In an Instant

Finn returns to her mom, who’s at a local bar with Bob. They’re both drunk, which isn’t unusual for Bob. He drinks frequently, and Karen constantly irritates him. Ann soothes him. Eventually, Bob suggests they leave, so they walk across the street to a hotel.

Finn then visits Karen to see how she’s handling Bob’s absence. Karen is cleaning to keep herself distracted from thinking about the past. Finn knows that Karen is miserable and that her marriage is failing. Finn feels sorry for Karen, who was once family to her, and questions her right to judge Karen’s behavior. Finally, Bob comes home. Karen asks if he had a late night at the office, and Bob nods before going upstairs. Karen crumples to the floor and cries.

Ann tries to sneak into the house quietly, but Chloe calls to her from the couch. Ann notices the four kittens on Chloe’s lap and offers to watch them so her daughter can rest. As Chloe moves toward the stairs, Ann asks if she’d like to attend the symphony together on Saturday. Chloe absently agrees as Ann carries the kittens into the kitchen.

At 6:00 am, Jack and Vance leave the cabin to look for Oz’s body. Vance refuses at first, but Jack says Vance won’t see Chloe until they find Oz.

Mo struggles with knowing that Bob traded for Oz’s gloves. She still feels guilty for doing nothing when Oz disappeared and doesn’t want to make the same mistake with this new information. Finn reflects that, while she would tell everyone the truth about Bob, that’s not Mo’s style. When Mo falls asleep that night, Finn tells her to write down everything she knows about the accident.

Jack and Vance stand in the road where the accident started. Jack tells the teen to rappel down the cliff using a rope and harness. He then instructs Vance to systematically scour around the crash site until he finds Oz. Vance refuses to do any of this, but Finn knows her dad will get what he wants.

Ann has started running as a distraction and means of coping with her loss. One night, as Ann walks home after completing a run, she sees Karen checking her mail. The two women look at each other, and then Ann walks by silently. Karen suddenly accuses Ann of choosing Mo’s well-being over Natalie’s, arguing that Ann’s choice is why Karen chose her family over Oz. Ann thinks back to giving Finn’s boots to Mo as she returns to her house. Ann sits on the floor, thinking about the impossible choices she faced in the wilderness, and realizes she’d choose Mo again.

Mo and Chloe watch the kittens play in Chloe’s room. Chloe tells Mo that Ann is allowing her to keep one of them, so she will keep Finn. Mo then mentions how the only people who talk about the accident, Natalie and Bob, are dishonest about it. These lies bother Mo, who wants to make sense of the tragedy to help Chloe move on. Chloe doesn’t want to talk about it, but Mo presses on. Mo has written down what she remembers, but she knows she’s missing pieces; to help complete the story, Mo wants to hear Ann’s perspective most of all. However, Chloe says Ann acts like it never happened and refuses to talk about it.

On Saturday, Ann and Chloe attend the symphony. Finn thinks Chloe is breathtaking and mesmerizes everyone as she walks by. Chloe, however, is oblivious to her magnetism. The pair goes to their seats and lose themselves in the performance. Finn marvels at how similar her sister and mom are. After the show, Chloe and Ann walk outside to a fountain. They each take a penny, make a wish, and toss their pennies into the fountain, just as Finn loved to do.

Jack is drunk while Vance sleeps on the cabin’s couch. They’ve spent the past five days looking for Oz, to no avail. Finn is proud of Vance and has tried to help him in the search, but she knows he’ll never find her brother’s body. The search has helped Vance regain his strength and health, though Jack looks worse than before. Jack calls home, but Mo answers, so he hangs up. He then curls into a ball on the bed and cries.

Mo drives to Big Bear’s sheriff station to meet with Burns. Mo explains that she wants to ask him about the accident to get the facts straight. Burns asks if she’s doing this for herself or to hold someone accountable, and Mo says it’s so she can hear the lies without them bothering her. Burns pulls a file from a cabinet and reviews each page with her. When he gets to Bob’s press conference and Oz’s disappearance, they both pause.

Mo says it’s unlikely Oz would go after Ann alone because he wasn’t that close to his mother. Mo then tells Burns about Bob trading for Oz’s gloves. Burns flinches, causing Mo to cry from guilt for not helping Oz. Burns tells her it’s not her fault, and Mo gives him everything she’s written down. He reads it and asks if Bob intentionally sent Oz to look for Ann. Mo suspects he did but doesn’t know for sure. Burns then asks if Oz was dangerous, and Mo says no, though Bob and Karen thought so. Mo then explains the order of who received water, and Burns points out the Golds’ pattern of negligence. She cries again, defending Bob’s behavior because of the situation.

Mo’s statement causes Finn to think about human nature and how people react under stress. She doesn’t blame Mo for not going after Oz. Reflecting on that, Finn wonders if she can blame Bob for sending Oz away to protect his family. Burns reminds Mo that Oz is dead because of Bob.

Finn goes to join Chloe at Aubrey’s house. Inspired by the concert, Chloe is helping with the wedding playlist. Finn then hops to Ann, who’s sitting with Bob on the Millers’ back patio. The phone rings, so Ann answers. Burns tells her what Mo told him about Bob and sends her a web address so she can see a picture of Natalie wearing Oz’s gloves. Bob enters the room, asking Ann if she’s okay. She shows Bob the image and asks if he took Oz’s gloves. Bob lies and says Oz gave them to him. Ann tells him to leave, but Bob persists in his lie. She orders him out, knowing her son never gave anyone anything willingly. Ann grabs a wine bottle and breaks it over Bob’s forearm. Bob flees, and Ann falls to the floor, sobbing.

Mo leaves the sheriff’s station and drives to the Snow Summit Ski Resort. She walks to the chairlift where Kyle is working. When their eyes meet, they both feel a jolt. Kyle takes Mo inside and gets her hot chocolate. They sit by a window, and Mo explains why she’s there. Kyle then shares his experience after the accident. He describes how heroic Ann was, how she kept him going, and that she’s why he survived. Mo knows he’s holding something back that explains why Ann is still so unhappy, but Kyle refuses to tell her that Ann let him go when he was dangling over the edge.

Ann runs so hard in the late afternoon that she must sit on the sidewalk. A man jogs to her and asks if she’s ok. She asks him how to get past it, and the man says to take it one step at a time.

Kyle walks Mo to her car. It begins to rain, causing Mo to panic. Kyle puts her in the passenger seat, gets into the driver’s seat, and then holds her until she calms down. They kiss, making Finn joyful for her friend. Kyle then drives them to a local hotel, and Finn cheers for Mo to embrace her life and go for it.

At the ER, Bob tells Karen he fell walking to the bar at a restaurant. Karen doesn’t believe him but says nothing. Finn notices Karen’s disheveled appearance and how she no longer takes meticulous care of herself. Karen’s phone rings. It’s Natalie explaining that Burns is at their house. Natalie is worried Burns is there to arrest her dad, but Karen calms her daughter down. Karen hangs up and tells Bob that Burns is at their house, causing him to pale. Karen then wonders aloud if the captain will reopen Oz’s search. She asks Bob if she should help organize a search party. Bob responds fiercely, saying Oz is dead. Karen steps away in fear and turns to find a nurse. She then spots Burns headed toward her.

At three in the morning, Ann watches Bob’s press conference on her laptop, questioning if his behavior is any less unforgivable than hers. Bob knocks on the patio door, and Ann lets him in. He has been unable to sleep since seeing Karen talking to Burns in the hospital. Bob tells Ann that Burns is wrong, maintaining his story that Oz gave him the gloves. Ann tells him to go home to Karen and Natalie, ending their relationship. Bob begs her to reconsider, but Ann closes her laptop and leaves the room. Bob also leaves, and Finn realizes Bob is human too, even hoping he gets his life back together.

That morning, Kyle and Mo wake up together in a hotel room. As they talk, Mo thanks him for saving her life. Kyle kisses her, and Finn immediately finds herself in Chloe’s room. Finn realizes why she’s lingering in the living world. She’s connected to her loved ones until they can find peace about her death. Finn feels a tug toward the next world but knows she must find peace herself before she moves on. She says a prayer, saying goodbye to her best friend and wishing Mo an incredible life. Chloe looks in Finn’s direction with a faint smile.

Two hours after Bob leaves, Ann drives to the cabin. She enters, startling Vance. Ann screams, and Jack limps into the room. On recognizing Vance, Ann hugs him and says she’s glad he’s okay. Jack tells her to leave, but she refuses. She says they’re in this situation together and admits she shouldn’t have left Oz with Bob. Ann then says Jack kept her going in her search for help. She knew Oz wasn’t safe with Bob, but she left anyway, confirming Jack’s accusation. Vance then voices that Ann saved everyone else and tells Jack he can’t blame Ann for leaving Oz. Vance asks how Chloe’s doing, so Ann invites him to Easter dinner next Sunday to see for himself. She then tells Jack that dinner’s at 6:00 pm and not to be late. Ann leaves, and Jack tells Vance again that they won’t leave until they find Oz.