Polyester (1981) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Dexter's foot-stomping obsession, which originally manifested as a violent delight in crushing women's feet, gets channeled into artistic expression after his jail time. His incarceration forces him to confront his destructive impulses, and he transforms the object of his disturbance into creative output. The foot paintings represent both his redemption arc and a continued fixation that now harms no one.

Foreshadowing: Dexter's earlier pleasure in stomping on women's feet was established as his primary delinquency, foreshadowing his later artistic focus on the same subject.

• dexter fishpaw
• foot paintings
• artist
• redemption
• foot stomping

La Rue and Todd Tomorrow are romantically involved and plot together to steal Francine's divorce settlement. They plan to drive Francine insane and sell her children into prostitution. Their alliance is both financial and romantic, La Rue betrays her own daughter by partnering with the man courting her, revealing the depth of her greed and contempt for Francine.

Foreshadowing: La Rue's earlier disdain for Francine and her constant belittling establish her willingness to harm her own daughter for personal gain.

• la rue
• todd tomorrow
• conspiracy
• divorce settlement
• betrayal

After Lu-Lu attempts suicide and suffers a miscarriage as a result, she experiences a fundamental transformation. The trauma pushes her away from her earlier reckless behavior and toward a countercultural, artistic lifestyle centered on macramé. The miscarriage essentially kills her previous self, allowing her to be 'reborn' as a more peaceful, creative person.

Foreshadowing: Her initial rebelliousness and pregnancy crisis foreshadowed a major turning point in her character arc.

• lu lu
• flower child
• miscarriage
• transformation
• macrame

The final showdown begins when Elmer and Sandra break into the house with the intent to murder Francine, who has discovered their conspiracy with Todd and La Rue. However, Dexter and Lu-Lu intervene: Dexter stomps on Sandra's foot, causing her to accidentally shoot Elmer. Lu-Lu then uses her macramé skills to strangle Sandra. The children defend their mother in a violent reversal of the family's earlier powerlessness.

Foreshadowing: Dexter's foot-stomping and Lu-Lu's macramé hobby, both established earlier, become their weapons in the climactic fight.

• final showdown
• elmer
• sandra
• dexter
• lu lu
• murder attempt

Cuddles Kovinsky arrives with her German chauffeur/fiancé Heintz, and their car runs over both La Rue and Todd Tomorrow, killing them instantly. This violent death occurs during the chaotic aftermath of the failed murder attempt, providing a darkly ironic conclusion to the conspirators' scheme. The very person Francine befriended becomes the instrument of death for her betrayers.

Foreshadowing: Cuddles' earlier presence as a supportive friend and her unexplained wealth hinted at her role as an unexpected agent of resolution.

• la rue
• todd tomorrow
• cuddles
• death
• car accident
• heintz

Francine's alcoholism stems from the devastating combination of her husband's infidelity, her crumbling family, and her strict Christian values being shattered. Discovering Elmer with his secretary Sandra at a motel forces her to confront not just marital betrayal but the collapse of the ordered life she tried to maintain. Alcohol becomes her escape from the overwhelming chaos bombarding her from every direction.

Foreshadowing: Her earlier rigid adherence to Christian values and control foreshadowed how completely her worldview would crumble when faced with multiple crises.

• francine
• alcoholism
• elmer affair
• depression
• divorce

When Dexter stomps on Sandra's foot during the confrontation, the pain and surprise cause her to reflexively pull the trigger she is holding. The gun, aimed at Francine, accidentally fires sideways, striking Elmer instead. This accidental shooting is the film's darkly ironic turning point, Dexter's signature violent impulse inadvertently saves his mother while eliminating his father.

Foreshadowing: Dexter's foot-stomping behavior was established as his defining delinquency, making this moment a dark callback to his earlier destructive nature.

• dexter
• sandra
• foot stomping
• accidental shooting
• elmer death

La Rue shoots Bo-Bo in self-defense during the Halloween home invasion. Bo-Bo and his accomplice arrive to trash the Fishpaw house and assault La Rue. After being wounded by Bo-Bo, La Rue retrieves a gun and fires back, killing him. Her violent response, though extreme, reflects her combative nature and willingness to use lethal force to protect herself.

Foreshadowing: La Rue's sharp-tongued aggression and cocaine-fueled unpredictability throughout the film established her capacity for extreme action.

• la rue
• bo bo
• halloween
• shooting
• self defense

The family dog Bonkers appears to hang himself with a note found near his body, adding to the film's atmosphere of despair and tragedy. This disturbing event occurs during the family's lowest point, Lu-Lu has just attempted suicide after finding Bo-Bo's corpse. The dog's 'suicide' symbolizes the family's collective collapse and the pervasive sense of hopelessness consuming the household.

Foreshadowing: The escalating tragedies leading up to this moment created a psychological atmosphere where such an extreme event feels inevitable.

• bonkers
• dog suicide
• tragedy
• family despair
• note

Francine is vulnerable after her descent into alcoholism, her divorce, and her family's chaos. Todd Tomorrow, who operates an art-house drive-in theater, represents a clean break from her miserable reality. His romance and proposal offer her hope and a chance at a new life, making his later betrayal devastating. Her desperation for escape blinds her to the warning signs.

Foreshadowing: Her earlier alcoholism and desperate search for relief foreshadowed her susceptibility to Todd's charm.

• todd tomorrow
• francine
• romance
• proposal
• manipulation

After Lu-Lu flees the unwed mothers' home and returns home, she discovers Bo-Bo's corpse waiting for her, a traumatic sight that triggers her suicide attempt. She takes an overdose, but survives. The attempt causes a miscarriage, which paradoxically leads to her transformation into a calmer, more artistic person. Her suicide attempt marks the low point before her eventual character development.

Foreshadowing: Her earlier pregnancy crisis and placement in the unwed mothers' home built toward this breaking point.

• lu lu
• suicide attempt
• miscarriage
• bo bo
• corpse