Who Is Lily? What Valerie's Daughter Has To Do With Zero Day

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Netflix's Zero Day.One of Netflix's most anticipated new series, Zero Day has finally arrived and includes an assortment of different characters who each play an important part in the story, including a young girl named Lily. Robert De Niro has starred in many successful movies across his acting career, but Zero Day marks his first time starring in a television series. Zero Day features De Niro as a former U.S. President, George Mullen, who is forced out of retirement to deal with a worldwide cyberattack that results in the death of over 3,000 people and could happen again in the future.

Reviews of Zero Day have been mixed, with critics describing the Netflix series as starting as "fresh and haunting" but eventually losing focus on its main theme of mystery. However, Zero Day's cast, including Angela Bassett, Dan Stevens, and Lizzy Caplan, have been praised for their performances and credited for elevating the series and keeping it entertaining for viewers. As the series progresses, it's shown that each character has a connection to George Mullen and his investigations into the cyberattack, including Lily Whitesell, played by child actress Charlotte Ewing.

Lily Is Valerie Whitesell & George Mullen's Daughter

Valerie Whitesell & George Mullen Had An Affair During George's Presidency

In episode 5 of Zero Day, 26 days after the cyberattack, as George Mullen struggles with his health and contemplates handing in his resignation from the commission, he and his team make a breakthrough in their investigation after discovering a link with Monica Kidder (Gabby Hoffmann), an app developer and CEO of Panoply. During a police stand-off at her mansion, Kidder demands to speak with Mullen and his advisor, Valerie Whitesell (Connie Britton), alone before anybody enters her home. It's during their conversation that Kidder reveals that, through her app, Kindred, she discovered that Mullen is the biological father of Lily, Valerie's 12-year-old daughter.

During the phone conversation, it's revealed that Kidder found out that Whitesell and Mullen had an affair during Mullen's presidential run and covered up any potential scandal from the public. Kidder attempts to blackmail them from the investigation, otherwise she'll reveal that "everybody's favorite president fathered a love child while in office and then lied about it," and states that if she is guaranteed immunity from the investigation, "no one will ever know, not even Lily." Kidder's blackmail attempt ultimately fails; the police storm her mansion, and she is arrested, preventing Lily's paternity from being publicly revealed.

Lily Contributed To George Mullen's Decision To Not Run For Reelection

Mullen & Whitesell's Affair Is Concealed To Avoid Public Scandal & Protect His Reputation

Close-up of Robert De Niro looking serious as George Mullen in Zero Day

At the beginning of Zero Day, it is revealed that George Mullen was highly popular as the U.S. President, but chose not to run for re-election after completing his first term. It's indicated that Mullen's grief at the death of his son played a part in this decision; this trauma is explored through the "Who Killed Bambi" song throughout Zero Day. In episode 5, while Kidder acknowledges Mullen's loss, she also states "it is clear that something else was going on," implying that Lily's eventual birth also prompted his election decision to protect his reputation and give Lily an opportunity for a normal life.

Robert De Niro as George Mullen looking shocked in Zero Day episode 1

Why Robert De Niro's Zero Day Character Was Experiencing Hallucinations Addressed By Creator

Zero Day co-creator Eric Newman addresses why Robert De Niro's George Mullen was experiencing hallucinations, unpacking the possible explanations.

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While Mullen manages to conceal his affair from the public, there are signs that his wife, Sheila (Joan Allen), knows about Lily. In episode 6, Sheila escapes to Valerie's house following an extremist threat and meets Lily; she awkwardly introduces herself and silently watches Lily embrace her mother. By Zero Day's ending, Valerie reveals she has told Lily the truth about her father and will allow her daughter to decide whether she wants to meet Mullen. While she was never involved in the cyberattacks, Lily's mysterious presence on Zero Day prompted Mullen's political choices and his decision to step down as president.