We Need To Talk About Kevin

Eva tells Franklin that her colleague Ricky invited her to church. She and Franklin are both lapsed, but conversation makes her wonder if faith could have helped Kevin. Kevin always felt left out because he couldn’t see the point of anything.

She writes that she has put off describing the events that put her and Franklin at odds. There were two shootings the year before Thursday. Kevin overheard them talking about the shootings while watching the news. He critiqued the accuracy of the various shooters and said the choice of weapons was half the fight. 

One night in December 1997, police brought Leonard (Lenny) and Kevin to their door. They were caught throwing rocks and bricks off an overpass. One of the cops bristled when Kevin acted polite, thanked him for his leniency, and called him sir with exaggerated respect. 

After the police left, Franklin shouted at Kevin and dragged him to his room. Later, he blamed Lenny. Franklin tells Eva he apologized to Kevin, and they had a great talk. She tells Franklin she caught them out back once, and Lenny had his pants down in front of Kevin, who treats Lenny like a “slave.” 

She asks how the bricks got to the overpass, but Franklin will not engage her questions.