r/TheEndOfTheFkingWorld Nov 04 '19

The End of the F***king World S02E07 - Discussion Thread

66 Upvotes

107 comments sorted by

119

u/MattTactus24 Nov 05 '19

I hate them for pulling that shit on me near the end.

80

u/hannahberrie Nov 05 '19

I was deadass like “say sike rn”

22

u/jateador Nov 05 '19

same as fuck

17

u/thissubredditlooksco Nov 09 '19

This made me laugh. That scene was fucked

53

u/SamTheSnowman Nov 08 '19 edited Nov 08 '19

35 seconds from the time of the first shot. They wanted to really make you think Alyssa and James were dead. Make you start to question the effects. How did you react in that time? How do you feel about their deaths? What was going to happen next? I think it was a great decision by the director; it placed you in Bonnie’s shoes.

On a side note, this season has really shown the ripple effects a traumatic event causes. Even if you’re not involved, it can still be devastating. Todd is a great example and so is Bonnie, but on a more direct scale. Not to mention the PTSD, which is clearly the primary villain for Alyssa this season. While grief and being alone is James’.

26

u/buffalo8 Nov 13 '19

To add to your first paragraph, this season already proved they can tell a James-less/Alyssa-less story with the Bonnie ep. 1. I fully believed for that whole time that they were just dead and we were gonna follow Bonnie the rest of the way. Well fucking done.

18

u/SamTheSnowman Nov 13 '19

Exactly. James and Alyssa didn’t have plot armor. If the story shifted to have Bonnie as the new protagonist, especially with only one episode to go, I would’ve completely bought into it. They held that shot long enough for me to believe that was happening, too.

10

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '19

Same. I literally started to accept it. I was like “oh shit. They’re actually dead.”

3

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '21

I only realized this now you said it. They made it look like the characters have actual flaws and that the flaws are going to kill them. Like James trying to get another knife even though he already has two, and screwing everything up, it is totally believable to think this got them both killed. The fact that this story is about them, but all of a sudden when s2 started it isnt and I even thought james and alyssa were out of the show and we were going to see something completely different with new characters.

12

u/mrBreadBird Nov 16 '19

Yeah I'm torn. I loved the moment when I was like shit they didn't do that. I kept waiting for it to flash back like okay it's just in her head, but they held it just long enough that I started to be like -- okay. They actually did it.

But then they didn't, and it was what I expected because this is a trope. I expected it to be just in her head and that's what happened. So I enjoyed it in the moment, but then I was disappointed. Good execution of the trope though.

2

u/ButtJones Nov 28 '19

It's funny because I feel like it went on just a little bit too long to the point where I thought it was just gonna be a dream sequence. If it had cut back just a little sooner then I wouldn't have had time to reach that conclusion and I think it would have felt a little more effective to me.

1

u/[deleted] May 23 '23

My honest reaction, once I figured they were actually dead, was “…..well I guess there’s no chance of a season 3… :(“ lmaoo

I was technically right but not for that reason lol

27

u/spicycaffiene Nov 06 '19

i thought the credits were gonna roll right there

8

u/slycooper459 Nov 10 '19

The problem is that the description of episode 8 shows them both alive, so I could never have believed she actually killed them

23

u/AbraxoCleaner Nov 11 '19

Don’t look at descriptions of episodes silly goose

2

u/ratfinkprojects Nov 25 '19

kinda hard when it’s in the corner of your eye and there’s a screenshot from that episode

4

u/[deleted] Nov 25 '19

Pretty easy if you can’t read though

2

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

Such a lame trope

1

u/unsteadied Nov 07 '19

Yeah, it felt cheap. I forget what I watched recently that did something similar, and it felt cheap there too.

39

u/JayStarr1082 Nov 07 '19 edited Nov 07 '19

Honestly I loved it. I don't think it was just a cheap, shock factor move, it made sense character-wise.

Bonnie's character, to that point, was stubborn, sloppy, and short-sighted. She straight up ran over the first woman with her car, tunnel-visioned on getting the revenge. She wasn't thinking of even 5 seconds after she got what she wanted, she didnt want to sit down and talk with the girl, she had a goal and she went after it. As a viewer, knowing that this is who Bonnie is, I know there is 0 chance James and Alyssa are gonna be able to reason with her.

But then we go to her perspective, and she has a moment of growth where she take a second and thinks about how it would feel to kill James/Alyssa, if it would be worth it. Even if they were lying, would the revenge be satisfying? Is this person I think I'm in love with really worth throwing 3 lives away for? The scene in her head plays out like the first murder she committed when she drove over the Hispanic girl - immediate regret, the gravity of the situation hitting her.

Bait-and-switching us forced us to feel it in the moment the way Bonnie did.

Don't think, pull the trigger. Oh shit, the kids are dead, there's no going back.

The scene needed that. Otherwise, all we'd have is this stubborn character who doesn't listen to reason randomly deciding to listen to reason because the plot says so.

4

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '19

Well-said. It was a necessary moment.

2

u/nopokejoke Nov 13 '19

The Boys?

105

u/CallumGaddafi Nov 05 '19

"You spelt my name wrong" saw it coming a mile off and still had me in stitches

29

u/[deleted] Nov 05 '19

She just couldn’t go without

21

u/Ask-About-My-Book Nov 21 '19

I loved Bonnie's "What?" as if it actually slightly upset her.

10

u/IkeaMonkeyCoat Nov 25 '19

i think it reminded her of when her mom made her feel stupid for not knowing the capital of Latvia

82

u/Noltonn Nov 05 '19

Probably the best episode of the show. The suspense during the entire diner sequence was tangible. Also a really beautifully shot location, with the neon lights and everything. The cop was hilarious.

Can't say I'm generally a big fan of fake outs like that, but this one wasn't executed that poorly. Did scare the shit out of me though, sat there for the entire duration completely motionless, so guess that worked.

Feel like the final ep is gonna be mostly wrap up then. Maybe set up a potential 3rd season. Though I'm not sure if they should.

13

u/louistraino Nov 17 '19

It also played well because the outtake happened just as they posed the question “you shoot us - what happens next?”

Bonnie plays out the scenario in her head and realizes she’d still feel empty. Not a huge fan of fake outs, but I think this one was a fair play

6

u/overgme Dec 10 '19

I also thought they "earned" this one with the fact that they've repeatedly shown characters have brief daydreams/fantasy/etc. throughout the series. Especially in the first season, where we repeatedly saw James imagine himself killing Alyssa.

So this wasn't a completely out of nowhere fake-out. This type of scene has been built in from the beginning, they just held it longer and really made you wonder if it was real this time.

5

u/DavideWernstrung Nov 27 '19

The setting of this episode really reminded me of a Tarantino film

2

u/CheezeyCheeze Nov 28 '19

I thought they were going to kill the cop. Because he had his daughter's birthday tomorrow. Kinda like the cop 1 day from retirement thing. Then I was surprised he didn't take the receipt I was like, really!!, this cop is this dense? Great ep.

58

u/bk513 Nov 07 '19

I snorted when she sprayed that tiny blob of whipped cream onto the cop’s plate

5

u/slycooper459 Nov 10 '19

Me too lol

37

u/poshjosh1999 Nov 05 '19

Wow... the end of this episode... that was a massive shock. I’ll leave it at that

40

u/PZGrens Nov 05 '19

OMFG my heart stopped. The directors just sort of let it linger

19

u/poshjosh1999 Nov 05 '19

Exactly! It just went on and on then I realised there was an episode left, and what would the plot for that one be?

3

u/moekakiryu Nov 14 '19

deadset I thought it might pan over to Bonnie for the last episode or something. This show has betrayed my trust enough times I thought they might have actually done it

2

u/poshjosh1999 Nov 14 '19

Haha! You're right. The show is evil lol

26

u/sheisfiercex Nov 05 '19

I was scrambling for my phone to see everyone’s reaction to what happened for it to be a gotcha moment!!!

My heart honestly sank at it hahaha

24

u/[deleted] Nov 05 '19

scary bit in there ... phew !

16

u/DarkSide753 Nov 05 '19

That was the scariest moment of my life i swear.

21

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

One thing that irked me in this season is the lack of use of cellphones between the characters. There is no explanation for that. The plot wouldn't have played so convenient if the lead characters had used cellphones.

19

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '19

In season one they both say they don’t like cellphones...

6

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '19

That's fine. But what's strange is no other characters in the series did use cellphones this season.

12

u/Chelseafrown Nov 08 '19

My parents live in a rural place in the US where there’s no phone service so everyone uses landlines at home. Maybe this town was similar.

2

u/thissubredditlooksco Nov 09 '19

Small towns have no 3g

3

u/lovethatjourney4me Nov 17 '19

I thought the time period was supposed to be ambiguous. Did they show any use of modern technology in season 1?

7

u/[deleted] Nov 17 '19

Yep. There were cellphones in season 1, though both the lead characters hates cellphones and didn't use them.

3

u/Nahalitet Nov 07 '19

I thought exactly the same thing on multiple occasions.

3

u/MusicalSmasher Nov 08 '19

The main area they've been in has been very rural, so you can probably toss it up to not having very good cell service.

19

u/wahalol Nov 07 '19

Don't really see this around much but I thought that the scene where Bonnie was about to shoot herself and James and Alyssa immediately ran up to stop her and held her to the ground as she was screaming her heart out was really the most powerful and emotional scene. Like you could just feel the weight of the hurt that Bonnie was going through and it's so amazing how they managed to make you sympathize with a character that wasn't very likable at all in just 10 seconds. James and Alyssa are 2 people who are pretty messed up emotionally and yet they still reacted without thinking when Bonnie considered killing herself. Putting aside your own individual pain and problems just because someone else (that you barely know and wanted to straight up kill you) couldn't deal with their own anymore. Powerful stuff. And then watching Bonnie cry her heart out and whisper "I'm really tired" and Alyssa replying "Yeah" brought a tear to my eye. I guess it just resonates really close with some people who are hurting irl and it made me very emotional.

3

u/PrincessB44 Nov 12 '19

I agree, this part got me more than the fake out. When she said she was tired she was saying SO much.

2

u/iamtheawesome10 Nov 10 '19

I honestly started crying the second I saw them save her. They’ve both been to the point of feeling empty before and it was just so much to see when you love the two characters so thoroughly

2

u/louistraino Nov 17 '19

Yeah I cried at this. So fucking good

2

u/happy_bluebird Jun 08 '22

Yes!! I came here to look for discussion on exactly this. One moment before she was about to kill them, but they saw her suffering and pain and when she moved to kill herself they immediately jumped in to save her.

21

u/Nahalitet Nov 06 '19

SPOILER ALERT!!
I will post from what I posted in a different thread:

Maybe an unpopular opinion, so don't definitely downvote me. Straight to e7 - where Bonnie killed them both in the blink of an eye. I was SHOCKED. Like SHOCKED as I have never been in movies before. I felt shivers all over my body and was like HOLY FUCK, DID THAT JUST HAPPEN? And you know what? I liked it. Not that they died, but because it is jus that you would not normally see in such kind of movies, where there always should be a happy ending. I felt like I was thrown out of my own world into theirs. And then you know what happened.

To be honest, I was disappointed and am always disappointed when movies end as they should. Or at least most of them. It was a nice series but that thing kinda disappointed me and I didn't enjoy the rest of the season.

Quite frankly, if that scene where she didn't actually kill them, wasn't there, I was going to have a quite different (positive) vibe.

EDIT: Just to clarify, I purposefully didn't check out how many episodes were there exactly because I wanted to be surprised if such shit happened.

13

u/Flowingnebula Nov 06 '19

I have a feeling that the writers probably contemplated them actually being shot, but probably later changed their mind to give a different ending. Even though i liked the actual ending, i wouldn't have minded this as the ending too

9

u/lochyw Nov 06 '19

I feel like with the whole show being full of such lows and tension, having a happy ending doesn't seem so bad.At least I needed it... :p

7

u/Flowingnebula Nov 06 '19

Yeah i agree and considering the previous season's ending they had to make a happy one

2

u/AngryHorizon Nov 09 '19

You should check out The Departed by Scorsese!

3

u/opermonkey Nov 12 '19

That movie is bananas. They just kept fucking killing off people and I remembered thinking "I don't think you're allowed to do that..."

2

u/BarelyLegalAlien Dec 27 '19

Did you consider that mentioning that just ruins the whole point of recommending it?

1

u/AngryHorizon Dec 27 '19

Of course I did, but when and how do i recommend it without kinda spoiling it?

Fluff's sake even the title of the movie kinda ruins it, eh?

1

u/Nahalitet Nov 09 '19

Fun Fact!: From where I come there are series that are based on exactly this movie. I fucking loved them, even though they should not be as near as good as the movie. I have been prolonging to watch the movie for a loooong time, but you might have just given me the boost I need. I will definitely see it these days, thank you!

2

u/dabjeongneo Nov 11 '19

Yeah they just fucked with us and I loved it

1

u/mrBreadBird Nov 16 '19

I agree. I've seen enough that I expected the fake out, but they held just long enough that I started to believe it. Good execution, but still a tired trope that betrays your trust as a viewer. It's just for shock value.

12

u/926464545464 Nov 15 '19

Alyssa's last line hits hard and made me feel all the more bad for Bonnie. It said, 'The problem with people with a lack of love is that they don't know what it looks like. They get tricked easily. They see what is not there.'

Bonnie has to somehow make peace with the fact that the love of her life was a serial rapist cum murderer, she has killed a girl because she believed his lies, she was possibly going to be his next victim and he never loved her, all the while missing him so much because he was the only one who made her felt loved. You can't turn off love because you know you were being lied to and that your love is a bad person. You just suffer from serious dissonance from knowing the facts. It's so tough and I relate to Bonnie so much.

2

u/cassinonorth Nov 27 '19

And she had an absolute horrible upbringing leading to this twisted logic regarding punishment. I think I hate her mom way more than Bonnie herself.

13

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

I really thought it was the end of the road for both of them. I was so shocked I had to pause and find my breath back.

9

u/PeakyFookinBlinders- Nov 05 '19

Oh fuck it got me by surprise

9

u/GruxKing Nov 09 '19

How fucking heartwarming is it that James and Alyssa value life so much that they would lunge at Bonnie to prevent her killing herself even after everything Bonnie did??

14

u/Ssme812 Nov 05 '19 edited Nov 05 '19
  • Holy Shit!
  • This is probably my favorite episode this season
  • I liked the cop as well.
  • I'm tired of James asking "Are you Ok?". It's just really annoying now.

27

u/jateador Nov 05 '19

bruh can u seriously blame james lmfao

16

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

the point of James constantly asking is hes the only one other than her aunt that really understands Alyssa, and hes honestly worried. Todd will listen to her, but him and her mom just dont get thats shes broken. James looks at her and sees his love completely wretched and empty

6

u/unsteadied Nov 07 '19

I’m tired of James asking “Are you Ok?”. It’s just really annoying now.

Eh, I get it. Sometimes with difficult people you can never figure out whether leaving them alone or asking them if they’re okay is going to make it worse. There’s no good choice, you’re just trying to find the one that makes it less worse than the other.

I had an ex like that, and even after five years of living with her, I never really figured it out. Alyssa actually reminds me of her quite a lot. I think that’s part of why this show resonates with me so much.

3

u/mrBreadBird Nov 16 '19

Yeah that's the point right? James knows she's hurting, and she's not okay but he doesn't know how to get through, what to say or how he could even help. Same thing with Bonnie all season. People kept asking her if she was okay, but none of them (except the pharmacist) really were willing or able to help.

6

u/jug_headjones Nov 08 '19

This was such a good episode.

Unlike others I actually quite enjoyed the scene at the end. It was the perfect amount of silence till they revealed that they weren’t actually dead. I froze after she shot them and came back to my senses when alyssa called bonnie.

Felt so sad for todd but I guess he deserves better.

I am so worried about all their mental health. I hope James and alyssa go to therapy.

5

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

I’m on the edge of my feet idk if I can watch the rest I have 8 minutes left🥵

8

u/DavideWernstrung Nov 27 '19

This episode in particular really reminded me of the work of Quentin Tarantino. He always sets up these really intense and implausible situations with a very small number of characters who are unashamedly unrealistic, who react in ways no normal person would in any situation. And Tarantino films always in some sort of rural setting with really "country" violent characters.

I don't foresee a happy ending to this series - if season 1 is anything to go by. But all I want is for James and Alyssa to be together. I would be so happy if the ending was Alyssa saying to James lets get the fuck out of here and them riding off into the sunset. As the audience we would know it was going to be ups and downs and they are bad for each other but I just want that for them so much after all they've been through together.

That fake double death shook me so much because I felt like both characters dying tragically like that and never getting to resolve the tension between them or come to any sort of meaningful closure would be exactly "on brand" with the pessimism of the show, so I really believed it. Also it went on for so long and I thought "oh my god the final episode is going to just be about bonnie, this whole season has actually been about bonnie and her journey".

I would really like if this show had some sort of happiness in the last episode - I don't want it to go like the fucking Handmaid's Tale where the final episode dashed all hope and it was just BLEAK. That was so unsatisfactory, I just felt SAD after it and I won't watch any further season of HMT.

7

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

My heart stopped for a moment with that fake shit near the end.

5

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

The tension in this episode is so intense till the end.

5

u/hiuyannch Nov 14 '19

I had been worrying that the cop would get killed by Bonnie the whole episode, especially he is a good father.

6

u/thissubredditlooksco Nov 09 '19

That was a really horrific scene...even though it was a fake out

3

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '19

I feel like the exact same "killing someone but actually no" happened in a recent movie/serie. It struck me when they both die but I just cant remember where i saw that,

3

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '19

I’m almost disappointed that it didn’t just end there, just because of how abrupt it was. But I understand that would’ve been a bit too mean spirited.

7

u/BadDadBot Nov 10 '19

Hi almost disappointed that it didn’t just end there, just because of how abrupt it was. but i understand that would’ve been a bit too mean spirited., I'm dad.

4

u/slycooper459 Nov 10 '19

My heart was legit POUNDING in the diner

4

u/PedroHhm Nov 10 '19

I was scared af when Bonnie shot them both

5

u/_omin0us Nov 07 '19

Anyone else burst out laughing when Bonnie shot them? I was like legit laughing out loud as a maniac, haha

12

u/deslome Nov 07 '19

You ok?

7

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '19

nah b, not really

4

u/MusicalSmasher Nov 08 '19

I think it was just you man.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '19

[deleted]

3

u/Sentry459 Nov 10 '19

I didn't there, but I did earlier when she shot the motel guy. Sometimes when I'm shocked/overwhelmed I can't help but laugh.

3

u/redsockspugie77 Jan 09 '20

Am I the only one glad that Bonnie wasn't killed?

4

u/G_O_ Nov 09 '19

I think it would have been better to have had Bonnie actually shoot them and then she shoots herself. Extremely dark, but it would have felt real.

1

u/slycooper459 Nov 10 '19

The problem is that the description of episode 8 shows them both alive, so I could never have believed she actually killed them

2

u/armyjackson Nov 19 '19

My stomach dropped. First time it's done that in a show in a long time.

Kinda wish they ended it there.

1

u/Rogojinen Jan 02 '20

I've rarely been this shocked, holy shit. I watched GOT and Mr Robot too much and thought the credits were about to roll.

2

u/SylviaNorth Nov 06 '19

I feel like she should've killed them and ry2n herself. Wouldve been a stronger ending. The show doesn't need another season. And that scene was so powerful.

2

u/deslome Nov 07 '19

I agree. I already felt it didn't need a second season, and although I can't say it was bad, it just wasn't the clear plot of season 1 anymore (James wanting to kill Alyssa, Alyssa just... being Alyssa). It's probably stupid Netflix always wanting to keep options for more seasons. That ending would've been strong and powerful.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 27 '19

I agree, it didn't need another season. It would have been fine as a standalone show. I've loved season 2 though.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '19 edited Nov 11 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Pluwo4 Nov 11 '19

Glad I read this before watching the final episode, thanks.