Bear wishes the woman he loves would love him back. The wish comes true — and her devotion becomes a violence neither of them can stop.

1. Scenes 1–9

   Bear in his comfort zone of quiet, unspoken longing for Nicky, grieving his cat and coached by Ian to stay silent rather than confess.

2. Scenes 9–13

   Bear needs Nicky to love him back, sharpened by trivia night's proximity to her and Ian, and the purchase of the willow as an almost-joke wish object.

3. Scene 13

   Bear breaks the willow and makes the wish, crossing from wanting to actively, magically pursuing Nicky's love.

4. Scenes 14–30

   Bear adapts to Nicky's escalating strangeness, paying the cost of denial and rationalization as the relationship forms under increasingly disturbing terms.

5. Scenes 25–31

   Nicky confesses her love and the relationship becomes real — Bear gets exactly what he wished for, at the exact moment the cracks (the dad lie) start to show.

6. Just before
7. Scene 33

   As Bear leaves for work, Nicky promises to be right there when he gets home, then stands frozen and wets herself the moment the door closes.

8. Scene 34

   Folding boxes with Sarah, Bear deflects her warning that his sudden relationship with Nicky looks wrong, until Carter interrupts with Sarah's rejection letter from Luther and she breaks down on Bear's shoulder.

9. Scene 35

   Ian corners Bear for a ride home, needling him to talk about Nicky.

10. Scene 36

    This scene