Saagar Kote
Lifetime’s ‘If I Can’t Have You’ centers on the trials and tribulations of Michelle Hall, a radio DJ and late-night talk show host in LA. Because of her ability to empathize with the callers, she achieved relative success in her radio career. With her boyfriend Aiden by her side and the support of colleagues Lily and Keith, Michelle’s life seems to be heading towards greater success and joy. However, everything turns upside down when she finds herself targeted by a mysterious stalker who subjects her to repeated harassment and threats.
The anonymous stalker keeps calling Michelle’s radio show line, scaring her, and also keeps a watch on her movements at home. Frustrated by the lack of police progress in the case, Michelle enlists the help of Keith and Lily to find out who the stalker is. However, the situation turns out to be more challenging than imagined, leading Michelle and her friends towards unexpected zones. As various suspects emerge, Michelle, Lily, and Keith must use everything at their disposal to get to the truth before time runs out. SPOILERS AHEAD.
If I Can’t Have You Plot Synopsis
A woman receives a call from someone who is upset because she broke up with them. Soon after, a song called “If I Can’t Have You” plays on her music system, and she is killed by a masked person dressed in black. The story shifts to Michelle, a late-night radio talk show host on Polaris Radio, who works alongside her producer, Lily, and sound engineer, Keith. The successful show centers on taking callers’ requests and celebrating love through songs. Stan, who is Michelle and Lily’s boss, hopes to move the show to a competitive morning slot. Returning home, Michelle declines her boyfriend Aiden’s sexual advances as she is exhausted. During the show, an unnamed caller, who goes by “John Doe,” makes Michelle uncomfortable by making personal remarks.
She begins to suspect that her neighbor, Benjamin Sklar, might be stalking her. She thinks so because Sklar unusually opens her mail and even knows how she likes her coffee. At home, Michelle finds a rose attached to a lovely note about love and assumes it’s from Aiden. During the radio show, John Doe calls again, requesting “If I Can’t Have You” to be played, and also says that he sent the rose, scaring Michelle. After this, Michelle and Lily seek help from Stan, who takes the issue lightly and is more worried about his proposed time slot change. Sklar continues to watch Michelle, adding to her fears. The narrative also introduces Robert, the owner of Clear Cell, a rival radio channel to Polaris Radio. Robert lives in Michelle’s neighborhood and wants her to join his company by quitting Polaris Radio.
Michelle panics when John Doe keeps calling under different names and even cuts the broadcast short. Lily suspects Keith may have feelings for Michelle and might be the stalker, but Keith denies it. Michelle and Lily approach Police Detective Olsen for help regarding the stalker. However, Olsen refuses to take the case seriously, assuming that radio DJs often deal with creepy callers. Aiden tells Michelle that they should get married for her safety, so that another man doesn’t try to pursue her. But Michelle dismisses the idea because she thinks it is a regressive approach. Later, Michelle returns home to find Aiden’s photo defaced and takes the issue to Olsen, who downplays the threat again. John Doe continues to call Michelle during the radio show, threatening her.
Michelle and Lily suspect Stan and seek help from tech-geek Keith to hack into the radio station’s details. When Michelle goes to a local café, she notices that “If I Can’t Have You” is playing. The manager tells her that someone driving a pea-colored car requested the song to be played. Using Keith’s help, Michelle and Lily gain access to the café’s security footage, and the license plate on the video points at Sklar. Michelle and Lily wonder how to handle the situation, but Aiden, impatient, attempts to confront Sklar directly. Keith aids Michelle and Lily in breaking into Sklar’s home, and they try to get to the truth before time runs out.
If I Can’t Have You Ending: Who is the Stalker? Why is Michelle Targeted?
When Michelle and Lily enter Sklar’s house, they notice something odd. As they search the place, they finally find something that turns the whole situation upside down. Michelle and Lily find Sklar strangled to death. Terrified, they immediately inform the cops. The police temporarily take Michelle and Lily for questioning, but conclude that the two radio workers don’t have anything to do with Sklar’s death. Detective Olsen tries to uncover the truth with the help of her boss, Lisa, but fails to reach a logical conclusion. The stalking and the murder take their toll on Michelle, who now finds herself in a situation way beyond her control. With the cops still remaining clueless, Michelle starts to lose hope. She still has suspicions about Robert, who keeps trying to get her to work for his radio station.
However, he turns out to be just a business owner trying to maximize his advantages. When Michelle returns home after a tiring day, she finds her bed decorated with roses. She immediately panics, assuming that the stalker is nearby. What happens next not only shocks her but also leads to chaos. Aiden enters the room, revealing that he is the one who has been stalking and threatening her. He also shows her that he has been using voice-changing technology to execute his plans. Before Michelle can react, he gets hold of her and starts to hurt her. Aiden is an obsessed boyfriend who feels that Michelle is slipping away from him. Earlier in the story, he tries desperately to get physically intimate with her, but she refuses. Michelle seeks emotional support and is disturbed because of the stalking crisis.
Aiden believes Michelle is ignoring him and doesn’t love him as much as she used to. In order to gain control over her and scare her into depending on him, he comes up with an elaborate stalking plan. Despite Michelle already being part of his life, Aiden thinks she is beyond his control and can choose to do whatever she wants. This pathological need for domination and power leads Aiden to hurt and scar his own girlfriend. Michelle also refuses to marry him earlier in the story, which intensifies his frustration. With his deep and dark toxic male insecurities taking over him, Aiden turns to extreme measures to achieve what he wants.
Who Killed Benjamin Sklar? Why?
After revealing that he is the stalker, Aiden also discloses something that adds to his horrifying character arc. He divulges that he is the one who murdered Benjamin Sklar. Because of Sklar’s inquisitive nature and his tendency to observe everything about Michelle, he is the perfect candidate to pin the blame on. Aiden is clever enough to understand that he cannot continue harming Michelle forever if there is no one else to turn the attention towards. In Sklar, he finds a scapegoat who has all the necessary motives and attributes to be framed as Michelle’s stalker. Earlier in the narrative, Michelle and Lily conclude that Sklar is not the stalker. The stalking continues even after Sklar’s death, which naturally proves that the actual offender is still at large. Aiden cleverly murders Sklar while also continuing to stay anonymous.
Sklar’s death also leads to the cops shifting their focus, allowing Aiden to carry on with his grand stalking scheme. Another reason behind Sklar’s death is Aiden’s twisted mind. Aiden keeps pretending to care about Michelle whenever she has suspicions about Sklar. The obsessed boyfriend acts like he is intent on confronting Sklar to “save” and “protect” his girlfriend like a real man. This allowed him to appear heroic to Michelle, which might convince her to marry him and treat him with respect. Aiden craves attention, respect, and a sense of control, which are at the core of his deadly choice to kill Sklar.
Is Aiden Apprehended? Will He Continue Stalking Michelle?
With everything under his control, Aiden assumes that he is finally winning this twisted game. He prepares to execute the final move and kill Michelle for ignoring him and his needs. Aiden proceeds to strangle Michelle as she begins to suffer. As he is about to complete the deadly act, something unexpected unfolds. Lily suddenly appears from behind and knocks out Aiden, who immediately falls to the ground. Even though Aiden thinks that everything is moving according to his plan, he fails to pay attention to Lily, who is equally invested in the case as Michelle is. Lily hugs and comforts a terrified Michelle, who expresses relief after seeing Aiden incapacitated. It is revealed that Lily found out about Aiden because of Keith.
Lily divulged that Keith had happened to see Aiden driving a car towards the café, where Michelle was disturbed by the song. Michelle and Lily assume that this car was driven by Sklar, as it was registered in his name. However, Aiden used the car to make others shift their attention to Sklar as the possible suspect. The plan fails because Keith notices him. When Keith tells Lily about the car, she immediately deduces that Aiden is the stalker. This leads Lily to the house, where she manages to save Michelle just in time. Lily also calls the cops, who arrive and apprehend the unconscious Aiden. Three months later, Aiden is a prisoner, and Michelle has moved on. She moves her radio show to the morning slot, enabling her to spend her nights in peace.
However, Aiden, because of his street smarts, somehow manages to smuggle a phone to prison and keeps it buried. He takes the phone out of the ground and calls Michelle on the radio show, letting her know that he is still there. Though Aiden will never be able to harm Michelle directly anymore, he will most likely continue to stalk and trouble her through his phone calls. It can be presumed that Michelle will be able to handle the situation by informing the prison about Aiden being in possession of a phone. Despite everything that unfolds in his life, Aiden remains committed to his twisted mission of controlling Michelle, no matter where she is. However, with prison restricting him, Michelle will eventually earn her freedom and live a better life.
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