Bridget Jensen

"*She’s not like any other kid. She’s my kid and I’m her mom. So no matter how tired I am or how exhausting it can be to deal with someone who is so tiny and so driven, I am going to make damn sure nobody crushes her dreams.*"
—**Bridget** to **Kim**[src]

**Bridget Jensen** is a main character in *Home Before Dark*. She is portrayed by Abby Miller.

## Biography

Bridget Jensen was born in August 14, 1978. She met Matt Lisko while working in New York, and she became his source. She was in the midst of a meeting when she had horrible stomach pain and had to be rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. When she woke up, Matt was there by her side waiting. Despite only knowing her for a small amount of time, he cared enough to stay with her and make sure she was okay. They became friends before they started dating. They were eventually married on May 8th, 1996 in Washington State, in the count of Seattle King.

They began a family with the birth of their first, Izzy. The had their second daughter Hilde on October 29, 2009. Matt's mother Jane died in March of 2013, which devastated by the Lisko family. Matt's father Sylvester developed Alzheimer's and had to be placed in a care facility. Around this time, they had their third and final daughter, Ginny.

While Matt worked as a reporter for the New York Sentential, Bridget was a successful public defender. The family were comfortable financially, though they still struggled at times. Matt had a case in New York regarding a missing eleven year old girl, and became obsessed with the case. His obsession and connection to the girl's mother cause a rift in his marriage to Bridget. Despite him saying that nothing romantic happened between him and the woman, Bridget was reluctant to believe him. He ultimately lost his job at the paper for being unable to let go of the case despite orders saying otherwise. With the family now struggling financially, Sylvester declining mentally, and Matt wanting to write a fiction novel, the family moved back to Matt's hometown of Erie Harbor, Washington.

## Series

### Season 2

In "*Not Giving Up*", Hilde wakes up from a nightmare and runs into her parent’s room frightened, and curls up with Bridget. Her parents comfort her as she panics, and they know she had the dream again. He asks if she wants to talk about it but she doesn’t. As the storm rages on, she curls into her mom. Matt continues to comfort her as they fall back to sleep.

In the morning, Bridget and Matt discuss the nightmares. It’s been almost a year and Hilde still isn’t over the van being pulled out of the lake. Bridget is worried as Hilde never used to be phased by scary things in New York. Matt thinks it’s just because Hilde is growing up and understands more than she used to. They think she might need some balance in her life.

At breakfast, Hilde asks if anyone heard a loud explosion or saw a bright light around two in the morning. Izzy quips that it’s Hilde o’clock while Matt and Bridget are excited for school starting back up again. Hilde scolds her father for writing about the clambake and not something more serious. Matt explains they need the extra stories now that Sylvester is moving in with them for good. Hilde wants to go back to Portland and figure out who paid the kidnapper. He iterates that they spent eight months looking for answers and following every lead but nothing panned out. Bridget applauds Hilde for doing a great job but they’ve come up with an executive decision - the Richie Fife case is closed. Matt understands it means a lot to Hilde and everyone has read about it, including Richie if he’s out there. He thinks maybe Richie doesn’t want to be found. Matt tells Hilde to cover new stories by taking a break and doing normal kid stuff. He explains that Sylvester moving in will be a big change and things will be different. The parents make sure the girls don’t have any questions.

Bridget arrives at her new office with Ginny, who is preparing for her first day of school the next day. A woman stops Bridget on the street and asks her to sign a petition to remove Kim Collins as the principal of Erie Harbor School. They are citing the reason as “harboring a criminal and endangering the lives of our children.” She gives a hard pass and goes to leave when the woman scoffs at the Lisko’s. Bridget snaps back before taking Ginny inside.

Bridget greets Trip and her father at her law office as Hilde gave her background on the case. He knows all about girls who come into the world beyond their years. They sit in Bridget’s office as Trip explains her family owned a dairy farm outside of town for fifty-three years. He doesn’t farm out there anymore but uses it for animal rescue. Trip hands Bridget a file on the company, Wott Management, who tried to buy the farm. Bridget is impressed by the amount of money they’re offering. Junior doesn’t want to ever sell as isn’t about the money. When his father bought the place it was something for a black man to own the land. He died when Trip was in high school so they moved to Erie Harbor to live and work on the farm. The Johnson’s have already sent a letter rejecting their offer, but now Wott Management is threatening eminent domain. Bridget asks if they are a government agency and if they know anything about the company. Junior doesn’t know much as he couldn’t find anything online. Bridget confirms that it is possible for Wott to pay them pinnace and throw them off the land, but she won’t let that happen.

That night, Sylvester moves into the Lisko house and is happily greeted by his granddaughters. Sylvester doesn’t recognize Ginny but they show him to his new room as a distraction. Sylvester becomes agitated as everything in the room is different from how it should be. He gets increasingly more hostile as Matt tries to calm him. Hilde offers to have Sylvester sleep in her room or for Ginny to move in with her, but Matt knows it’s not safe for Sylvester to take the stairs. Bridget suggests that Hilde play the record that usually calms him. Hilde asks if Sylvester wants to dance and then helps him put his feet on the stool. She sits on the chair with him and they hold each other close while her parents watch.

The next day, Bridget calls Wott Management every hour but doesn't get an answer. Hilde bursts into the kitchen asking if her mom learned anything about Wott Management. Matt smirks as he asks if she has any schoolwork to do or anything a normal kid should be doing. She starts telling them about the party when Izzy walks in, so Hilde tries to disguise her intentions. Izzy shows her mom the outfit she got which is hideous, but Izzy likes it for some reason. Matt laughs at how ugly it is while Bridget scolds him. She decides to Pretty in Pink the outfit, a reference that Izzy doesn’t understand. She shows Izzy the movie as they work on altering the outfit.

That night, Matt drops Izzy off at the party. Bridget’s voice chimes in wishing her luck, and Izzy realizes with great horror that her mom has been on speakerphone the entire time. Bridget tells her to make good choices. Izzy quickly leaves the truck.

In "*I Believe You*", a viscious storm hits Erie Harbor and causes a tree to fall through the Lisko's window. Their daughters hear the sound and rush downstairs to see what happened. Matt and Bridget tell the girls to go back to bed as there’s glass everywhere. Sylvester gets out of bed but Matt tells him not to worry as he’s going to clean it up. Bridget starts to take Izzy and Ginny upstairs, but they are distracted when Hilde hears a noise. She advances to the tree with Matt warning her to be okay. She picks up an injured bird and soothes it. She promises nothing bad will happen to it.

The next morning, Matt is boarding up the broken window while Hilde hopes she can stay home from school to look after the baby bird, but Bridget refuses. They debate how to feed the bird. Hilde wants to ask Birdman his opinion on the dead birds and Walter Cronkite, a former TV journalist who was the most trusted man in America. Matt drops the boards and Izzy wonders if they should help him, but Bridget explains that Matt believes he’s “handy”. Hilde states he’s not and references the attic incident. Bridget knows how Hilde feels about the truth but it isn’t always the best thing. She’s about to explain something about men to them, then decides to cheer Matt on instead. Hilde asks Bridget about the Wott Management group. Izzy thinks she should write an article about the bird and tree instead. Hilde knows a lot about Wott Management and its founder. Hilde is worried about her bird and tells her dad she has to take him to Birdman. Matt reminds her that his name isn’t Birdman anymore, but Mr. Wergeles. Bridget gets the girls ready for school.

Bridget drives Izzy to school as they bicker about the phone charger as they both need it. Izzy wants to call Ethan but can’t because of the power. They’re supposed to call each other before school and wish one another a good day. Bridget tells her to enjoy the feeling of disconnection for a while. They pull up to the school to find a mob of people. Principal Collins announces that school is closed due to an uprooted tree and the power outage, which enrages a group of parents. The parents advance towards Kim, who protests as the area isn't safe past the barrier.

The crowd of moms shout at Kim calling her just as bad as her con of a mother, critiquing her for being disorganized, and shouting that their tax dollars pay her salary. Kim tries to soothe the crowd. Bridget takes the megaphone and tells them that if anyone has questions or grievances, like the ladies with their petition, they can take it with her lawyer - her. She tells them Kim has no comment and for everyone to have a nice day. With the crowd dispersing, Bridget assures Kim she doesn’t have to hire her as a lawyer. Kim is getting used to the abuse but appreciates her support. Bridget knows what that feels like so she wants to try and put an end to it. Ginny yells for her mom as she is holding Bridget’s heavy purse. Bridget rushes over to help her daughter, apologizing to Ginny, and the women say goodbye.

Bridget heads to her office with Ginny while talking to Trip about Wott Management. She sees the door to her office is open even though she knows she locks it every night. Trip tells her to just come to the station, so Bridget takes Ginny and leaves.

Bridget fills out a police report at the station with help from Frank, who takes her to his office. He knows the power outage could have affected the alarm but isn’t sure he can blame the storm for the open door. She has a long list of potential enemies. Those who are mad at her for representing Sam, something with her new case, or just the people in town who dislike her. Investigator Frank Rutherford enters the office and Frank introduces the pair. Rutherford is there to audit the department on behalf of The Attorney General. He decides to sit in on the interview.

Frank walks Bridget and Ginny to their car as they discuss the intensity of Rutherford. She asks Frank for a favor, which he originally thinks is related to her office, and agrees to check on the office for her. She thanks him but admits that isn’t what she meant. They have a broken window at home and Matt is bad at fixing things. She doesn’t want to hurt his feelings but also doesn’t want a broken window. She asks Frank to stop by and help. He laughs as he knows Matt is bad with that stuff. He agrees to come by and make up an excuse to do it for him.

Once back home, Bridget throws out food from the freezer as Matt comes home. He dropped Sylvester at Frank’s since he has a generator. Matt remembers when power outages were fun and sexy. Now it’s just rotting food and watching Ginny plug-in electrical devices that won’t work. Izzy walks in and asks to sleep at Jessica’s but her parents are skeptical. Izzy is defensive of Jessica and wants to give her a second chance, but Bridget isn’t convinced. She agrees so long as if the power comes back on she’s back by morning and doesn’t complain about being tired.

That afternoon at the farmer's market, Kim is approached by Bridget who is also there for groceries. She gives Kim an envelope for a cease and desist letter for the people attacking her. They’ll sue if they continue to harass Kim. Kim walks away and mails them quickly. She thanks Bridget profusely for the gesture.

That night, Frank comes through on his promise to stop by. He pretends as though he's just there to say hi, feigns surprise at the broken window, and offers to help Matt fix it. Bridget silently mouths a 'thank you' to Frank, who smiles over at her.

The next morning, Bridget tells the girls that school is back open today. In private, Matt tells Bridget that he found an address for Wott Management. They quietly discuss the break-in at her office. Izzy comes in and tries to avoid her parents but they are persistent. Matt notes that she smells like a frat house. Bridget tells Ginny and Hilde to go upstairs. Izzy just wants her bed but Bridget refuses as they have to talk first. She makes Izzy get ready for school. Matt gives her a glass of water and tells her to hydrate thoroughly so they can talk when she’s feeling better. Izzy storms off while the parent’s exchange sighs.

The parent's head to Wott Management that afternoon, but something feels off to Bridget. The doors are locked and no one seems to be inside. A side door authorized for personnel isn't locked, so they enter through that door. The building seems empty, so Bridget decides to call Wott Management. They follow the sound of a ringing phone to an empty room, where a single landline rotary phone is sitting on a table.

In "*Fighting His Ghost*", in the kitchen, Matt and Bridget discuss how they will talk to Izzy about her drinking. She’s just proud of Izzy for not getting into a car with someone else, but Matt wants to make it a big deal as this is important. She wants to make it normal so they can teach her responsibility. He wants to be stricter with her every day and weekend. She reminds him they both did things like that at their age. She knows Izzy is lonely and desperate to connect so they should focus on that. He wants to fix the behavior that could get her fired. Bridget realizes they are no longer talking about Izzy. Matt doesn’t think they would be living in Erie Harbor and making Izzy miserable if he could just stop making waves and do his job. He puts his head on his arm and groans, catching the attention of Ginny. She comforts him and they decide to start with structure and boundaries for Izzy. They think they should spend some one-on-one time with her.

They tell Izzy she will be helping Bridget out at the law office as opposed to a grounding. She wants the grounding or other choices but they refuse as this isn’t meant to be easier. He reminds her that someone her age shouldn’t be drinking as it impacts her choices. Bridget is worried that the older kids are influencing her more than Izzy realizes. Matt notes they’re happy she has new friends but they don’t want her to get caught up. Izzy is ready to start.

The pair heads to the law office where Izzy does some filing when Principal Collins arrives to talk with Bridget. One in private, Kim gives Bridget a gift to say thank you. It’s a bullhorn necklace for getting the PTA off her back. She only gets a few dirty looks now, but it’s Bridget who shut them down. Bridget remarks that she loves the necklace. Kim uneasily looks around before asking her and Matt to come by tomorrow for a meeting with Jessica’s parents. She heard about the other girls drinking and the events that took place afterward.

Bridget and Matt head to the school, where they sit in Principal Collins's office with Jessica Fife's father. Kim shows the trio a surveillance video that the school’s cameras caught just as the power came back on. The video shows Jessica and Izzy drinking in the parking lot and egging the school. There was no damage as it was a prank but they were drunk. She wants to give the kids a chance to redeem themselves. She’s giving them detention but if it happens again there will be serious consequences. Once the meeting is over, the Lisko's leave with Izzy and refuse to speak with her about the incident at the time.

Still having to work, Bridget and Izzy visit the Johnson Farm to speak with Junior. Bridget is there to obtain the letters from Wott Management to Junior. She tells him about the Wott Management HQ front she and Matt found, so she isn't sure what they're dealing with. He calls Wott Management cowards as they should look him in the eye if they’re going to take his land. He’s willing to go to court. She wants to get a restraining order against Wott. She wants to make sure this is what he wants but he doesn’t care about the money. He’s done being kicked around and wants the companies to know there are consequences. Izzy finds that brave. Suddenly, a brick is thrown through the window.

Trip and Frank investigate the incident at the Johnson Farm and are glad everyone is okay. Matt is there comforting Izzy and Bridget. Bridget plans to file the injunction right away. The women leave while Matt stays behind.

In "*Dark Rooms*", Bridget comes into the kitchen after hearing the noise of Hilde dropping her camera. Matt assures Hilde that it’s okay and looks at it. He sees that it needs a new lens and he can fix it in a few days. Hilde thinks that’s too long, and just then, Sylvester gives her his camera. She’s confused about where the screen is but her parents explain that it’s a film camera and how special it was to get the film developed. Matt offers to help show her how to develop it.

That night, Matt talks to someone on the phone as he turns the lights in the house off. He gets to the bedroom when Bridget asks who it was - it was the harbormaster. His father is still renting out the boat slip at the marina. He remarks how much better Sylvester seemed at dinner and she agrees. However, she doesn’t think the moments of lucidity are helping them with Hilde as it’s giving her a false sense of hope. Bridget worries that the poisoning mystery is going to hurt Hilde, and neither one of them want to explain that solving the mystery will cure him. She wants Hilde to believe everyone will live forever but they don’t. Matt becomes emotional so Bridget comforts him.

Matt comes home just as Sylvester is digging through the stuff in his radiator. Matt offers to help but Sylvester doesn’t explain what it was. He’s holding a photo so Matt asks who the guys in the photo are. He wants to know who they are but Sylvester doesn’t remember. Bridget walks in to ask what they’re working on. She thinks one of them is Junior. Sylvester remarks that they were fishing but that’s all he remembers. Matt wants to invite them all over for lunch while Bridget recommends a fishing trip once Matt fixes the boat. Matt calls Frank to ask him for help in fixing up the boat and he agrees. That night, Bridget goes to see Matt and sees that he's upset. She asks what's wrong and tells her that all of Sylvester's friends from his as a worker are dead.

In "*The Black Box*", Bridget drops her daughters off at school and asks her daughters to tell Principal Collins that she got her message and will meet with her after she runs an errand. Izzy huffs, wondering why Bridget can’t just text Principal Collins instead of making them walk all across Earth. Bridget remarks that she enjoys the real human connection. She notices Izzy’s nervous tick but Izzy claims she finds.

After school, Hilde presents her information board to her parents as she found a lot of information about Sylvester. She reveals that Sylvester was a volunteer firefighter, managed the Erie Harbor softball team for six years as he played first base, He realizes there was a lot he didn’t know, almost getting emotional. Hilde wants to show him the board and see if he remembers anything. Her parents are hesitant. Bridget explains that he becomes frustrated when he doesn’t remember things. Matt thinks hitting him with it all at once might not end well. She panics as they’re running out of time to help him. They decide to try it as a nice memory and not pressure him. They don’t want her to get a false sense of hope if it doesn’t work. Hilde accuses her parents of getting in the way instead of helping her. She takes her board and leaves the room, now emotional.

Her parent's call her back downstairs a few minutes later. She comes downstairs to find Frank talking to her parents. His NTSB contact came through and the original magnetic tape was damaged debut heir lab was able to recover a decent audio track. Hilde thinks that’s great but their faces say otherwise. Matt reveals that it’s from Sam’s dad’s plane. It’s mostly static but there is something they all need to hear.

Matt and Bridget prepare Hilde for what is on the recording as it could get intense. She states that Sam is her friend and if there’s something on there that can help him she will. Bridget reminds her that they have to look out for her. Matt firmly tells her that if things get too intense he’s pulling her out of there with no negotiating. She agrees and he reminds her that the hardest stories to cover are the ones you care about.

Frank sets the computer down and plays the audio. They hear air traffic control and then Hank’s voice. Hank tells them to stand by and says “that’s gotta be it”. He’s turning around to get a closer look. He can’t believe that Richie was right. Matt is shocked as Hank Gillis knew Richie. Matt wonders if it’s because Richie loved planes but they all did. He plays the recording again. Hank is getting photos but something goes wrong as the engine’s stalling. The control center warns that his plane is getting too low. Hank knows something is wrong but notes that it’s too late. He asks the control center to tell his kids he loves them. Bridget stops the audio. Everyone is in a state of shock as Hilde looks at the airplane figurine.

The next night, Matt and Hilde return to the Lisko house after a tryst with Trip and the HCPD. Bridget is on the phone assuring one of Ethan’s parents that he can stay there for the night.

Ethan tells Matt that his parents are either hashing out custody or getting back together again. He doesn’t want to be in the same house with them when they fight as he’s trying to get caught up in school. Bridget enters to tell Ethan his parents gave permission for him to stay with them for the night - in a separate room, of course. Matt assures Ethan that marriage is hard but his parents are doing the best they can. Ethan thanks them for having him and Matt agrees to one night downstairs. He reveals the stairs are creaking and Ethan understands what he’s saying. Izzy, meanwhile, is mortified.

In "*What's Out There*", Bridget and Matt are eating breakfast on the steps, causing Izzy to question their motives. Ethan appears on the top of the steps with folded clothes. Ginny asks if he lives there now. He nervously says it’s only temporary. He tries to thank the family for letting him stay, but Izzy thinks he’s being weird. He thanks Matt for lending him the pajamas but he has to go. Izzy gives her parent’s a look. Hilde approaches Izzy and asks if she cares to comment on her boyfriend living in her house. Izzy runs off while her family chuckles that it’s just a joke. Hilde then tells Matt they need to look for the island.

Hilde knows where Hank was headed and, using Sylvester’s boat, they can get to the island soon. Bridget worries that Hilde is getting involved with Richie again despite her saying not to. She’s worried Hilde is having nightmares again, but Hilde claims she hasn’t had them. She thinks whatever is on the island is why Richie was taken. Matt reminds her there’s no evidence to support that so Hilde wants to go find it. She shows him the island map but he’s unwavering as he promised Bridget he’d stay home so she could work. Hilde tries to sway them but the parents are on a united front for once despite Hilde’s antics. Bridget finally caves and agrees to stay home. Hilde drowns her mother in compliments as she hurries out the door.

Bridget is busy working when Ginny runs up to ask if she wants ice cream, and when Bridget says yes to the sprinkles, Ginny dumps the entire bottle on her desk. As she struggles to clean it up she gets a phone call regarding a courier, just as Sylvester begins to leave with his car keys. Bridget takes them away while Izzy is on her phone. Bridget tells Izzy to stop Ginny and Sylvester from playing with sprinkles while arguing with the person on the phone. She then asks Izzy to stay and watch them, even offering up money since Izzy was supposed to meet Emma. She states it’s important and about the Wott case, reminding her to watch both Ginny and Sylvester. Izzy invites Emma to her house instead.

Because Emma and Izzy are upstairs, Sylvester and Ginny leave the house. Izzy calls her mother who returns home immediately, and they patrol the streets. Bridget reprimands Izzy for leaving Sylvester and Ginny alone, but Izzy is annoyed as she’s always the one getting dumped with them. Hilde and Matt’s job comes before everyone and everything else. She’s mad she can’t do anything because they have to chase a story.

Bridget and Izzy are still searching for Sylvester, with Trip calling in deputies to help look and Emma checks the bike shop. Izzy doesn’t know any other place he could be and admits she isn’t as close to him as everyone else. Bridget thinks there’s something else and Izzy reluctantly admits that she sometimes feels alone or that she doesn’t fit with anyone. Bridget assures Izzy that she fits with her. She gets a call and the duo hurry away. Bridget and Izzy arrive at an abandoned lot to find Izzy and Sylvester with a stranger who had called Bridget. Sylvester is sad and confused as the lodge isn’t there anymore. Luckily, they are both safe, and Bridget embraces Ginny before soothing Sylvester.

In "*Just a Bird*", Matt makes coffee and then steps over toys as he makes his way to the garage to talk with Bridget. He hands her a mug of coffee. They have to talk in the playroom to avoid the kids. Matt sent out a sample of the toxins and water to see what they’re dealing with before reporting it. He feels stupid for taking Hilde out there but she makes him sit with her. She remarks they’re cut from the same cloth and he knows that he should have stayed home to look after Sylvester and Ginny. She assures him that nothing happened and he’s just under a lot of stress. She asks if he’s okay and he admits he will be okay. They hear the girls arguing and realize they have to go inside. As they come inside, Trip is taking Hilde down to the Holmes County Sheriff's Department.

Down at the sheriff’s department, Trip has arrested the trio for criminal trespassing, which Bridget remarks is conjecture. Donny has to do his inhaler. Trip remarks that the island is private property but needs to know how they go to the island in the first place. Spoon states that he has his permit, but Trip isn’t buying their excuses. Matt admits she brought the kids out there as an educational field trip but they didn’t know it was private property. Trip informs them that each kid will pay a ticket but since Matt is an adult, charges might be pressed. She admits that Wott Management owns the land and has evidence of the trespassing - a drone that took a photo of the three kids. Michael Davis is surprised to see his drone as Donny took it without permission. Matt is rather amused at how the kids managed to get a drone, even letting out a chuckle, which earns him a look from Bridget.

Bridget offers to help Michael fight the tickets. Matt has faced this before which angers Michael as he wants him to leave his son out of it next time. Meanwhile, Hilde tells her friends this won’t slow them down, but they are mad now. Donny’s father is mad and won’t get his drone back, while Spoon’s mother pulls a double shift. They don’t want her help, either. Michael leaves with Spoon and Donny. Bridget and Matt still can’t reach Izzy as she just claims to be home soon. They had to ask Kim to babysit but also put her in a position not to tell Frank about the charges.

They call Hilde over to tell her that Trip, who joins the family, has convinced Wott to drop the charges. However, it’s contingent on her not publishing anything about the island. Hilde doesn’t want to be silenced. Trip argues that they broke the law and, as an officer, she has to hold everyone accountable. Hilde accuses her of helping Wott, but Trip doesn’t want to be doing any of this. She wishes she could look the other way but that’s not how the department works. She has to face consequences for her actions, with Matt admitting she’ll pay the ticket. Hilde looks over at the Wott employees and adds she won’t stop reporting.

Bridget can’t reach Izzy while Matt wants to stop Hilde from publishing the story. Izzy comes in and is reprimanded by her parents for coming home late. Izzy finally snaps that she had to get some privacy and begins to break down as she had a horrible night. She accuses them of having no idea what she’s going through. Bridget assures her they want to know and hugs her daughter. Matt decides they can talk about it in the morning. Izzy then proposes moving into the attic so she can get more privacy.

The next night, the family decides to work together to do some at-home reminiscence therapy for Sylvester by recreating the restaurant he took Ginny to the other day. The family sits down to eat together as Bridget asks about Jane. Sylvester admits Jane hated the place at first as it reminded her of the social clubs in Chicago. He dragged her there anyway because it was the best veal chop in Erie Harbor. He doesn’t understand why the guys are so late today of all days. The Plant Five boys are leaving Strata. They each got a big severance check and everyone’s getting one since the division is being shut down. Hilde shows him a picture of the men and he notes that’s them, except Junior, who didn’t work that. Strata gave them all money for putting them out of work, but he’s glad as the spray made him cough like crazy. It was sealant they sprayed on planes. A Strata doctor checked them out and concluded that the headaches were from the dust in the plant. Hilde asks if he believed them, but Sylvester whispers that it doesn’t matter anymore. He admits that he’s taking his severance money to open a bicycle shop. He asks what Matt thinks and Matt remarks he thinks it’s great. He wants Matt to like it as the shop will be his one day. Matt assures Sylvester he does love it.

In "*The Bad Guy*", Hilde rushes home from school to find Karl Kurtz in the doorway. Matt calls her into the living room where Grant Williams, the president of Strata, is waiting for her.

Hilde demands to know what he’s doing here and he retorts that he’s there to comment. She turns on her tape recorder, sets it down, and the two square off. She confronts him about the cadmium and accuses him of poisoning the town’s water supply. He denies the allegation but does admit that there was a leak at an old facility but they cleaned it up. She thought Wott Management owned that land. He admits that Wott Management is one of his subsidiaries, with Matt commenting that it’s a shell company. Hilde accuses Grant of covering up what happened on the island. While he understands why it appears that way, it’s an internal issue. She wants him to take responsibility for what he did. He notes that this seems personal to her and accuses her of not being objective. She does think he’s the bad guy as he claimed. Grant wants to have a word with the grown-ups outside.

Bridget, Matt, and Grant speak outside. Matt confronts Grant for being responsible for the spill, but Grant never said that only that they are involved in the clean-up. Bridget doesn’t seem to have a problem with Hilde publishing her article if that’s true. While she can, he doesn’t know what good it will do as they have already taken care of it. He doesn’t want anyone to get hurt on his watch. Matt scoffs that it’s too late for that, as his father worked for Strata and was exposed to those chemicals, which proves they were using it for two decades or longer. Grant’s family didn’t know that back then and provides a thinly veiled threat on how the town would respond to Hilde’s article resulting in job loss or economic misfortune. He warns they need to control their daughter. Matt barely contains himself as Grant stalks off. Hilde, having eavesdropped on the entire conversation from her bedroom window, opens her laptop to get to work.

The next morning, Matt reveals he emailed his editor with a bunch of Freedom of Information Act requests as Sylvester’s records don’t match Strata's. Bridget wonders if they did the right thing by letting Hilde publish her article. Hilde enters the kitchen as she solemnly admits that no one is reading her article, not even Donny or Spoon, who don’t seem to care about the paper anymore. Matt and Bridget are sympathetic to her situation, but also her friends, as they don’t have the same exposure to journalist repercussions as Hilde. Hilde thought things would get better once the article was published since Strata wouldn’t be able to hurt them either. Bridget thinks they’re more hurt by Hilde than Strata. Matt and Bridge advise her to make things right with her friends by focusing on them for a change.

They mention the upcoming Spirit Week at school, just as Izzy sulks into the kitchen. Izzy isn’t a school-spirit kinda person and goes to leave. Bridget answers a call from Junior and tells Matt to turn on the news. The family gathers in the living room and turns on an old TV. The newscaster reveals that the Johnson Farm has just been sold to Strata Tech Industries after old chemicals were found on the land. Grant gives an interview where he admits to the cadmium being improperly disposed of, but he's cleaned it up immediately. A reporter asks if the public is at risk, but Grant lies that they aren’t. They purchased the land to store the residual industrial waste. The Lisko’s are in shock as Hilde can’t believe that no one will know what Strata did to Sylvester or Junior.

Matt is working while Sylvester looks through old photos. Bridget returns as Matt admits that he found more Plant Five employees but no public complaints. They’re just the first family to not stay quiet about their thoughts. Matt sees Sylvester looking at photos of Richie’s last birthday they spent together at the airfield. He forgot that Hank Gillis was there, too. He showed them some of the old planes as a treat. The photos were also from right before he crashed his plane. Matt asks Sylvester if he remembers Hank, but Sylvester focuses on the picture album instead.

Matt comes home to find Sylvester sound asleep. Bridget joins him as Matt admits he blames himself for the time they lost not spending together. He now blames Strata for doing this to his father. She knows and they hug tightly. Later, Bridget apologizes as she hangs up the phone to tell Matt that Hilde was stealing data from Strata servers. Matt knows she pushed it too far this time. She gets tunnel vision and loses sight of what’s right or wrong. Izzy admits it wasn’t her fault. She reveals it was their idea, her, Ethan, and Emma. She reveals that Strata has files of them on the computer. They can’t prove it as they lost the thumb drive. She knows Hilde wouldn’t lie about this. The next day, Bridget is CC'ed on an email blast to the town officials and Matt with a video of Hank Gillis and Arthur Conway revealing that the cadmium in their sealants are making people sick. The video is dated September 20th, 1987 - almost two decades after Strata allegedly stopped using the chemical.

In "*The Biggest Life*", Trip and Junior visit Bridget at her office as they want to use the video to build a case against Strata. However, the ill factory workers that worked for Strata. If they can get the community to work together against Strata for a class lawsuit. Trip and Frank are also working on things from the station. Sadly, Sylvester dies that morning and is found by Matt.

Hilde sits in Sylvester’s room sobbing as Bridget and Ginny stand in the door. She can’t believe he’s just gone. They join Hilde in the room and Bridget tearfully explains that Sylvester was happy. She apologizes to her and tells them that Sylvester loved the kids very much. He got a chance to love them and he wasn’t in any more pain which is the best they could ask for. Hilde didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. Ginny assures her sister that Sylvester isn’t alone as he’s in heaven with Walter. The trio hugs tightly as they cry. Later, Frank, Kathryn, and Kim arrive at the Lisko house with food. They share hugs with Bridget and Matt.

The next day, Hilde is in Sylvester’s room looking at her latest article. She remarks that it’s too late now and throws the article away. A man arrives at the door asking for Hilde, as she’s being served. Matt is in surprise as the parents read the injunction. It will halt the publication and dissemination of Hilde’s article. Bridget tells Hilde that she can’t publish anything. Bridget reveals that it’s not Strata but everything her paper covers. Hilde emotionally runs off as Matt assures Bridget he can handle it as he follows her.

Later, Matt is picking up Sylvester’s stuff but Bridget tells him he doesn’t have to do it now. Matt remarks that his father lived in the house for forty years, and remembers how Sylvester refused to move to Brooklyn when he got sick. He loved the town and it poisoned him. He bitterly says the town took away his father when he was a kid and they’ve done it again now. Bridget holds his hands as he admits it isn’t fair that Sylvester died at 69 years old. He’s angry that the town didn’t protect him from the spray. That no one cared enough to save his father. Hilde overhears and comes into the room, putting a hand on Matt’s shoulder to assure him it’s okay. He abruptly stands as it’s not okay. He should have protected her and Sylvester from Strata. Hilde hugs her father and he apologizes after a moment as a lot is going on.

The family attends the funeral and service. At the burial site, Hilde gives a beautiful speech to those in attendance. Bridget watches tearfully as she comforts Izzy and Ginny. When she finishes, Matt thanks everyone for coming.

By nightfall, Matt is playing his guitar while Bridget, Ginny, and Izzy set the table. Hilde asks Matt if Strata will ever pay for what they did but he doesn’t know. He won’t give up without a fight. All Hilde wants is to show the world what Strata did to Sylvester and the others. She wants to keep going for him. Matt promises her they’ll figure something out together, as a family. She brings up the family newsletters she used to mail to Sylvester. She wants to make a newsletter as a special edition to the paper. Izzy remarks that the court order only applied to The Magic Hour Chronicle, so long it isn’t the same name, articles could just show up. Bridget remarks that she might have to give Izzy a raise. Matt thinks they should do this and decide to do it together.

The next day, Bridget sits down at Strata as she goes over her statement. The Strata lawyers and Grant arrive, filling the empty seats as they do. Grant greets Bridget. She argues her case in front of the Strata lawyers who claim the video is taken out of context. They plan to sue her since she wants to be treated like a real reporter. The lawyer offers a settlement if all she does is name her price.

The next afternoon, Matt and Bridget are in the parking lot of Erie Harbor School and witness Izzy's moving speech to her classmates about taking action against Strata. They return home, where Matt is so happy to see Izzy be so sure of herself as the other students were receptive. Bridget is worried about the suit threatening Hilde as they could bleed the family dry financially. Matt gets a text and calls Hilde into the room. He spoke to an air force general who knew Arthur and where he worked after. Arthur left Strata to be an air force control room and was the voice on the black box. Matt thinks he’s found his first eyewitness. Matt pulls out their passports as they’re going to Canada.

In "*The Smoking Gun*", in her office, Bridget speaks to a potential family member of a victim of Strata’s cadmium use. However, the people coming forward to her are willing to sign a class action suit. Izzy wants to show people they aren’t alone by bringing them together. Bridget thinks it’s a great idea to do it at Town Hall. Matt and Hilde come back to the office where they reveal they found Richie and he’s alive.

Izzy thinks it’s messed up that Richie knew Sam was arrested and didn’t tell anyone it was the wrong guy. However, Matt reasons that Richie might not have known as he lived in a different country and Sam’s story was local news. Hilde thinks he could be here now but won’t now. Matt reasons that Richie killed a man but Bridget knows that there could be legal repercussions for Richie. They have to report Richie being alive to the police or they could be accused of covering it up. Matt leaves to handle this himself.

In the Lisko house, the girls are watching the tape and wondering where Arthur’s tape could be. They have to find out what Arthur did on the day Hank’s plane crashed. Hilde asks Matt if he remembers anything about that. He remembers going fishing with Sylvester, Frank, and Richie on the pier. They were supposed to go on a fishing trip and he remembers Arthur being there as he told them about Hank’s plane crash. Hilde wonders if the tape could be on Sylvester’s boat. She tells Bridget and Izzy to bring a bunch of people to town hall so they can convince them.

Bridget, Izzy, and Junior give out fliers to advertise the Town Hall meeting and explain how the law work is pro-bono. Bridget thinks people are listening but a lot of fliers are in the trash. Izzy sees Ethan and his mom but Gina ushers him away. Izzy offers to make more copies of the fliers. She walks past the law office when she sees her mom’s car with the word “traitor” spray-painted on the side.

Back at the Lisko house, Matt can’t believe that someone spray-painted their car. Bridget is worried that they know where they live and that the town hall was a bad idea. There’s a knock on the door as the girls nervously look at Matt, who goes to check it out. Trip and Kim enter the house with bad news - Richie is gone. Trip held off on calling it in but he left soon after their visit. Later, Bridget calls for Hilde as the town hall starts soon. Hilde, however, can’t find her notebook. Matt offers Sylvester’s notebook instead so she can finish what he started.

The Lisko’s arrive at the town hall but it’s virtually empty. Grant and his Strata employees are also there, much to Hilde’s chagrin. Matt assures her that she doesn’t have to do this, but she wants Grant to hear it even if it doesn’t make a difference. Spoon and Donny are waiting for her up on the stage. Hilde stops in front of Grant, who is happy to listen to the community’s complaints, though she doesn’t have much support. He tells her to say her piece and then go home. Hilde goes to the microphone and shakily begins her speech.

Izzy live streams the speech on her Instagram account. Hilde talks about losing Sylvester too quickly. She reveals that he worked at Strata before opening a bike shop. Nearly everyone in attendance knew someone who worked there or worked there themselves. Hilde looks at the memory board behind her. She reveals there are so many stories about former Strata employees who got sick and died too young. They were people who were loved - somebody’s mother, somebody’s son, and everybody wishes they had more time but those people should have had it. Grant is aware of the baseless lawsuit to benefit off the misfortune of others.

Frank angrily says that she’s doing it for free, while Kim states the family cares about the truth and helping people. Hilde blurts out that Grant’s father poisoned the town. Grant threatens Hilde with his lawyer as Matt angrily tells them not to speak of her that way. Grant knows they have no proof or case. Sam Gillis arrives as they have a case because now they have an eyewitness. A door opens and moments later, Richie walks through the door. He reveals that he’s Richie Fife. Everyone stands to turn to face the men as they walk to the front. Izzy tells Ethan to tell everyone to watch her live now. Richie read the articles and knew he had to come back. He felt he was running his whole life even when he was standing still. He doesn’t want his son to see him running away. Sam wants Strata to pay for what it did to everyone.

Hilde admits she couldn’t find the tape, but Richie had it the whole time. He panicked because he was trying to get rid of them. He apologizes for misleading them. She’s glad he’s there now and plays the tape. It’s part of the deposition that they already have as it didn’t change anything. Richie fast forwards and tells her to wait. Arthur visited Mr. Williams who demands a name for the person talking about the chemical. Arthur reveals that it was Grant. Mr. Williams states that Grant never thinks before he speaks. The date of the recording was September 20th, 1987. Grant stands as this doesn’t change anything, threatening to bury them in paperwork for twenty years as the tape won't see the light of day.

Donny pulls back the curtain to reveal it’s too late. Outside, everyone is streaming and recording the tape. Ethan has projected the live stream on the side of the town hall. Trip places Grant Williams under arrest as the town cheers. Matt hugs Hilde for doing a great job while Bridget hugs her next, then looks out the window with Izzy at the spectacle outside.

With Strata Tech Industries finally paying for their past mistakes, the town can begin to heal. Everyone gathers around a firepit at the shore front, reunited once again. Bridget embraces Matt from the site and he holds her. Matt then sits on a log while she socializes with Trip and Junior.

## Personality

An intellectual public defender, Bridget understands the factual reasoning behind situations. She balances out her marriage to Matt, who is more emotional and worrisome, while Bridget knows how to balance her many responsibilities. When she's overwhelmed by her circumstances, she leans on her husband on eldest daughter to help her manage. She is strong-willed and protective of her family, specifically her daughters. She encourages her girls to follow their dreams, passions, and understand their worth. Bridget is a warm woman when the situation calls for it. She does struggle to say no to Hilde, who often gets what she wants as a result of it.

## Physical Appearance

Bridget is of moderate height, has a slim build, and shoulder-length blonde hair. She has big round brown eyes, a prominent nose, and a big smile. She dresses professionally and is a classy woman.

## Notes and Trivia

* Many facts were revealed about Bridget through her Washington State driver's license. It was issued on March 11, 2019.
	+ She is 5'8" tall and weighs 125lbs.
	+ She is an organ donor.
	+ She lives on 8511 Hemlock Road Erie Harbor, WA, 98389.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 As seen on her driver's license and other documents in "The Bad Guy"