For most of her career, Meagan Good has been known as a bombshell Black actress who consistently serves looks on the red carpet. As her relationship with Jonathan Majors continues to blossom, the Harlem star gave a gripping performance in 2023’s Buying Back My Daughter, reminding us she’s more than a pretty face. As the title suggests, the Lifetime drama isn’t an easy one to watch as it centers on themes of sex trafficking and the blasé attitude that families of victims are all-too-often greeted with by law enforcement.
Troy Scott directed the unforgettable story, which begins with a trigger warning for anyone who might be sensitive to such troubling topics. While it’s difficult to watch at moments, Faith Wright gives a stellar performance as Good’s 16-year-old daughter, whose life is changed forever after moving to a new city, sneaking out to attend a party and being abducted by a pimp named Ron (Aron Douglas). To better understand the troubling but powerful movie, read our Buying Back My Daughter ending explained analysis below.
Meagan Good Plays a Mother Desperate to Reunite Her Family in the Lifetime Drama
As the story begins, we’re introduced to Dana, her husband, Curtis (Roger Cross) and two daughters – Alicia and Cadence (Bianca Lawrence). Eager for a fresh start with her dentistry career in the town she’s just moved her family to, the matriarch is feeling optimistic and enthusiastic about life. Her eldest, however, isn’t as confident in their relocation and is particularly annoyed about starting over and making new friends so close to graduation. After a housewarming party allows her to connect with some locals, Alicia feels less nervous and more curious about what the future holds for her here.
One night, Dana’s daughter brings a group of gal pals over for a sleepover, and despite Alicia’s protests, they wind up sneaking out late at night to attend a party. Because her friends weren’t ready to leave when she was, the teen headed back herself but was picked up and drugged by a woman in the bathroom before she could make it home. Dana and Curtis are totally unaware of the situation until the next morning when Alicia’s friends join them for breakfast, but she fails to appear. Concern grows further as the missing girl’s phone appears to be disconnected and she’s not in her room.
While the sleepover guests are reluctant to tell Dana about the party, Cadence reveals that they snuck out. As Alicia’s mom interrogates everyone, she hears mixed messages about her firstborn being spotted walking down the road the night before or standing near a parking lot. The next natural step is to go to the police, but Curtis and Dana ar met with unconcerned reactions from officers who suggest Alicia might’ve run off with a boyfriend to teach them a lesson. They refuse to file a report at first, but after a few days without the new resident, authorities finally take action.
As they anxiously await any answers or news from their child, Curtis and his wife hang up flyers all around the city asking locals for help. It becomes more obvious that Dana is slipping mentally, as she starts grabbing at other girls wearing clothing similar to Alicia’s. Good’s character eventually gives up the career she’s been so passionate about in favor of fighting to reunite her family full-time. Amid all the turmoil, the youngest, Cadence, feels overlooked and neglected by Dana, brewing up even more emotion in their household.
The Dangerous Realities of Sex Work and Trafficking Are Shown Through Ron and Destiny
In the present storyline, Buying Back My Daughter reveals what happened to Alicia after the party. A notorious criminal, Ron, has kidnapped the high schooler and is threatening to abduct her younger sister if she doesn’t stop screaming. The grown man is no stranger to abducting and trafficking minors and adult women for his escorting business with the help of a woman named Lori, who helps Ron reel in his victims. One who’s been with the pimp for years is Destiny, who advises Alicia to follow her new boss’ instructions carefully, or risk disappearing like others have in the past. It’s tough to hear about Ron’s violent streak, but Destiny brings hope too, as she reveals she’s been secretly keeping tip money to help her escape.
While cops continue to aid Dana and Curtis in their search, they begin to prepare Alicia’s family for the worst-case scenario. By the time a few months have passed, the former dentist joins a support group to help cope with frustration and pain which winds up being a huge blessing in disguise. Another member, Nancy (Theresa Wong) puts Dana on to a website that hosts listings for local escorts. She tells Alicia’s moms that underage girls who haven’t been found sometimes end up in the “adult” section, where, sure enough, the 16-year-old is soliciting services under the alias “Princess.” Her parents quickly take this information to the police, who assure Dana and Curtis they’ll investigate.
Understandably in anxious mom mode, our female lead decides to take matters into her own hands. She hatches a plan to call the number on the ad and request to hire Alicia, despite her husband’s aversion. At the same time, Destiny finds a way to escape Ron’s captivity and asks Alicia to come with her. Terrified of what the pimp might do to her younger sister, Alicia refuses; this might’ve saved her life in the long run, as he catches Destiny later on and threatens to kill her should she leave him again.
‘Buying Back My Daughter’ Ending Explained
Desperate to reunite with their oldest child, Dana and Curtis contact the number on her escorting ad, offering to pay extra for her services in a house call which Ron agrees to. They plan to meet at a bus stop the next night, but Alicia’s parents manage to take their daughter back into their care while her boss is busy on a call; Lori tries to intervene but is quickly tasered by Dana.
While getting back into her own bed provides some relief, Alicia still struggles with PTSD after escaping the prostitution ring. She continues to think about Destiny and the other girls while Dana works to have her explicit photos removed from the internet and her captors put behind bars. On top of the troubling thoughts, the traumatized teen has also become dependent on drugs thanks to Ron, who she ultimately goes running back to when her addictions become overwhelming.
Does Alicia Find Freedom From Ron?
At this point in Buying Back My Daughter, it seems as though Wright’s character will never break free of Ron and his violent, abusive ways. Though she does go back to him, Dana was smart enough to put trackers in her daughter’s backpack in case anything were to happen to her again. She eventually shows up at Ron’s house and asks how much it would cost for the pimp to let her child go and leave their family alone for good, but according to him, Alicia is there by her own free will. He invites Dana inside to bring her daughter home, but the teen isn’t interested in being somewhere without substances that can numb her mind.
Not admitting defeat yet, Dana returns the next day with the police, ultimately freeing Alicia and the other girls from their physical and mental chains. To ensure she gets the support she needs after enduring so much, Curtis and his wife send their girl to an addiction and trauma treatment center where she can recover in peace. As the movie ends, Dana also starts her own support group and charity for other victims of sex trafficking to help them.
