The Truth about the Devlins

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of alcohol addiction and gambling addiction, as well as historical and systemic racism. In addition, the source text uses offensive language to refer to Black people, which is replicated in this guide only in direct quotes.

TJ Devlin is shocked when his older brother John comes to him and tells him that he killed a man. They are at their father Paul’s birthday party. TJ knows that John is coming to him because TJ is a “convicted criminal,” while his brother is a lawyer at the family firm, Devlin & Devlin. John tells TJ that he met a man at the quarry earlier, threw a rock at the man, and accidentally killed him. He wants TJ to help him dispose of the body. When John panics and decides to tell everyone, TJ stops him, reminding him that he will go to prison.

When John and TJ announce that they are leaving the party, Paul, their mother, Marie, and sister, Gabby, all assume it is because TJ is in trouble. Even TJ admits this isn’t a bad assumption—he has always been the “Bad Son,” and John the “Good Son.” As they leave, TJ reflects on the family’s wealth and prominence in Philadelphia.