. The song, along with the other ghostly occurrences, starts convincing Ed that his malicious actions have come back to bite him. By the film’s end, Ed’s mental state deteriorates to the point of complete delusion and incompetence in the workplace. He sits at home and develops an alcoholic habit, which further exacerbates his increasingly agitated mindset. Things come to a head in the final scene, where Ed attends the vigil organized for Jade’s sake. During the vigil, he catches sight of Jade and manages to find out the motel where she is staying. However, the protagonist is prepared for him and calls in a cop to witness her husband’s confession and his attempts to choke her. In the immediate aftermath, Ed is apprehended and sent away.
What Happens to Jade?
Despite her resolve to punish Ed, the revenge mission takes a toll on Jade with each passing day. During the ordeal, she cannot return to her family as Ed may realize that she is still alive. Thus, she has to remain solely focused on the task at hand and ignore the fact that she misses her sister and daughter’s presence. After successfully capturing Ed, the protagonist gets her well-deserved happy ending as she reunites with her family. Kayla questions Jade about what happened to her father. However, as she is still too young, the marketer tells her daughter that one day, when she is older, she will learn the truth about her daddy. While that day is far off, Jade can relax and begin a new life away from the stresses of the previous.
Read More: Lifetime’s Death Saved My Life: Filming Locations and Cast Details
