Bedelia Rose

**Bedelia Rose** (Roxana Zal) was the secondary villainess of the 2001 Lifetime film *Blind Obsession* (alternately titled *Blindside*; airdate November 26, 2001). She was the younger sister of Rebecca Rose and a niece of Ernest Rose.

## Backstory

When they were young, Bedelia (whose young self was portrayed by Svetlana Pravina) and Rebecca went with their mother and visited their father in his hospital room. The former (who considered him "the best policeman in the whole world") pleaded for him to not die, but nevertheless, he perished. Their mother subsequently became an alcoholic because of how she "missed [her late husband] so much" and eventually passed away as well.

The two sisters then moved in with Ernest at 12436 Elm Drive in the Los Angeles area, and he sexually abused Bedelia until Rebecca killed him in order to protect her. Afterwards, they buried his corpse in the Rose family's greenhouse (which was abandoned before the film's events) because "he was family." Rebecca "worked [her] way through school," becoming an orientation and mobility specialist for the California Department of Rehabilitation—all while taking care of Bedelia, who grew up to be a mentally unstable misandrist with a habit of referring to men who she felt were untrustworthy as "bats."

## Introduction/Events

Bedelia's introductory appearance in the film's prologue had her watching Rebecca arrive at their house from the window of her room. While their table was being prepared for dinner, she saw what she believed to be Ernest's ghost, causing her to scream and for Rebecca to go upstairs to check on her. Once her older sister opened the door, she voiced her point of view to her, with her being to reassure her that "he [could no longer] hurt her anymore."

Two weeks later, while Bedelia was being given a bath by Rebecca, the two had a conversation about Lieutenant Jack Fletcher (a cop who reminded them of their father and was temporarily blinded because of a gun fight), with the former asking if he was a "bat" before playfully teasing the latter about "[liking]" him. Rebecca then reminded Bedelia of a singing class she had mentioned to her, saying it would be beneficial for her to have time outside their house, only for her to turn it down. During the night, she relived an instance during which Ernest abused her.

The next day, after Rebecca returned from work, Bedelia caught her humming to herself as she attempted to decide between wearing either a red dress or a white dress. Poking fun at her trying to "look pretty for [Jack]," a discussion ensued, and it featured the disclosure that Rebecca was once infatuated with another man named Benjamin, who "took off" upon finding out. It then turned into a brief argument about Bedelia's belief that Ernest proved how all men used women to satisfy their "dirty" and "feely" urges. Before leaving her older sister's room, she coldly stated that the red dress made her look "fat."

Two days after Jack awakened from his coma, Bedelia was feeding her two goldfish when Rebecca returned to their house, unaware that she stabbed a vengeful criminal named Alex Vincenzo (the film's tertiary antagonist) to death. Upon asking her unhinged older sister what happened, she said that she couldn't talk about it at the moment. However, it was after nightfall when Rebecca claimed that Bedelia was "mostly" right when it came to men and was close to tears as she mentioned what Ernest did to her. With that in mind, Bedelia decided to allow for her goldfish to stay with her, hoping they would make her feel better. She then advised for her to not "get involved with strangers" since it "always [got] her in trouble" before kissing Rebecca's forehead and returning to her room.

Three days after Jack's coma ended, Bedelia attempted to feed lunch to her goldfish, only to find that the door to Rebecca's room had been locked. When she got back, she reminded the deceptive stalker about how she had never done that before, after which she asked her if she and her crush had sex yet. Rebecca slapped Bedelia out of anger and then tried to apologize, only for the latter to go back to her room and begin to view Jack as a "bat."

## Heel Turn

Four days after Jack woke up from his coma, Bedelia witnessed her older sister completing her heel turn when she accidentally killed her pupil's ex-girlfriend Amy Brannigan by sending her tumbling down the stairs leading to their house. Rebecca's initial reaction of condescending shock quickly turned into a deceitful declaration that she "made her" murder her, prompting Bedelia to make a counterclaim in which she blamed Jack as the "bat" who was ultimately responsible. The unhinged villainess responded with a claim that Amy was "[going to] tell him lies," only for Bedelia to nudge her verbally about being in "big trouble." Rebecca then went on to affirm that Amy following her left her "no choice," but her younger sister gave her a warning about how the police wouldn't believe her and advised that she get Jack "out of [her] life...before something else really bad happens."

An enraged Rebecca began to lash out and maintained he was "none of her business," but nevertheless, Bedelia made a threat to turn her in, ominously warning her of "what they do to killers." The former menacingly approached and snarled at her as she stated that if she went through with it, she would paint the latter as her accomplice—meaning they would "never see [each other] again" and ensure that nobody would take care of Bedelia. Rebecca angrily proclaimed that if she told anyone about her sinister actions, she would swear to "hate [her] forever," causing her to come close to crying. Once she calmed down, she said she had to "bury [Amy's corpse] far from [their house]," with Bedelia being ordered to "get rid of [her] car."

Five days after Jack's coma ended, Bedelia insisted that she know when Rebecca would be home as she was about to depart for her latest lesson with Jack. The latter made a retort in the form of saying that she didn't have to answer her questions and commenting about how "things [were going to] have to be different" before leaving. While she was away, Bedelia broke into Rebecca's room and discovered evidence of her crush on Jack, which led her to believe she was going to leave her for him. She seemingly received confirmation of her thinking when she overheard her older sister narrating to a picture of Jack that he shouldn't be "fretting over dead and buried Amy," as "happier times [were] ahead." Part of it involved a celebratory lunch at Cafe Piccolo for his birthday, which Rebecca intended to be her first date with him.

Over the next week, Bedelia reacted to the deepening of Jack and Rebecca's bond by drawing bats using a black colored pencil on several pieces on paper, which culminated in her drawing so hard that she stabbed at the paper. On the night before Jack's birthday, one of Bedelia's goldfish died, and she used a green fish net to put its corpse in a glass of water. Approaching Rebecca right as she finalized reserving a window table at Cafe Piccolo, she requested her assistance in burying the dead goldfish, but aside from getting brief condolences, her older sister turned her down under the guise of having "some work to do."

Going back upstairs and into the bathroom, Bedelia bid farewell to her late pet and asked it to greet her dead father before letting it go down the sink's drain. Almost immediately afterwards, she filled that sink with water and attempted suicide by slitting each of her wrists, temporarily bringing about unconsciousness. Rebecca rushed into the bathroom once she heard her collapse and reacted with horrified shock to seeing what she thought was her corpse, only for Bedelia to open her eyes and accuse her of a plot to leave her to die. She was given medical attention by her older sister, who refuted her claim several times, tucked her into her bed, and firmly directed her to never do it again. Bedelia inquired about whether she would be taken care of, with Rebecca begrudgingly confirming it before telling her to sleep and singing a lullaby to her.

The next day, she was given a cup of water along with some medication that was meant to help her relax. When Bedelia asked Rebecca again about if she was going to "leave [her]," she gave her a speech that detailed how she loved her along with how she wanted to become Jack's wife and move in with him. Presenting it as an "opportunity" for Bedelia to "have [her] own life" and for herself to be happy "with a man that really loves [her]," Rebecca stated that she would be leaving their home to her and making daily visits.

She then observed her younger sister taking the medication before leaving for her lunch date with Jack. When that happened, Bedelia spit it out, stole Rebecca's gun, and angrily wondered if she "[thought] she could get rid of [her] that easily." During the date, Bedelia underwent her own heel turn and planned to kill Jack by fatally shooting him, with part of said plan involving her boarding a taxi and having herself be driven to the Fletcher residence.

## Climax/Death

In the film's climax, Bedelia broke into her destination, interrupting Jack and Rebecca's kiss by pointing the gun at him—all while asking if he could "go to hell." Her older sister tried to talk her out of it, only for the crazed woman to attempt to provoke Jack into "[coming to] get [the gun]." Bedelia then voiced her hatred of him and said he was "ruining everything" before having a breakdown as Rebecca disarmed her since her words fell on deaf ears. When Jack asked what was going on, the latter declared that she was taking her younger sister home so she could take care of her and would return as soon as possible; he voiced his trust in her before the two left.

Bedelia claimed that she "did it for [her]" and "[them]," with Rebecca brushing her words off as she drove her back. Once they were there, the former even said "it was for [the latter's] own good," citing how she "helped [her] with [Ernest]." Rebecca then stated she was "ruining [her] life" and that her unhinged behavior "[had] to stop." Her younger sister's response was to knock her out by smashing a vase over her head, move a chair to her room, use duct tape to bind her wrists and her legs together, and also restrain her to said chair. When Rebecca gained consciousness, Bedelia voiced her affirmation that she had been a "very bad sister" due to her crime spree before pondering "what [she was going to] do with [her]."

She then told her that she "might as well stop fidgeting" since she "wrapped [her] real good," with Rebecca's reply being to request that she let her go. At that moment, Jack called her number, only for Bedelia to go downstairs and answer him instead. Insulting him, she remained unfettered even when he tried to threaten her into letting Rebecca talk to him and then fiercely proclaimed that she "never [wanted] to [talk] to [him] again" before hanging up.

Going back upstairs, Bedelia gave a short summary of their conversation, which was followed by Rebecca attempting to tell her to behave; the former cut her off by giving her a reminder of her threat to "hate [her]." Expressing regret for those words, the latter moved on to trying to appeal to how she "always" was able to "depend on" and "trust her," with her younger sister labeling her "dirty and horny" along with a "hero [worshipper]." Rebecca then professed she never meant to hurt Bedelia, that she was "the most important thing in the world to [her]," and also promised to end her budding relationship with Jack. However, she saw through her sister's ruse, described it in detail, called her a "fibber," picked up a small bowl holding pictures of him, dropped it to the floor, and said that she "[understood] everything."

That night, Bedelia notified Rebecca of her intention to hold her hostage until she "[took] care of something," taking out the gun and explaining that she would "make Jack go away for [her] own good." Upon noticing that Jack took a taxi to their house, the delusional criminal mentioned that his decision "[saved her] another cab fare" before putting more duct tape over Rebecca's mouth and proclaiming that a "bat hunt" was about to start. Bedelia went back downstairs and unlocked the front door to the Rose residence, which allowed for Jack to get inside easily.

She made her presence known to him once he accidentally knocked a lamp over during his struggle to navigate their house, responding to his request to check in on Rebecca by blaming her for "[turning] her into a monster" that "[wanted to] leave her" for him. When Jack denied it, Bedelia said that he "really [was] blind" and stated that her older sister was better at "[making] people go away" since she knew how to do it. She then fired the gun at him and reloaded it, only to notice that Harrison "Harry" Pendragon (Jack's partner) was about to enter. Whistling once he opened the door, the madwoman shot Harrison and then followed Jack as she trailed him to the abandoned greenhouse.

Cornering him inside, it was there that she divulged the whole truth about Ernest's demise before asking Jack if he "still [loved Rebecca]" and "[wanted] to take [her older sister] away from [her]." In spite of how he didn't reply, she insisted that "everything [would] go back to normal" once he was "gone" and resumed her attempts to shoot him, only for her older sister to arrive. It led to a struggle on the greenhouse's couch that resulted in Rebecca accidentally being shot in her abdomen.

Heartbroken and in shock, Bedelia laid the blame on Jack once more—with Harrison arriving at the greenhouse, holding her at gunpoint, and threatening to fire if she didn't drop her own gun. Jack tried to convince her to comply by saying "it [didn't] have to end [that] way," but despite his words, she turned to her left and prepared to fire a fatal shot at Harrison, only for him to shoot her in her chest, causing her to collapse onto the couch. Looking over at Rebecca in her final seconds alive, she mentioned that the gunshot wound was "[hurting] bad," with her older sister comforting her by telling her to "just sleep." Saying "good night" for the last time to her, Bedelia's eyes closed as she died.