Lifetime’s latest thriller, “Killing for Extra Credit,” directed by Paula Elle, features a multi-layered storyline that demands close attention. At the same time, the plot contains numerous loopholes, particularly as it revolves around Marybeth, a high school senior who falls victim to the darker aspects of internet usage. Marybeth is played by Matreya Scarrwener, who delivers a performance that enhances the movie’s appeal. She demonstrates considerable effort, commanding nearly every scene in Paula Elle’s thriller. Although Scarrwener’s performance shines, “Killing for Extra Credit” lacks the quality seen in previous Lifetime productions, failing to maintain the expected standard.
Spoilers Ahead
Killing for Extra Credit (2024) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis:
At the beginning of the film, we see that Marybeth is facing some kind of discomfort as she has been a victim of social media. It is later revealed that her private pictures, which she had sent to her boyfriend Josh, were leaked online, and because of this, she is forced to take down her name as the potential candidate for the school’s Presidential election.
This also damages her chances of getting the scholarship, as she had planned to go to Washington for higher studies. However, due to the leak, everything starts to fall apart for Marybeth. She has wished to be the student president for so long, but now, her archenemy, Toby, has been selected as the president. A new year arrives, and with the help of her friends Sophie and Ray, Marybeth finds the courage to enter the school premises.
She confronts Toby and ignores him no matter how angry she is inside. Later, she explodes in the classroom when Josh wants to talk to her after class. Josh tries to make her understand that he does not know anything about how the photos were leaked, but under the circumstances, it is very hard for Marybeth to trust anything that comes out of Josh’s mouth. She leaves the classroom as her teacher, Miss Mitchell, tries to comfort her.
What does Extra Credit reveal about Sophie?
Soon after, all the students of the school get a notification from an unknown account named ‘Extra Credit,’ and the account texts everyone. It shares private information about Tara’s mother, which instantly humiliates her. Everyone thinks that this is some high school bullying and it will soon be over once everyone gets bored. But, deep inside, Marybeth doubts that maybe the person who controls the account is responsible for the situation she is going through. So, she plans with Sophie and Ray that this needs to stop. They must find out the brain behind Extra Credit.
However, the following day, Marybeth receives hundreds of notifications when she checks her phone after her shift is over at the bowling arena. She finds out that Extra Credit has leaked another piece of information. This time, it is about Sophie, Marybeth’s best friend. Everyone comes to realize that it was Sophie who leaked Marybeth’s private pictures on the internet, not Josh. When confronted with Marybeth, Sophie tries to tell her that she never wanted things to go this way. There remains a feeling that Sophie was somehow forced into a situation where this was the only option for her. But, since she was her best friend, Marybeth doesn’t give her any chance to explain.
What does Toby reveal to Marybeth about Sophie?
In the meantime, Marybeth is struggling hard to establish herself in daily life as her mother always tries to point out faults in her attitude. She does not say much, but she creates an atmosphere of judgment whenever Marybeth wears something revealing or fancy. Marybeth’s mother is concerned about her well-being. But she fails to understand that if she keeps hiding herself, the vultures will keep on hunting.
Anyway, Marybeth understands that she should give Sophie a chance to explain herself as she was trying too hard to tell what exactly happened, which forced her to do such a heinous thing to her best friend. But, when Marybeth reaches Sophie’s house, her father tells her that she has gone to the ‘safe house.’ Marybeth knows what she means by this, and when she reaches there, she finds Sophie’s dead body.
After the funeral, when Marybeth enters Sophie’s bedroom, she sees her father sobbing in pain. When Marybeth tries to pick an image from a journal, Sophie’s father quickly takes that away from her and throws it into the dustbin. Later, Marybeth and Ray see Toby entering the room and trying to do something with Sophie’s laptop. However, because of the noise that Ray makes, Toby thinks someone is inside and leaves the room as soon as possible.
Later, Marybeth visits Miss Mitchell, saying that Toby was trying to delete texts from Sophie that indicate threats. But Miss Mitchell fails to comply with her request. Later, Marybeth decides to confront Toby on her own. Accompanied by Ray, they ask Toby what he was doing with Sophie’s laptop. The information Toby shares with them shocks them deeply.
Toby reveals that there is no information about Sophie’s birth parents. She was adopted, and when Toby learned about this, he started blackmailing her. Sophie comes from a very reputed family, and she wants to keep her family safe with the secret, so she agrees to give whatever Toby needs. Toby sees the opportunity to be elected as student president if Sophie manages to give him anything that will jeopardize Marybeth’s situation.
She hesitated at first, but finally, to keep herself and her family safe from all the controversies, Sophie created a fake email account and sent all the pictures of Marybeth to Toby. Later, Toby posted them online so that Marybeth is removed from his path to become the student president as he has always dreamed. Toby comes from a middle-class family, and knowing that Sophie does not deserve what she has initially motivated him to take such drastic steps.
What does Marybeth learn about Miss Mitchell?
As time progresses, Marybeth remembers the time Sophie’s father angrily threw a picture in the dustbin. Marybeth thinks the picture may give them some clues to lead the investigation further. Marybeth seeks Josh’s help for this. With Ray’s technical prowess, she manages to enter Sophie’s bedroom again. She finds the photograph and returns safely to Josh’s car.
There, they find out that the image is of Miss Mitchell and realize she is Sophie’s original mother. Moreover, since it was found inside Sophie’s journal, she already knew about this. So, together, they confront Miss Mitchell. When asked about this messed-up situation, she declines to answer. Then, she screams at them, saying that they need to get out of the house.
Later, right after Josh’s departure, Ray and Marybeth hear some screaming from Miss Mitchell’s backyard. They discover Toby all tied up against the chair. Miss Mitchell reveals that Toby is responsible for Sophie’s death. However, the big revelation comes later when she says that Sophie never wanted to share Marybeth’s pictures with Toby. She seeks help from Mitchell, who created a fake account to deliver the images to Toby.
Mitchell only wanted to keep Sophie safe from Toby. But when she realized that the images were already out, she went to the ‘safe house.’ There, Mitchell visits her, and accidentally, Sophie slips from the terrace, which leads to her death. Mitchell is handed over to the police as Toby explains that the Extra Credit account must belong to her. Since the students used to go to Miss Mitchell for counseling, she knew all their secrets. Both Toby and Mitchell are taken into custody as Marybeth and Ray come out of the situation unharmed.
Killing for Extra Credit (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Who is the Real Owner of the Extra Credit Account?
When everything is over, Marybeth and Josh try to give their relationship a second chance. They meet at a diner, where Marybeth receives a text from the Extra Credit account. She had doubts that perhaps the owner of this account was still roaming freely, and now she replied to the text. But, surprisingly, the notification sound comes from Josh’s phone. Fearing the upcoming events, Marybeth calls Ray and seeks help from him, saying that she has realized that Josh is the real owner of the Extra Credits account.
Ray comes at the right moment, unnerves Josh, and mistakenly mentions the burner phone that Marybeth had found in Josh’s bag earlier. Marybeth remembers not mentioning anything about the burner phone. Finally, Ray confesses that he has always liked Marybeth since childhood. He has planned it all to remove the faintest possibility of Josh and Marybeth staying together. His obsession with Marybeth has provoked him to plan a vicious plan that eventually took Sophie’s life.
Anyway, before Ray can harm Marybeth in any manner, Josh intervenes and punches him to the ground. At the end of the film, we see a bench named after Sophie, and Marybeth’s mother has started dating Sophie’s father. Marybeth kisses Josh as both of them have graduated from senior high. Marybeth has decided not to go to Washington as of now because since everything is sorted out after a long time, she wants to stay with her mother and build something from scratch.
