‘A Simple Favor’ Recap: Here’s What You Need to Remember for ‘Another Simple Favor’

It’s been seven years since “A Simple Favor” hit theaters, but its sequel has arrived on Prime Video. And yes, you actually need to remember quite a bit from the first film.

“Another Simple Favor” reunites Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Blake Lively), this time in the luxurious backdrops of Capri. Emily is fresh out of prison after five years, and she’s getting married to a mysterious Italian millionaire. Who else would she want as her maid of honor except Stephanie?

It same seem odd for Stephanie to go along with it, but trust us, it’ll make sense when you see it. The short version is: Emily always has effective threats. But we’re not here to spoil it all for you.

No, we’re here to catch you up on what you need to remember from the first film, just in case you don’t have time to sit down for a rewatch ahead of checking out the sequel.

Mommy Meet Cute

In “A Simple Favor,” Emily and Stephanie meet because their sons go to the same school and strike up a friendship. Both sons return in “Another Simple Favor,” and are played by the same actors as a cute little bonus.

When the boys request a playdate, Emily and Stephanie quickly strike up a friendship, with Emily encouraging Stephanie to be less timid. There’s even a bit of sexual tension, with the two sharing a kiss at one point (this is important to remember).

But Stephanie quickly realizes that Emily has some secrets, as she’s paranoid about ever being caught on camera, or having a record of anything.

Emily’s Secret Past

One day, Emily calls Stephanie and asks if she can pick up her son Nicky and watch him after school. Her husband Sean (Henry Golding, who also returns for the sequel) is out of the country and Nicky has nowhere else to go. Stephanie is happy to help, but then suddenly a few hours after school turns into days.

Emily goes missing, and is eventually found dead in a lake. Things don’t really add up for Stephanie though, and she digs into Emily’s past to uncover the truth. As she does so, Stephanie and Sean strike up a romantic relationship. But when Nicky grows angry about it and starts delivering messages from a supposedly dead Emily, Stephanie gets paranoid that maybe she’s not really gone.

Turns out, that instinct is a correct one. As Stephanie digs, she discovers that Emily is actually a runaway named Hope, and had a twin sister named Faith. Really, they were triplets with another daughter named Charity, but she was a stillborn.

In their teenage years, Hope and Faith were abused by their father, so they set their home on fire, trapping and killing him, before going on the run. They had to split up, which led to a life of drug addiction for Faith.

Eventually though, Faith tracked down Hope — now living life as Emily Nelson — and demands a million dollars to keep Emily’s secret, and stay away from Nicky. Emily agrees but, realizing that Faith would always be a problem, she lures her sister to a lake and drowns her.

Emily stages the body to look like her own, faking her death with the intent to collect insurance money, because she’s actually in a tough financial spot herself. Stephanie figures out everything though, and tricks Emily into confessing on a livestream.

As a result, Emily is sent to prison, and Stephanie gains notoriety for solving cold cases.

Brotherf—er

You’ll notice that one of Emily’s many terms of endearment for Stephanie throughout “Another Simple Favor” is “brotherf—er,” but you may not remember why. Well, take it literally.

While we learn about Emily’s past in “A Simple Favor,” we also learn about Stephanie’s past too. And apparently, she was pretty, um, friendly with her half-brother Chris. The two had sex, and it’s heavily implied that Chris is the biological father of Stephanie’s son Miles.

When Stephanie’s husband pieces that together, he and Chris go for a drive, and end up crashing in a murder-suicide. It’s all very twisted, but it’s important to remember for “Another Simple Favor.”

“Another Simple Favor” hits Prime Video on May 1.

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