Bigger Than Life

Ed Avery collapses at home with severe pain and episodes of blackouts, sending Lou into a panic as she calls for help. He is rushed to the hospital where doctors begin to assess a mysterious, life-threatening illness. The family waits anxiously for a diagnosis and a path forward.

A cab driver visits Ed in the hospital and Lou learns that Ed also works part-time as a dispatcher to help pay the bills. The revelation fuels Lou's suspicion about infidelity, and the couple share a tense kiss as the moment of truth looms. Ed then declares that there are no more secrets between them.

Doctors diagnose polyarteritis nodosa, a rare inflammation of the arteries, and tell Ed that he likely has only months to live. The news shatters the family’s plans and sets a course toward experimental treatment.

Ed begins cortisone treatment, and remarkably recovers enough to spend more time with Lou and Richie. The improvement is real, but the underlying disease remains a threat to his health and sanity.

As the steroid regimen continues, Ed experiences severe mood swings and escalating arrogance. He lies to his doctors to obtain more pills and becomes increasingly difficult for Lou and friends to manage.

During a PTA meeting, Ed openly insults a mother about her child and ignores warnings from Wally Gibbs. The exchange reveals how detached and hostile he has become under the drug’s influence.

Wally informs Lou that cortisone can trigger psychosis in high doses, heightening concern for Ed’s mental state. Lou tries to intervene, but Ed insists the disease will recur without the drug.

Ed becomes domineering at home, pushes Richie beyond his limits, and announces a plan to murder Lou and Richie before taking his own life. The threat escalates into a terrifying sequence that shatters the family.

Lou pleads with Ed as he locks her in a coat closet and arms himself with a blade. He moves toward Richie’s room, while Wally bursts in and interrupts the plan just in time.

In a scuffle, Wally overpowers Ed and Ed is hospitalized and heavily sedated. The immediate danger passes, but the family remains traumatized by what could have happened.

Dr. Norton warns that long-term cortisone use may have caused irreversible brain damage and Ed might never return to his former mental state. He cautions that Ed will still require strictly measured doses to survive.

Lou and Richie visit Ed in the hospital, and he awakens disoriented but soon recalls the events. He embraces his wife and son, signaling a fragile reunification and a chance at reconciliation.

Even as recovery remains uncertain, Ed’s fate hinges on adhering to precise cortisone dosing. The family moves forward with cautious optimism, aware that the road ahead could be long and unstable.