What Became of Jack and Jill?

Johnnie Tallent lives with his elderly grandmother Alice and shows little real ambition. He lingers at her side to keep her favor, hoping to inherit both her fortune and her house after she dies. He spends his free time with his girlfriend Jill Standish, who shares his ruthless scheming.

Jill urges Johnnie to act, arguing that delaying the inheritance only wastes time. She makes clear they could marry and retire if Alice dies first. Her cold practicality tilts Johnnie toward drastic steps.

Together they draft a plan to induce a heart attack by gaslighting Alice. They want to make it look like an accidental consequence of fear, leaving no evidence of foul play. The aim is to seize the fortune without clearly harming her.

Johnnie manipulates Alice by controlling her access to newspapers and television, feeding her selective clips of protests and revolution. He hopes to convince her that the youth movement is growing and dangerous. His carefully curated media diet deepens her paranoia.

To seal the deception, they cover the wall outside Alice's bedroom with ageist graffiti. The message is designed to alienate her from her own world and bolster her fear of the young. The ever-present graffiti becomes a daily reminder of the supposed threat.

Alice grows increasingly paranoid and reclusive as the weeks pass. Her health deteriorates under stress, isolation, and fear. Johnnie and Jill watch silently, continuing their plan despite the damage.

Jill uses her travel agency position to schedule a large parade that will pass by Alice's house. On the morning of the parade, Johnnie tells Alice that the revolution has begun and that rioters are targeting the elderly. The scene sets the stage for a public confrontation with her fear.

When the parade arrives, Alice panics and suffers a heart attack. Johnnie chooses to let her die rather than call an ambulance, ensuring the death serves his plan.

At Alice's probate attorney's office, they learn she placed a codicil clarifying inheritance rules. If Johnnie remains with Jill, he can only inherit the house; to inherit any money, he must sever ties with Jill and marry another woman.

They initially try to find well-paying jobs to keep the house but refuse to work hard. Frustration grows as money and stability remain out of reach. The plan to secure the fortune through effort falls apart.

Failing to earn money, electricity, gas, and water are turned off at the house. The loss of basic comforts heightens the pressure of their scheme. Their situation becomes increasingly precarious.

They pivot to dating and marrying an impressionable young woman in quick succession to collect the inheritance. Once the money is secured, Johnnie plans to end the relationships and stay with Jill. The scheme shifts from the original plan to a rapid-fire conquest for fortune.

Jill becomes violently jealous when Johnnie seems to develop genuine feelings for their latest target. The jealousy triggers a heated confrontation that destabilizes their fragile plotting. The relationship begins to unravel under pressure.

During the confrontation, Johnnie accidentally stabs Jill in the abdomen and she collapses into the street. Neighbours call the police as Johnnie crawls toward Alice's room, sobbing and calling for his grandmother. The scheme collapses in a final, desperate crisis.