MovieChat Forums > Les revenants (2013) Discussion > Questions about the finale (A LOT OF SPO...

Questions about the finale (A LOT OF SPOILERS, so DON'T ENTER!!)

posted 9 years ago by dundundunn
24 replies | jump to latest

I thought the finale was a beautiful conclusion to the story, and it turns out Victor, not Nathan, was the child meant to lead the returned ... BUT it did leave a few threads unresolved. If anyone has any theories, please do share! 

If the returned have indeed gone back, what does this mean for Audrey, Serge and Simon? Last we saw them, one seemed to be resolved to let himself waste away, isolating himself in the tunnel, while the other was holding hands with his fiancee, both attired in their wedding dress, and the third one seemed to be lying dead in the basement of the Helping Hand. My own idea is that Adele somehow died at the hands of creepy cave guy, and was reunited with Simon 'on the other side', once he disappeared alongside the rest of the returned. (This will only make sense if their final scene happened after Julie's attempted suicide in the timeline of things.) I'm guessing Serge and Audrey also disappear altogether.

So Chloe and the Siguret family have left town? And Nathan has been handed over to some random family, never to see his sister again? Kind of rough, but okay ... I'm guessing his character might pave the way for a season 3, if there is to be one. The rotting on his forearm certainly shows that he's not entirely human.

Lucy's timeline does not make sense. If I remember correctly from Season One, she returned a year before anyone else was brought back by Victor. She also may or may not have been left behind while the others returned. Of course, the actual timeline could be different from the way events were chronicled on the show, and she could have managed to deposit the baby with that couple before disappearing with the rest. But this still doesn't explain her premature return.

Victor's scared expression towards the end gives yet more food for thought. It could be a vision of something bad about to happen to someone close to him. It could also be something even more menacing in the larger scheme of things.

None of these 'cliffhangers' are big enough to leave anyone disappointed or overly confused, but still, it'd be nice to know what on earth is happening! 

I've got a remote and I'm not afraid to use it.

[–] johnnysokko 9 years ago

I've got many of the same questions and more. But I will say that Lucy is the only other one, besides Victor, with specific powers. Maybe there's something to that.

While there are many unanswered questions, the biggest one was answered, that being that Victor brought everyone back inadvertently, and that death, or something like that, compelled them to gather and go back.....somehow.

That there was a genuine zombie scene in that basement really got me wondering about the nature and fate of those people, though(a bizarre similarity to Serge, in fact). A real curve ball!

And if that is the end and there is no season 3, I'm fine with that. These types of stories almost always disappoint if they try to get completely explained. This is why so many horror movies that start out great, fail in the final act. This finale gave me just enough satisfaction while leaving a lot of mystery. I was hoping they'd do that, and that's what they did.

[–] pardik 9 years ago

No, it seems that all of them have powers, they all just don't know it - Virgil taught Camille that she can read minds and even see other people's past when she touches them. She hadn't discovered it on her own. Lucy's powers were strong enough to discover them on her own - and she also came back on her own.

Also, Lucy and Victor were the only ones who didn't fall apart on their own. And that's actually a plothole - Victor could live with his "dad" for 35 years without rotting, then he started rotting with Julie and then, he was also repaired when he was with others. But if they need to be close together to not rot, then why didn't Lucy rot and why didn't Victor rot while living with his "dad"? It can't be any kind of love, otherwise Camille wouldn't have started rotting among her loving family, they usually need to be close to others to stay intact and to stay human (if they have nothing, humanity fades away and they start eating their own mother).

Also, Victor called a big bunch. But Lucy appeared much earlier. And a big bunch (Serge's mother, Milan, killed girls) appeared a lot later.

[–] dundundunn 9 years ago

That's very interesting. I wonder if your theory of Lucy and Victor having magnified powers also applies to the rotting of their skin? Victor is the most powerful, so he took the longest to start rotting (around 35 years). Or bringing the returned to the world took some sort of toll on him or established a connection between him and them that made him rot alongside them.

I think Victor merely opened that 'portal' or whatever, for people to start coming through from, which would explain the different timelines of their return.

I've got a remote and I'm not afraid to use it.

[–] dundundunn 9 years ago

And if that is the end and there is no season 3, I'm fine with that. These types of stories almost always disappoint if they try to get completely explained. This is why so many horror movies that start out great, fail in the final act. This finale gave me just enough satisfaction while leaving a lot of mystery. I was hoping they'd do that, and that's what they did.

Oh, definitely. My biggest problem with the American version of this show was that they were trying to explain too much, dwelling on the little things in great detail. A good story should always leave enough mystery to keep people guessing, which is why we're even able to come on here and discuss the aspects of the show that were left unexplained. Otherwise we'd all just say things like 'Fantastic show!' and leave it at that.

I've got a remote and I'm not afraid to use it.

[–] johnnymike91 9 years ago

Who the hell was the scary man in the cave? Why did some of the returned start eating people? Why did that colonel gp crazy and start shooting people, and why did he have visions of other people having deformed faces?

[–] user1901 9 years ago

well, I think they give pretty literal answers to all off you questions, and if not, then you would connect the dots....

Why did some of the returned start eating people?
They needed to stick together, they can't be alone. If that happens, they simply lose their "human" part: physically and mentally. Now we know why they were rotting in season 1 (Simona, Victor, Camille) and why Lucy was trying to keep them together. They were safe this way, and they were not dangerous for other people.

Why did that colonel gp crazy and start shooting people, and why did he have visions of other people having deformed faces?
In my opinion it was...fear. It was suggested in ep 3 or 4 that this captain heard some rumors and those rumors were messing with his head. When he was confronted by Milan, his biggest fears revealed themselves, that's why he saw those zombies. Simply put - it was his imagination. That's what killed him and that's what killed other gardames. Claire was also imagining some things. That they are hurting her, that Virgil had a knife..Again. Fear.

Who the hell was the scary man in the cave?
That scene was AMAZING! Scary but also strangely beautiful. I literally gasp when that happened. I like to think of them as some sort of guardians of this passage between two worlds: life and death.
But if you want literal explanation: Virgil said to Lucy in ep 7: "You said none of us could stay alone, because we will end up like those in the caves." Why he didn't hurt Adele (I don't think he killed her)? Becuase maybe he felt that the end of their journey is near. Maybe this cute zombie also wanted to go "home" and he wasn't in a mood for killing? Or maybe he simply wasn't hungry ;)

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] user1901 9 years ago

yes your are right. Also fear. Did they also manipulated Caire? don't think so.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] user1901 9 years ago

Toni - yes, but I disagree with you about Claire. The way I see it, the lady was slowly losing her mind, it was too much for her. It was her fear and failure of accepting the situation. I don't think their manipulation influenced her. She did it all by herself.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] user1901 9 years ago

I just don't think that was the case with Claire.

If we look at the facts then we have Camille, who clearly stated to Lena that they didn't want to harm her, that she (Claire) hit herself before, so we can assume those situations (self harm) happened before.

Also the scene in Etienne's house. She saw the people in the bathroom and she panicked. Even though Etienne said to her:"They don't want to harm you."

If we will look at this as a manipulation, then we have only this - another example of a tool that we've already seen in action with Toni or Cat Lady.
But if we look at this from a psychological point of view, then we have tragedy of a mother, who is struggling with the situation and can't "rise to the occasion" for her daughter. It's much more human, much more relatable approach.

But I could be wrong. It's just an interpretation.

Basically for me it's just doesn't make sense here. Manipulation usually had some purpose, some clear goals. And even on the show it was rarely used and only by les revenants with big awareness of the situation (Victor, maybe Lucy). Others, especially the silent ones, were just lost souls looking for a guidance.

[–] dundundunn 9 years ago

I think you're both sort of right. The proximity to the returned certainly causes reactions within the living that are harmful to them. Even when the returned try to help, like in Victor's case with Milan, they might be misinterpreted and lead to disastrous consequences ('the circle' in this case). I don't think the returned do it on purpose, but yes, there seems to be more at play than just fear.

I've got a remote and I'm not afraid to use it.

[–] user1901 9 years ago

If the returned have indeed gone back, what does this mean for Audrey, Serge and Simon?

It is my understanding that Simon is with others, already in the cave. The way I see it he is safe and on the "other side" with Adele.

Audrey & Serge - this is a hard one, but I think they will decay. They are alone, without any food, without the loved ones and with no reason to live. They can't be protected by Victor or Lucy. Their anchor with this world disappeared. Bascially, they won't wake up from this dream, lol.

Lucy's timeline does not make sense.

I think Lucy and Victor don't really have any timeline. Victor couldn't bring her back in season 1, because Lucy was already alive and kicking and ready take care of the events that Victor started in s.1. She needed to play her part.

36 years ago she also appeared before Victor. She was waiting for him. And she was waiting for him again years later.

I love that they made this connection between season 1 & 2. When she visited Milan's bar, and years later when she did the same and visited Toni's bar, she said the same words:
"I don’t have money, but if you hire me, I'll have a drink."

[–] dundundunn 9 years ago

Yes, I've been thinking the same thing about Simon and Adele. I just hope Audrey and Serge make it to the other side as well, and that proximity to Victor wasn't a requisite for them being transported to where they belong.

36 years ago she also appeared before Victor. She was waiting for him. And she was waiting for him again years later.

Oh, man, your words kind of gave me goosebumps, because they reestablished Lucy's mysteriousness. There's so much that could have happened in this universe that'll keep us guessing and forming new ideas with every watch.

I've got a remote and I'm not afraid to use it.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] dundundunn 9 years ago

What did you dislike about the ending in particular? Too many answers? I did feel like Season 2 was whopping me over the head with its answers, and I kept having to take breaks in between scenes, but I wouldn't have it any other way, especially since they left enough mysteries to tantalise. 

I've got a remote and I'm not afraid to use it.

[–] pardik 9 years ago

The biggest question for me is what will happen with the baby? We have already seen that without others around he starts to decay. We have also seen what happens to the ones that decay for too long (the creature in the cave was probably one of those). So what good would giving him to a family do if he is already falling apart anyway?

And I think that Julie is dead and Victor joined him, but he is not doing a very good job in staying dead, as we have already seen. The voices from our world are disturbing and calling for him. Even if he uses his time here to sit and draw for 35 years in a row.

[–] dundundunn 9 years ago

And I think that Julie is dead and Victor joined him, but he is not doing a very good job in staying dead, as we have already seen. The voices from our world are disturbing and calling for him. Even if he uses his time here to sit and draw for 35 years in a row.

That would be so sad, but so fitting. But this would mean that the nurse has also somehow died.

With the baby, I'm going to hope that he'll stop decaying once the returned have left this world, because then his connection with them severs and his human side takes over. He's certainly a very different case, and I feel somewhat bad that we weren't shown his fate in greater detail.

I've got a remote and I'm not afraid to use it.

[–] user1901 9 years ago

With the baby, I'm going to hope that he'll stop decaying once the returned have left this world, because then his connection with them severs and his human side takes over. He's certainly a very different case

love this explanation, especially that everything indicates that he was a child from both: living (Adele) and dead (Simone).So even if there is a pattern in les revenants behavior and how their body reacts to things, Nathan should be treated as a special case.

CaroElisa:

Victor said the baby is like him. So maybe Nathan is also able to live among the living, to love his foster family and to not rot. He might also be a prophet with resurrection abilities

Good point.

Both interpretations don't exclude themselves.

[–] CaroElisa 9 years ago

Victor said the baby is like him. So maybe Nathan is also able to live among the living, to love his foster family and to not rot. He might also be a prophet with resurrection abilities, I think that's up to interpretation.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] Izzyennygood 9 years ago

J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof now have competition for the most WTF ? ending of a series.

IMO that was dreadful. Having sat through all those gloomy slow, badly acted and directed episodes in the hope that it would become comprehensible, I feel like an idiot.

No No No plz. No season 3, no more

[–] JohnDoeJersey 9 years ago

My sentiment exactly.

It's so annoying that nowadays no writer ever take a stand and write a real story line. Why bother developing a story since the audience gladly accept every plot hole or incoherence in the storytelling.

The best thing is the b.s excuse that's served every time. "It's open to interpretation" which roughly translate into "I'm a writing hack and I'm not willing to work hard so I'll throw some cryptic dialogues and be done with it"

It's intellectual scamming. In a world were writers would be stoned to death for blatant inconsistency. I'd like to see them try these kind of shenanigans.