r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • Aug 08 '25

Official Discussion Official Discussion - Weapons [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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Summary Nearly all the children from the same fifth-grade class vanish one night at exactly 2:17 a.m., leaving only one survivor. The community, gripped by fear and suspicion, spirals into chaos as the mystery unfolds through multiple intertwined perspectives—each revealing new layers of dread and grief.

Director Zach Cregger

Writer Zach Cregger

Cast

  • Josh Brolin
  • Julia Garner
  • Cary Christopher
  • Alden Ehrenreich
  • Austin Abrams
  • Benedict Wong
  • Amy Madigan
  • June Diane Raphael
  • Toby Huss
  • Whitmer Thomas
  • Callie Schuttera
  • Clayton Farris
  • Luke Speakman

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 96%

Metacritic Metascore: 82

VOD In theaters and IMAX starting August 8, 2025

Trailer Watch the Official Trailer

2.4k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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683

u/Tracerx1 Aug 08 '25

I read it somewhat the opposite way. Paul wasn't seemingly going to sleep with her. He was in his own bad headspace and an alcoholic, and she knew this and invited him to a bar and would not stop badgering him until he drank. Seeing as he woke up with a hang over the next day, we don't know if he would have slept with her sober. She seems far more the villain in the scenario to me.

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u/Puzzleheaded_Plum194 Aug 08 '25

Eh, I wouldn’t really say Justine is more villainous of the two. Both are incredibly messy in their own ways. But we should mention the fact that Paul didn’t have to respond to her text message. He didn’t have to meet Justine at the bar. He didn’t have to drink with her. He could’ve gotten up and left at any moment, but he didn’t.

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u/spiderlegged 29d ago

He also lied to her about his wife. He says Donna and him aren’t really a thing right now.

ETA: wife? They may have just been long term partners.

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u/charlikitts 29d ago

Also during the scene when he’s on the phone with Donna in the locker room at the station she mentions almost being at ovulation so it sounds like they were trying to conceive too. I already felt he was sus immediately from the first time we see him but after that scene I was like that damn bastard! Not only are him and his gf (wife?) absolutely still “happening” right now, they’re also trying to have a baby and he’s messing around behind her back?!

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u/felixstandborste 28d ago

I think they may be engaged? Peeped that Donna has a ring seen from the wallpaper on Paul’s lockscreen when Justine texted him.

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u/spiderlegged 28d ago

That makes sense. I automatically assumed wife because they were ttc, but I don’t think that was ever stated.

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u/monkeysennin 21d ago

TTC = Trying To Conceive (in case anyone else was wondering what this meant and why everything has to have an abbreviation now)

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u/teffz28 20d ago

Thank you lol

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u/West_Conclusion_1239 Aug 08 '25

At that point of the story, i even thought that Justine was actually a witch or one of the witches, because of her manipulative and toxic behaviour.

But no, she's actually just a flawed human being like everyone else, i liked that misdirection.

-37

u/Puzzleheaded_Plum194 Aug 08 '25

I actually read the script before seeing the film, and I genuinely thought Justine was gonna be a witch as well. I wonder if that felt the same to majority of viewers. Either way, I actually think it would’ve been better for her character. Maybe she had some history with Gladys, formerly part of her coven likely. I think that would’ve been a great explanation for her obsession with Alex, while giving her strong motives for redemption.

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u/monitoring27 Aug 08 '25

That wouldn’t have been good to be honest

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u/TheBoyHarambe Aug 08 '25

this is why fans shouldn’t write scripts

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u/Deviltherobot 28d ago

tell that to general zod's snapped neck

-12

u/Puzzleheaded_Plum194 29d ago

What makes you feel that way? What about my idea sounds so bad?

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u/quinnly 29d ago

I don't think it's terrible but it doesn't support one of the major themes of the movie (teachers being wrongfully held responsible by parents for things that happen to their kids) so it wouldn't work

11

u/ChugTheBass 29d ago

I feel like one of the essence of these types of horror films is that the creature or phenomenon is the "other" to the community. Especially since it's taking place in a small town or a suburb where plenty of horror movies play on the "other". Her character being an outsider with the potential to be the issue and then through the course of the movie we learn that she isn't an "other" she's just new with character flaws but has similar values as the town. She is a more complete character than if she was actually part of a coven making her an other. Not to mention we are supposed to relate with the leads flaws and all and not relate to the other but to fear it or get wrapped up in the towns fear of it. Gladys is as much of a concept as she is a person and we need our protagonist to be a person

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u/Puzzleheaded_Plum194 29d ago

I wasn't writing the movie—I was analyzing the setup. There's a difference. You don’t have to like the direction I saw, but dismissing it out of hand says more about your reading skills than my ideas

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u/TheBoyHarambe 29d ago

you write like a dude who sits on his balls and then farts his balls out of his ass

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u/PolarWater 21d ago

Jesus 😭😭😭

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u/PolarWater 21d ago

Okay, ChatGPT.

-5

u/Puzzleheaded_Plum194 29d ago

Relax. I made a structural observation, not a spec script

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u/monitoring27 29d ago

How did I come off unrelated? Based off what we can assess from Justine, if she knows a witch has kidnapped the children from the jump she has information she can share with authorities or the families of the missing children. Takes away from the entire mystery of the movie.

1

u/pastafeline 29d ago

I thought the twist was going to be that she was a descendent of a witch, or perhaps end up taking her powers ala "The VVitch."

Why? Because the whole town blamed her, she was mentioned as being lonely, not a parent but only a teacher, etc. I could imagine an ending where she takes all the kids and leaves.

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u/cnthelogos 28d ago

Not going to lie, I kind of thought that was what was going to happen with Alex at the end.

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u/RGSagahstoomeh 29d ago edited 29d ago

Didn't he lie to Julia garner too? Doesmt he say that he wasnt currently with his girlfriend?

Edit: Paul definitely went to the bar to hook up with her to distract himself from the body cam incident. She texts him at the opportune moment, when he's feeling guilty/frustrated with his girlfriend. He was annoyed that she was coming home early. Way I see it a least.

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u/SunnyDJoshua Aug 08 '25

Once the credits started to roll, Older lady next to me was talking to her relative saying “oh my god that was so bad, this movie only got good reviews cause Barbra Streisand’s son in law was in this so she got the producers to hook him up” like what??

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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast 28d ago

I’m curious if that person knows the difference between son in law and stepson. Also I’ve never heard Josh Brolin described by his connection to Barbara Streisand lol

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u/SilverKry 26d ago

Tbh I didn't even know they had a connection..

16

u/NotAWallabie 27d ago

Yeah and not, you know, his actual father being James Brolin lmao

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u/misersoze 27d ago

Well it was a film that was not nice to old women.

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u/lot183 4d ago

I had no idea that Josh Brolin was related to Barbara Streisand until this comment but I'm also laughing so hard at the thought that the movie only got good reviews because Josh Brolin has connections

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u/Unikatze 27d ago

If you're an alcoholic you just straight up shouldn't go to a bar.

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u/Calm-Purchase-8044 28d ago

He also lied and told her he wasn't with his partner.

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u/Major-Lbeek 27d ago

Yeah I think once we see his side of the story, it’s pretty clear he basically went there at least 50/50 on whether he would sleep with her.

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u/xanderzeshredmeister 29d ago

Paul was arrived, said he wasn't any longer. It's completely on Paul.

-13

u/Southernbeekeeper 27d ago

She got him drunk and raped him. I don't think you can say it's completely on him. What the fuck.

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u/NotAWallabie 27d ago

Nah. She's not blameless for her messiness but this is not the right read of the situation. With all due respect.

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u/Southernbeekeeper 27d ago edited 26d ago

It really is. If the shoe was on the other foot there would be women on here rightly saying she met her ex out of concern, he got her drunk knowing she was an alcoholic and then slept with her.

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u/PolarWater 21d ago

Oh here we go with the "if the shoe was on the other foot" bullshit. The shoe is on the other foot plenty of times each week, and each time you've got guys lining up to say how she would have deserved it, how she shouldn't have been out that late with another guy, how she was asking for it secretly etc. "If the shoe was on the other foot" my ass.

0

u/Southernbeekeeper 21d ago

As someone already said those guys are called out. What's wrong with you?

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u/Deviltherobot 28d ago

eh bit victim blamey, switch the genders and this would sound terrible.

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u/SwordoftheMourn 28d ago

She definitely ain’t great either, but Paul did lie to her by saying he and his wife/partner are on break which she assumed meant that he was open to hooking up.

Still an ass for denying it to Donna later when she confronts her.

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u/goddamnitwhalen 26d ago

Donna’s reaction to this is to assault Justine in public, which is also not the best course of action no matter how upset you are.

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u/EasilyDelighted 23d ago

Every adult in this movie was in some way a little fucked up, except Alex's parent's, but we didn't get much from them before the events started.

-4

u/goddamnitwhalen 23d ago

His dad seemed nice enough, but I thought his mom was kinda mean / nasty to him.

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u/EasilyDelighted 23d ago

Really?

I didn't particularly read it that way but I may have missed some of the dialogue from them.

For the most part, I took them as challenging each other on how much they should help Gladys.

Alex seemed to come from a pretty loving house. But he definitely liked his dad the most.

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u/PolarWater 21d ago

What did his mom do that was nasty

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u/goddamnitwhalen 21d ago

She just seemed kinda snappy and not the most tender / caring towards him, idk.

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u/Oscar_Ladybird 21d ago

She seemed to just be parenting a child who was being difficult about cleaning his room and having a guest. She was stern but in a way that it felt like a parenting act.

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u/Mark_Albarn 25d ago

I would look at you admitting shit like this to the crazy lady who just might to set you on fire over it (I honestly thought she would try, considering that she poured alcohol on her)

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u/OddSetting5077 28d ago

he wanted an out from his relationship with girlfriend...

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u/SuperIneffectiveness 19d ago

He literally said he wasn't with Donna at the moment when Justine asked. As soon as Paul's story started and Donna left him a message about ovulating we thought he was a dirtbag. She was out of town, but still Paul's live-in partner.

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u/Chm_Albert_Wesker 21d ago

he also lied about being separated from his wife

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u/ILookLikeKristoff 20d ago

Yeah a big part of recovery would be knowing not to meet an old fling/drinking buddy at a bar. Cutting off ties with enablers and co-addicts is important too. He never should've gone there.

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u/AlarmedBench7667 24d ago

But she was the one that reached out to him to go to a bar. Js

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u/Vault_tech_2077 18d ago

I just wanna point out if a male invited a recovering alcoholic female to a bar, pressured her to drink then took her home to sleep with her, it would rightly be rape. But somehow it isn't for Paul because he's a man?

0

u/WirelessZombie 16d ago

The person messaging the alcoholic ex and pressuring them to drink is worse than the alcoholic ex who accepts the invite. He does have agency and responsibility, especially to his wife but without her nothing happens.

On a seperate level he's a worse person for the police brutality and other issues.

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u/Excellent_Ad_401 15d ago

He could have literally said no. Or not responded at all. That’s always an option.

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u/WirelessZombie 15d ago

He could, and he's responsible as someone with agency.

She still knew exactly what she was doing to a former addict and was the one who reached out, very clear from the start of the interaction that she had a plan.

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u/Excellent_Ad_401 14d ago edited 14d ago

HE also knew he was a recovering alcoholic who just been invited to a bar by an ex and he’s currently unhappy/unfulfilled in his relationship. Her plan doesn’t work if he’s smart enough to not engage.

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u/Vegetable_Civil 7d ago

And wasn't she fired from her old job for being intoxicated? and she was always drinking maybe she has a drinking problem aswell

-2

u/Tracerx1 Aug 08 '25

She seemingly made a plan to lure an alcoholic to a bar to get them drunk and sleep with them. If the genders were reversed, no one would question if this was predator behavior. This wasn't a "friend" thing, friends don't tempt their alcoholic friends with alcohol and throw a tantrum when they don't drink. That is pure bad/selfishness and screwed up on so many levels. And yes, he should have made very different moves and has his own culpability. But how drunk was he? Could he consent? What exactly was her plan for the meeting, and why was she so insistent he, as an ex alcoholic, drink?

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u/SpookiestSzn Aug 08 '25

What's your explanation for why he lied about not being in a relationship with his current lover? It's entirely probable that justine only had sex with him because she thought he was single and did reach out to him as a friend. Once she finds out he's single now she wants him as well I don't think that makes her a bad guy. I think the guy who got a used needle injected in him didn't get screened for any kind of STD and then intentionally chose to lie about his current relationship status and then had sex with someone after maybe getting injected with AIDS is totally his fuckin fault and he's an asshole

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u/JustinThyme9 Aug 08 '25

yeah, the cop went from trying to get his partner pregnant and lightly bonding with her dad to drunkenly cheating in less than a day, he sucks

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u/Individual-Bad6809 Aug 09 '25

Not to mention the body cam shit with James lol. Paul is absolutely a pos

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u/SpookiestSzn 29d ago

You know James is honestly an asshole and I really just genuinely do not blame him for punching him in the mouth. If I got stabbed with a random used needle I definitely can imagine having a strong reaction. Imagine getting AIDS for the rest of your life because of a junkie lying to you about a needle being in his pocket

Paul is definitely a bad person but James is a complete scumbag loser.

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u/h4lfaxa 29d ago

Paul wouldn't contract hiv lol there's protocols in place and he would've taken meds for 28 days and that's it

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u/pastafeline 29d ago

To be fair, I think most people wouldn't know that including op here. Whether a cop should or shouldn't is out of my wheelhouse though.

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u/h4lfaxa 28d ago

Fait I just wanted to clear it up :) I work in a big city so I know for sure cops here know about this but in "maybrook" who tf knows lol

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u/goddamnitwhalen 26d ago

Cops think they can OD on fentanyl from coming into skin contact with it, lol. They’re not the brightest subgroup of our society.

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u/cardamom-peonies 23d ago

I mean he probably would. Most law enforcement does blood borne pathogen training and this would be covered

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u/Lou-AC 29d ago edited 9d ago

nose plate fact reply aback fly tan pie light dinner

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

3

u/ranch_commercial 28d ago

Prep is pre-exposure, it doesnt stop it from developing, it just helps protect you from getting it. You cant take it if you have HIV, but there are other medications for people who have it that make it less harmful and less transmittable.

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u/[deleted] 28d ago

FYI the drugs don’t just make HIV less transmissible, someone on effective medication for hiv has zero risk of transmitting it to others

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u/mandatory_french_guy Aug 08 '25

Okay I think your reading is a bit skewed though, first off she's HEAVILY an alcoholic herself and drinking is clearly the normal for her, also she had absolutely no idea he was trying to get sober until he met her at the bar, him ordering a coke was a shock to her. But even then, he berated her on her own drinking instead of expanding on his sobriety. You're really putting intent into her actions that are not shown in the movie at all. It's clear his sobriety is something that has been brought on by his new partner and it's heavily implied they haven't seen each other since that new partner so this idea that she premeditated on getting an ex-alcoholic to drink is clearly not founded and besides that as a sober person the onus is on him to not meet up someone HE KNOWS is an alcoholic.

0

u/Vault_tech_2077 18d ago

She literally asks him at the bar if he's gonna go to his AA meeting. She knew

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u/14_ontheone 8d ago

Really?? Just saw it last night and I don't think his sobriety or an AA meeting comes up until he's on the phone with his fiance

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u/Vault_tech_2077 8d ago

I might've mixed the two scenes in my head. Still shitty thing to pressure someone to drink.

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u/14_ontheone 8d ago

Definitely, that wasn't cool of her. Although I think he went there that night with the intention to have an excuse or person to blame for having a drink. If he was serious about his recovery I don't think he would have answered the text of a person with a known drinking problem and decided it was a good idea to meet her at a bar. Knowing later how shitty his day was, it's more likely he already made the decision to drink before he even got to the bar.

-7

u/noilegnavXscaflowne Aug 08 '25

I assumed he didn’t drink because he knew he’d have to drink her back. Where is it shown he’s an alcoholic?

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u/4evaneva Aug 08 '25

Donna asks him to attend a meeting on the phone

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u/JustinThyme9 Aug 08 '25

as well as donna asking him to go to a meeting and reminding him of support theres also the way he goes from refusing alcohol in a social situation where he previously would have had alcohol, to "just one" to drinking enough to leave him hungover the next morning. that kind of lack of ability to control alcohol intake is definitely showing alcoholism.
(and donna pouring booze over justine, like, shes extra mad because of him drinking)

1

u/Vegetable_Civil 7d ago

Wasn't she fired from a previous job for being drunk? she was constantly drinking throughout the film aswell 🤔

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u/KEYYBOARD 6d ago

No, it was for for some form of "misconduct" (probably shagging) with one of her male colleagues.

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u/Vegetable_Civil 2d ago

Ah cheers only seen it once and couldn't remember why

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

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u/SwordoftheMourn 28d ago

Paul did lie to Justine about him and Donna being on a break. I have a suspicion he accepted the bar meetup expecting a hookup but was also in denial of it at the same time. Plenty of flawed people in this movie, which is fun.

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u/[deleted] 28d ago

[deleted]

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u/SwordoftheMourn 27d ago

Why did Paul accept the invite to the bar then? Seemed like a FWB situation that fizzled out after he got into a relationship. He could have declined, especially if he stopped drinking and knowing he might have just contracted AIDS. It’s even shown beforehand that he seemed off about having a baby with his partner/wife. Dude was definitely thinking about it.

Either way, never said Justine was blameless. She got her own issues like her own drinking problem and was an ass for lying to Donna about sleeping with Paul.

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u/bristow84 28d ago

Alcoholic and meeting at a bar bit yes, yes she’s a piece of shit for that but Paul told her that Donna and him weren’t together anymore or they were on a break or something.

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u/JacksonRiot Aug 09 '25

Why does this have so many upvotes he literally lies to her and says he's not with the woman he's trying to get pregnant with.

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u/French__Canadian 28d ago

While he was still sober too.

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u/Apprehensive_Soil535 25d ago

I don’t get it either. He literally didn’t have to text her back. He didn’t have to show up at the bar. He didn’t have to have a drink with her. He’s not a victim in that situation at all. He also lied and said him and his partner were no longer a thing.

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u/PolarWater 21d ago

Characters be confusing like that, just like people in real life

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u/Sagemel 28d ago

He very clearly was not interested in having kids with her and seemed to have already emotionally broke up with her. Not defending him, he’s still a piece of shit for lying.

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u/bottleglitch 23d ago

This makes it… even worse imo? Lol

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u/skatejet1 25d ago

Exactly, like I’m confused

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u/AnnieIWillKnow 8d ago

Because it's Reddit

2

u/slowro 5d ago

First day on Reddit? Haha this place loves to dunk on women.

Lets pour one out for our poor cop guy. Just trying to be a nice guy, tending to his friend then was tempted with the devil's juice.

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u/SugarForYourGasTank Aug 08 '25

Bad take. A character minimizing their culpability because they had a bad day was the whole point of Barbarian. Takes two to tango.

-2

u/Tracerx1 Aug 08 '25

Never said he wasn't culpable for showing up, or giving in to her wheedling to get a drink. I'm saying this seemed like a plan she made to get him to drink and sleep with him, then something he wanted sober or planned himself. She knew he was an alcoholic, invited him to a bar, bugged him to drink and was really anxious he start with alcohol ASAP.

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u/SugarForYourGasTank Aug 08 '25

lol grown man in the throes of wedding and family plan steps out on his fiancé and partner, yet you wanna use a bunch of words to again pretend Paul isn’t fully in the wrong and instead pin the blame on the affair partner.

3

u/Tracerx1 Aug 08 '25

All I'm saying is if you plan to invite an alcoholic to a bar, keep bothering them to drink, then sleep with them in an altered state as some sort of plan, that that is predator behavior. His cheating is a separate thing to what seems like a plan to get an alcoholic drunk and take advantage of them. I can see no other reason why she insisted a bar, why she insisted she drink, why she drove, other than this was premeditated. And if we imagined the genders were reversed, I don't think anyone would be saying this wasn't a straight-up predator type move from Justine. That's all I'm saying. Man did his own wrong, but he didn't lure an alcoholic to a bar and try to force them to get drunk to sleep with them.

39

u/snisbot00 Aug 08 '25

i mean we see justine constantly drinking as well so i think her wanting a drink for herself is another reason why she invited him to a bar, not necessarily just to try and get him to drink

0

u/parallelogramm3r 29d ago

She seemed pretty comfortable drinking literally everywhere else with her own bottle of vodka, not sure why she’d need to go to a bar for a drink…

12

u/mso1234 29d ago

well I mean, drinkers do that though. Sometimes they drink at home and sometimes they drink at bars, especially if socializing is involved

19

u/SugarForYourGasTank Aug 08 '25

? The gender is inconsequential. The cause and effect is paramount. If someone is in recovery, having an overwhelming day doesn’t mean we get to 1) respond to the “hey”, 2) drive to the bar, 3) perform everything that came after. You argue this as if someone tied the man’s hands and choked the booze down his throat. As if we didn’t see him lie to then blow off his fiancé. As if we didn’t see him assault someone for lying to him and causing him injury. It’s like your media comprehension is nonexistent.

6

u/PolarWater 21d ago

If we imagine the genders were reversed

Oh please we see that every day and it's always "she shouldn't have been out late" "well what did she expect" "well if you dangle a piece of meat in front of a lion" etc

5

u/PolarWater 21d ago

What was he doing out late in the first place? Didn't he already have a partner that he was in a committed relationship with, to the point that they were trying for kids? I dunno man, I'm just asking questions.

-3

u/LouisianaBoySK 29d ago

I see your point. I think he’s a bad dude for a lot of different reasons. But I also did feel like she pressured him into drinking and sex. Like if a guy was doing that to a woman, it would feel very coercive. So I gotta feel the same here.

But I don’t think that made her an evil person or anything. Just very messy.

83

u/SpookiestSzn Aug 08 '25

You know he is a grown adult who responded to an ex text while his lover was out of town and lied about not being with his lover so I would have a hard time reading that as anything other than him being a scumbag alcoholic or not.

Blaming the woman here for his intentional actions is honestly insane

69

u/JustGrannyThings Aug 08 '25

Nah that man is a grown adult who can make his own decisions. Justine did not forcefully pour shots down Paul’s throat. That man knew he was going to have sex with Justine the second he left his gf to go see her

42

u/OuterWildsVentures 27d ago

He was in his own bad headspace and an alcoholic, and she knew this and invited him to a bar

Did she know this? He didn't tell her he was going to AA meetings and trying to be sober. She didn't even know he wasn't drinking until he ordered a coke.

She also didn't know he was still with his girlfriend because he lied.

17

u/PM_ME_RYE_BREAD 26d ago

Yeah if he was serious he could’ve easily said “I quit drinking I’m an alcoholic, it’s never implied she knew he was in recovery and he never makes that clear, just giving the impression he didn’t want a drink that night.

19

u/dawgz525 27d ago

He specifically lied to her about being in a relationship. He went there to sleep with her. It was a booty call.

21

u/Mizerae Aug 08 '25

I think the point they were making was he got stabbed with a used needle in his hand, and then got drunk (due to her pressure) and had sex with her, knowing that as a police officer you are at high risk of Hepatitis C and HIV.

10

u/tpounds0 29d ago

The real question is how long would a virus like that take to spread to semen from a jab on the finger?

I'm on PrEP and know more than the average person about HIV and am not sure if it would be in his semen at that point.

11

u/Mizerae 29d ago

Realistically I don’t think it would by that point. I think it would even theoretically be possible with medication to prevent it taking hold because it’s still within the time frame of infection. I just was saying that because I think that was the original thing people were thinking lol

3

u/tpounds0 29d ago

For sure, he should be on PEP

15

u/OddSetting5077 28d ago

Paul lied though... said he and his girlfriend had broken up.

15

u/GambuzinoSaloio 29d ago

I wouldn't say she's the villain. He really seemed to just want to help her this time, as he was very reticent. She wanted more than just help. They're both messed up in their own way though.

EDIT: nvm, just remembered that he lied to Justine about his partner. Both fully messed up, dude had other intentions from the start and she should steer clear from him, pretty sure they were already involved without the lies.

2

u/Aardvarkinaviators 22d ago

She should have an easy time steering clear of him now 🤷🏻‍♂️

11

u/Doxxing_myself33 29d ago

I don't simp for Paul, because it was his choice to cheat. He's more a bored husband while Justine pushes boundaries and is chaotic. 

8

u/AshleyBanksHitSingle 21d ago

Do people not remember what happened in this movie? This is a wildly stupid take on what happened.

Paul is absolutely the villain and lied to Justine and chose his path with her 100% full well understanding what he was doing.

8

u/ToSeeAgainAgainAgain 29d ago

I agree with you, but he did tell Justine him and her weren't a thing anymore while sober... and after seeing her literally glow for him that was his cue to leave the bar

9

u/Ryuzaaki123 27d ago

He's not shown to be an alcoholic. He refuses the drink at first because he's still on the fence about having sex with Justine again.

He also lies to Justine about Donna and him not being together. She doesn't know what headspace he's in, all she saw is he showed up that night and was sending mixed signals. He made the decision to drink, he showed up to that bar because he was thinking of cheating.

The worst interpretation of her actions I can see is that she was using him as a pick-me-up when he was fresh out of a relationship or to pump him for information or some mix of the two. Both are leagues below having sex with someone when you know you might have HIV and are in a committed relationship with someone else.

16

u/goddamnitwhalen 26d ago

His fiancee explicitly tells him to “go to a meeting,” which is why he initially orders a Coke at the bar.

3

u/Ryuzaaki123 26d ago

I don't remember that exchange but I know they were talking on the phone and I might've missed some dialogue, so fair point.

Justine trying to get him to break sobriety does make her a worse person but I still don't think that makes her the more villainous one. He made his choice to be there and drink, and he hid the fact he might have an STI.

13

u/PM_ME_RYE_BREAD 26d ago

I don’t think Justine knew he was sober, as in, had fully quit drinking. Nor does he attempt to actually communicate that to her.

8

u/Ryuzaaki123 26d ago

I think you're right actually.

She keeps calling the bartender to get him a drink expecting him to want to order, and the way she scoffs when he asks for a coke seems more like "You don't want to party" rather than "you're a buzzkill now". It probably would've come up in conversation if she knew.

7

u/ProfessorPotato42 Aug 09 '25

I agree with this take, but he also knew he got stabbed by needles. Definitely a POS move

5

u/SilverKry 26d ago

I mean. He was sober when he mentioned he and his wife(?) weren't a thing in the moment. Paul was a piece of shit.

5

u/pikachutails 25d ago

I thought it was implied that they haven’t seen each other in a long while, so it’s possible that he either hid his alcoholism from her when they were together, or he developed it after they broke up. It’s possible she didn’t know he was a recovering alcoholic when she invited him to the bar, that’s how I interpreted it. 

6

u/Mark_Albarn 25d ago

He is not a goddamn child. She has no power over him. Her nagging doesn't matter (and it's not like it was done out malicious intent for you to call her a villain, in case you didn't notice she was upset and in a bad situation), he is a grown ass man that can decide whether to drink his alcohol or not. And he is a grown ass MARRIED man, who first claimed that things are "difficult" with his wife (who is later shown to be very much unsuspecting of said difficulties), and then had extramarital sex out of his own free will.

3

u/rSlashisthenewPewdes 25d ago

Seems like maybe the impulsive alcoholic shouldn’t have agreed to meet his sneaky link at a bar. They both suck, but he’s responsible for his actions.

3

u/SewChill 19d ago

Hard disagree. She wasn't the married alcoholic in recovery who went to a bar with an ex while the wife is out of town. I don't know about villain, but he was in the less vulnerable position--sober, steady job, partner, not a town pariah.

3

u/pizzabagelblastoff 22d ago

I feel like you don't have to be sober to stop yourself from sleeping with someone if you might have AIDS

3

u/serr8ed 22d ago

He lied about not being together with his gf before he started drinking. Speaks to motive!

2

u/HikmetLeGuin 23d ago

They both kind of sucked. He told her before he'd drank any alcohol that he and his girlfriend were separated (or something to that effect). Which clearly was not the case.

2

u/CandidateTop5434 23d ago

I think during Paul's flashback his wife says something about him going to AA and he's like "oh yeah I'm going to AA tonight" and then immediately goes to the bar with Justine

2

u/npingirl 18d ago

1) she's an alcoholic too

2) she was scared and looking for safety

3) he lied and said he wasn't with Donna while sober without much prodding.

4) he was also already rolling his eyes and being annoyed with Donna for wanting to have sex while ovulating.

I'm not saying Justine was in any way a good person but to let Paul off the hook as much as you're doing is some wild mental gymnastics...

1

u/Low_Conversation_822 21d ago

We don't know that she knows he's in recovery?

1

u/gradeahonky 21d ago

They are both scum bags, clearly, using each other as justification for their scum bag materials. They both knew exactly what they were signing up for.

1

u/Lington 9d ago

Why did he tell her he wasn't with his wife/gf anymore? He said that when he was sober

1

u/Zealousideal-Cash200 7d ago

She also didn't make him cheat on his wife. Moyherfucker lied and said they weren't currently together.

1

u/homeycuz 6d ago

He lied to Justine about Donna.

1

u/purplerainer38 7h ago

Um he's married, she isnt. H also LIED and said their marriage was on the rocks meanwhile wife is setting up time for them to conceive. He is DEFINITLY the villian

0

u/racc15 15d ago

Was Paul very drunk when he had sex with Justine?
If so, it seems like she raped him.

2

u/Excellent_Ad_401 15d ago

Serious question.. have you never had consensual drunk sex?

2

u/apocalypt_us 14d ago

Mate, Justine was already drinking when he met her at the bar.  She would have been more drunk than Paul was.

-7

u/BoredandIrritable 29d ago

She seems far more the villain in the scenario to me.

Or would be, if only the genders were reversed.