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trafalgalar · 28 days ago

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Character Analysis: Carl Tanner from Whiplash

I wrote this a couple of months ago. Enjoy...

Do you guys remember in the movie, how the camera shifts to Carl when Fletcher says to Andrew, "The only reason you are a fucking core is because you misplaced a folder."

But oh man how I wish we were given the context.

*Long essay diving into Carl's character/journey, and a bit into Fletcher's and Andrew's incoming, bear with me*...

In the script; Carl actually "smiles" at Andrew getting roasted by Fletcher. This smiling occurs after Fletcher says "Johnny Utah" (Ryan) will be given the part, not Andrew.

After having had to endure the humiliating words Fletcher vomited at him, for example about how his father will look like a success story and all, the script says Andrew is now "beat".

Then, after seeing Carl smiling at the back, Andrew turns to Fletcher and confidently talks about it is my part and I will be the one on the stage.

The reason is, when you read the script, you can see that Andrew and Carl actually had some rivalry going on between them.

I've seen Whiplash just last week for the first time. I had heard Whiplash this, Whiplash that but I had never decided on to sit down and watch it. Then I saw the IG story of a Marine Biologist I follow named Poyraz Sinangil (he goes by the name Köjira on YT), and there was something related to Whiplash. I decided to give it a try and see what all that hype was about.

Although I remember I got real bored while watching Act I, it became my favourite movie and I'd seen more than 300 movies.

(For the record, I don't get bored while watching Act I of it anymore. And I've watched Whiplash more than 5 times already)

Why did I write this? It's because although Whiplash is my favourite movie, I still prefer its script to the masterpiece of a movie we got. Though, I admit there were some decisions made that I prefer the movie did better. Such as omitting the part during the dinner with the relatives scene where Andrew suddenly goes 🤓☝️ "In 1967 a scientist named....." 🤓☝️

It would have been better if they changed how Andrew delivered it and made it sound less nerdy, but I'm fine with how it was omitted from the movie altogether.

Though again, one of the scenes that I wish wasn't omitted was when Fletcher gives a speech to the audience, then he turns to his band and says "You guys mean the world to me, you know..." and he turns back to the audience and says he sees them as his own kids, as his family, and treats them the way his father treated him...

Anyways, now back to Carl vs Andrew rivalry, we got a couple of scenes in the script that was necessary to understand what was going on between them that Carl smiling after hearing Andrew won't get a chance to play, made Andrew even more determined that he will be the one playing on the stage, not that "Johnny Utah" (Ryan).

After the lost folder incident, we all know Andrew got to play instead of Carl. Upon this, Carl even lost the core drummer position.

The script says Carl was "burning holes with his eyes" while sitting behind Andrew who was playing the drums. I think the actor, Nate Lang, conveyed this very good during that scene even though he wasn't on the focus of the camera but still, it didn't feel like a rivalry so passionate. Until I read the script, I wasn't even feeling like there was even a rivalry between the two.

When Andrew was at the bus, while watching a Buddy Rich video, he got a text from Nicole and this was also in the movie. However, the movie decided not to let us hear the crucial voice message Carl had sent to Andrew at that exact time.

It goes as this:

"Neiman... You lost that folder on purpose. You *knew* I didn't know the chart by heart... *Answer* me... I've been core for *two years*. I've been drumming since I was three. I *earned* my spot you asshol-"

Then Andrew just hangs up.

Why was this crucial?, you may ask. Because right after Fletcher's speech to the audience is over after the band was done playing and winning after the lost folder incident, it was revealed that it was indeed because of a janitor that the folder was lost.*

Meaning it was pointless for Carl to even doubt Andrew and send that voice message.

But he did.

Carl saw Andrew as a threat. I'll explain it further.

*: It is not 100% certain if it was because of a janitor. The stage hand who approaches Carl and Andrew says, "I think".

It could have happened because of Fletcher as many people say. Fletcher might have hid it and test Carl's confidence to see if he would be OK playing without the chart, to see if Carl could be the next Buddy Rich/Charlie Parker...

It was *the* turning point for Carl and also for Andrew as well...

After losing the position as the core drummer, the script says these:

"Finally, Carl slides off, stunned, as Andrew takes his place... And, calmy tossing this off even though he knows how much it hurts..."

Right after this scene, the "hurt" Carl sends that voice message.

We had read that Carl's reaction to the reveal of the lost folder was only looking behind at Andrew. I wish we got more reaction from him though, to fully understand why he still doubted Andrew and continued to bash at him.

Why could it be? He didn't want to feel like he was at the fault for blaming Andrew?

We read that Carl graps a band member and says "Neiman lost my folder" to which the grapped member says, "Serious? Fletcher's going to *flip*."

We knew this too because Fletcher literally said he will stop being so polite if he sees one of those folders lying around unattended again.

And what happened to that folder? It was left unattended when Andrew decided to get some coke.

Also, before the second set, we read a quite annoyed Carl while playing. In the movie, these interactions were rushed and it was before the actual playing began. We only got to watch the band play, no words, anything.

Carl to Andrew:

"Stick Bag."

...

"Hurry Up."

...

"Hurry Up."

...

"*Page*".

"Damnit..."

Then, Fletcher approaches and whispers:

"Get it together, Tanner, I swear to God."

We read that Carl is "pissed" at Andrew.

This makes me wonder, how in the *flying fck* could Carl even think of handing the folder to Andrew?!?!? 😭🙏

He literally just witnessed Andrew wasn't helping quickly, he got a warning from Fletcher because of that exact reason,

he knew Fletcher would be angry if he saw an unattended folder and yet he handed it to Andrew, a 1st year (Freshman) student whom he most probably belittled/regarded not as high. Their first interaction is literally Carl demanding Andrew to tune the set and turn his pages. It says Carl "couldn't care less" about his name upon Andrew saying his name after Carl asked if he was the new alternate.

Now, let me write one more scene to see the rivalry between Andrew and Carl, and also to understand how Carl indeed saw Andrew as a threat that he was smiling when Fletcher scolded Andrew and told him he won't be playing on the stage.

This scene was half-omitted from the movie. I actually was about to flip when I read it. It literally *shows* you everything you need to know about the relationship and character dynamics between Carl, Andrew and Ryan.

So, Andrew gets on the stage after the car crash. Covered in blood and has broken fingers.

He tells Ryan to get off the fck1ng set. Ryan looks at Fletcher, Fletcher nods, almost smiling. It writes, "Seems he's having fun with this." 💀 Huh-

We read how much of a pain Andrew is in. He closes his eyes. "Tries to black out the anxiety... The pain... The stress that just keeps mounting and mounting..."

It writes that his ears literally started to ring and his left hand is barely keeping up.

Then his stick goes flying and slides under the hi-hat pedal.

In the movie, Andrew gets his stick by himself and so this problem is solved quickly.

It doesn't quite go like this in the script.

Andrew says "Stick..." but Carl stays still...

Andrew looks at him but Carl won't move.

Andrew panicks and turns to his old Nassau Band peer- Ryan.

Ryan at first hesitates. He doesn't want to think of himself as a saboteur. But then he looks at Carl, Carl looks back at him... and right then and there he makes his choice.

Andrew then literally begs to Ryan, says him "Please..." but neither Carl nor Ryan moves.

Then Andrew gets his stick by himself. His finger cracks and the bone is bent 90 degrees. He GASPS, almost cries out in pain.

Has to hold it in...

😭😭😭 OH MY FCK1NG GOD WHAT A SCENE WHAT A SCENE!!!! 👏👏👏

WHY WAS THIS NOT IN THE DAMN MOVIE?!?!?!

First, we see that Andrew is determined to see the good in people even though he has unintentionally and intentionally harmed them some way or another (especially after he knew he was literally seen as a saboteur in Carl's eyes because of that lost folder incident, and after he shouted at Ryan, saying fck u and to turn his pages and pushing him in front of the whole band, plus getting his place as the drummer on the stage) and still expects them to hand him his stick, is panicked when it turns out they won't budge.

We understand that Carl wants Andrew to fail (When you watch the movie that feeling isn't quite conveyed, I talked about this above. Though, I remember I read somewhere that him wearing green is a symbolism of his jealousy for Andrew, if so, that's pretty good thought of) we understand why he smiled when Andrew was told Ryan would play instead of him. (This also conveys that Ryan wasn't even deemed a competitor for Carl. This is also supported when Fletcher later says to Andrew that Ryan was just his (Andrew's) incentive. Ouch.)

We understand that Ryan actually felt bad (for his statues, not because he cared or pitied for Andrew, even though they were "old band peers". In the movie after Andrew tackles Fletcher to the ground, Ryan is one of the people seperating Andrew but in the script it writes security guards pulled him off, so we can conclude he continued to sit besides Carl), and he even considered helping but Carl manipulated (?) him into not doing so with just a look!

This also shows even though Carl didn't help Andrew and even prevented the help Andrew would possibly get, he didn't straight up sabotaged his playing.

(Most possibly) Because he had other options (aka Med School), opposite to Andrew, who literally asks "What do you mean?" when his father told him he still has other options besides jazz drumming. He just doesn't want any perspectives...

This story is such a tragedy for Carl. When Andrew asks what happened to Carl at the same scene where Fletcher says Ryan was just an incentive for him, he says Carl switched to Pre-Med. With a hint of smile, he adds, "I think he got discouraged."

Fck1ng bst/rd.

Carl was a 22 years old (meaning Senior? At his last year?) core drummer with 19 years old experience playing the drums. All his hard work paid for nothing just because this time Fletcher had found his real potential Buddy Rich/Charlie Parker and wanted him to push himself beyond his limits.

He sacrificed one student for this, played the other two like a pawn and f1cked up many others.

While talking to Andrew at the Jazz Club, he says, "... Maybe I seem to think my style is normal, but believe me, I don't."

He says this after they talk about how he got fired (?) upon how some kid exposed not so nice things about him.

So, by style, I reckon he means his teaching style.

So, that means he KNOWS what he has been doing is NOT normal. (By normal, I assume it means the ordinary/ubiquitous teaching styles, thus; the OK ones). He probably understood this when the news of his former student Sean's suicide came to him. (We know how the student had problems with anxiety and depression starting from the years when he was a student of Fletcher, so maybe Fletcher blamed himself for this?)

When Andrew confronts Fletcher after the call, it says that Fletcher was more *desperate* than angry when he got that news.

Why desperate?

BECAUSE HE LOST HIS FIRST (?) POTENTIAL CHARLIE PARKER!!!!!

HE WASN'T BLUFFING IN FRONT OF THE AUDIENCE AND THE BAND WHEN HE SAID THEY MEANT THE WORLD TO HIM!!!!

HE LITERALLY SAYS HIS AIM IS TO CREATE THE NEXT CHARLIE PARKER AND WHO'S GOING TO BE THAT? SOMEONE FROM HIS DAMN BAND!!!!!

He most probably knew Sean would do something like this, so he had already started to mold Andrew to be his next potential Charlie Parker WITHOUT changing his (teaching) style!

Andrew asks Fletcher what if the next Charlie Parker would be discouraged, there must be a line. (Most probably referring to teaching methods/style)

Fletcher answers "...The next Charlie Parker would never be discouraged."

Why do you think he smiles when he said Carl got discouraged!?!?!?!

This story.... Oh my god... The antagonist wins and creates the next Charlie Parker, his *only* Charlie Parker WITHOUT having to have changed his (teaching) style which we understand he had been doubting.

Fletcher is an antagonist with a strong flat arc. What do characters with a flat arc do? They change their world instead.

He wins, he will always think he won (as the director said) so he realizes his doubts on his (teaching) style was not necessary.

He got in the way of Carl, who gave up. Maybe he wouldn't have become the next Charlie Parker but who knows, maybe he could have become the figure that the next generation Jazz teachers would try to create; the next "Carl Tanner" they would say.... Maybe I'm exaggerating here but you got my point.

I like to think that (this is my headcanon) Carl was a better drummer but Andrew wouldn't be discouraged, Andrew also wouldn't cause Fletcher to change his (teaching) style. Look at it that way and see why Fletcher said Ryan was his (Andrew's) incentive, instead of for the both. (Andrew's and Carl's)

You may ask if Carl would ever cause Fletcher to look inwards and cause his style to change, I would answer yes. I know it seems for the past 4 years Carl was a student of Fletcher (it's not certain i think if Carl was always his student btw) and it seems there hasn't been any change in Fletcher's style (from what we hear from the lawyer lady whom Andrew and Jim talks to) but we know he became desperate and to me, almost vulnerable after hearing the suicide of his student Sean; Andrew sees Fletcher's eyes watering up. He doubted his style there.

And we know Carl was discouraged. So, Fletcher would think what has been going wrong with his students and would realise the problem was himself, his methods, his style... So maybe Carl could change him that way, opposite of Andrew who would push himself (harder) despite/due to the humiliation and anxiety he was facing and would continue to face in response to/because of Fletcher's style. Every student is motivated differently.

Oh and Andrew, our sweet Andrew... He also wins but hey- does he lose at the same time as everyone says he does?

The director said Andrew would be a sad, empty person and would die in his 30s of a drug overdose. He likens him to Charlie Parker, who had the same faith (he died aged 34, had mental health problems and was addicted to h.ro1n) but he is remembered as one of the bests. So it implies Andrew will also be remembered as one of the bests.

Although it may seem like a bittersweet or even a bad faith, wasn't this what he said he'd prefer to having lived a happy, long life but not being remembered?

Also, he was already a sad, empty person to me anyways. (Debatable, I know)

He had no social life, no friends. He thinks his relatives didn't understand him but Fletcher did (...bro💀 Also, Fletcher said to Andrew "Good job" after having a rehersal when Andrew accepted to play for his band in Act III (?). We were not sure if at the ending scene of the movie while Fletcher was smiling, he said these words or not but in the script, he did, so do whatever you wanna do with this fact.)

He dumped his girlfriend because of reasons, and he said he didn't know that man (referring to his father) when his father ran to him and the stage hand asked whether he knew that man or not. I wish this scene also could have found its place in the movie. It shows how Andrew saw the loser of a man he would have become had he not turned back on the stage and play further. (We saw some bits of how Jim was a "loser" such as him giving up on his dream of being a novelist; becoming a teacher instead, or how he said "Sorry" to the man who had bumped into his head with a popcorn bag)

And you see, he was chill lacking these social factors in his life. Although he tried to get his girl back, he didn't flip when he learned she had a new boyfriend, meaning possibly she wouldn't be coming back.

(Also, do you remember when I wrote that Andrew believed either Carl or Ryan would pass him his stick even though he was seen as a saboteur in Carl's eyes and even though he shouted fck you and said turn my pages at Ryan and pushed him and also got his place as the drummer on the stage?

It is nice to see the continuity that Andrew sees the good in people even though he has unintentionally (sometimes intentionally) harmed them some way or another. He most probably thought Nicole would give him a "second chance" even though he literally dumped him and acknowledged when Nicole said Andrew would treat her like shit and she is just some girl who doesn't know what she wants and will be forgotten.

I swear I'm not sure if Andrew is just innocent, an optimist or a fck1ng mörön.)

So, I would say that it seems our homeboy got a happy ending, even though it doesn't correlate with what I and what the overall society regards as "happy" :)

If you read this so far, thank you, and sağol. Whiplash deserves far more attention and analysis. I love everything about Whiplash and I want to add that I adore the fact that in the movie; only two brands of cymbals, both being Turkish 🇹🇷 brands, were used.

One being "Bosphorus" (the name of the strait seperating between European Istanbul and Asian Istanbul) which was used throughout the movie and the other being "Istanbul Agop" which was used only in Act III during the scenes of Caravan. (And Upswingin', of course)

It's like the placements of the brands were decided intentionally.

Throughout the movie, Andrew and Fletcher were at conflict with each other, they were seperated through conflict. There was the *Bosphorus* between them.

This peaked during this climax, the Caravan part, but right at the end, both were smiling and were happy with what they had achived. The conflict was over at the resolution. Both were happy they were "connected/not seperated", having overcome the conflict which objectively had driven both of them mad.

Thus, the Bosphorus was no more and finally, there was just the city, *Istanbul* .

Or maybe I'm just diving too much into this because of spare time. You never know.

Man.... I should have turned this shi into a video essay 😭🤣

It took me hours to write 💀

It seems I indeed have that spare time dawg 😭🙏 Whiplash deserves it ngl, it could drain all of my life energy and I'd still say thank you G

#whiplash #carltanner #andrew neiman #fletcher #movies #character analysis #drumming #musical #analysis

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trafalgalar · 28 days ago

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Character Analysis: Rory Peters from Final Destination 2

So, not sure if anyone cares, but 3 days ago I wrote a character analysis on Rory Peters after a YouTuber called him one-dimensional in a Final Destination death tier list. (I had to defend my shayla 👅✌️) I originally wrote it in Turkish, my native language, then fully translated to English so there might be some grammar issues. Decided to share it here, might share it on other platforms too. If you're interested about reading a full-fledged analysis about Rory, here it is:

...

I want to share what gives Rory depth.

He's mostly known for doing coke, sure, but to me he's a "Green flag trying to look like a Red flag". His Y2K-style fashion tells me he's trend-conscious and that makes him stand out among the other male characters.

He has a kind of dynamic with Kat- maybe not obvious at first, but it's there. Like when Kimberly gathers the group and Nora asks Kat for a valium, Rory jokes, "Send one my way too/Keep em coming" It feels a bit insecure- he wants one but masks it with humor. Or maybe that's just how he talks? Is that behavior on the surface only around her? I'll come back to this later.

Another moment showing his undefined dynamic with Kat: when she's driving, he jokingly whispers "Hope she’s next to die" referring to her- loud enough for others to hear. Kat responds via rearview mirror with a "Hehe sure babe" look. I love these moments; from that tiny scene we get so much character insight.

And at the apartment, after Kat proudly talks about her career, Rory says "Shut up and you'll live," even though he's usually fine with that kind of proud talk. (Remember the scene with his coke-head friends, he only tells them to be quiet to hear the news- before that, he proudly says, "Look babies, I was there too!") So maybe his issue is just with Kat- a kind of "teasing antagonism." Also, before saying "Hope she’s next," he says, "One of us is going to die in this car… Are the rest of us going to be okay sitting next to that person?" It clearly shows he wouldn't be ok- but instead of admitting it, he masks it as a hypothetical because he's insecure! IT'S AWESOME!

Edit: I looked into the original script (not the final version), and after Rory says "Shut up and you'll live," it says: "Kat's hands ball into fists. The hatred is mutual." (Btw in this version, Rory swears more, is rougher, but also more emotional. Keep that in mind) The script describes their dynamic as "hatred," but in an interview, the producer described it as "itchiness"- probably meaning tension or irritation. Rory says that line right after Kat mentions her successful career. Let's dig into it:

In the film Rory drives a Mustang; flashy and expensive, for young rebels and speed lovers. But in the script, he drives a Chevette; cheap, low-quality, and often joked about. Why am I pointing it out? Because maybe Rory resents Kat’s success. (They are 1 year apart in this script btw, Kat, 28, being older) Kat is described as “Corporate American” wearing a “Power Suit."

That term refers to someone professional, ambitious, money-driven. And a Power Suit isn't just a regular suit- it implies confidence, authority, and designer tailoring. Also, Kat drives an Expedition. An SUV; big, powerful, expensive...

Now, there's this one part in the script that made me smile- another example of their dynamic which I STILL COULDN'T FIND A NAME I LIKE to describe as:

The group is gathered at Thomas' home and Clear asks why they were on Route 180 in the first place.

RORY:

Last July I dialed a wrong number and got a radio station by accident. They asked me what number means "good luck" in Jewish.

KAT:

Eighteen. And it’s Hebrew.

RORY:

Anyway, I guessed it right and won these (He holds up two Yankee tickets.)

Isn't this just adorable? Also, there's a moment where Rory slams his hand on the table out of frustration, and Kat flinches. I wish this version had made its way into the film. It's a good initial script, but has its flaws. Eg; Rory tells Kimberly "Throw my stuff so my mom won't be upset when I die" thing right after Nora dies, at Thomas' home. I think that line coming later in the movie (as it does in the final version) works better in terms of character development.

But again- this version of Rory is more aggressive and more emotional. The script says his tears well up when he talks about him dying. So maybe him accepting his fate earlier on and saying that line sooner does make sense in that context.

Also when Rory asks Kimberly to get rid of his stuff, she thinks it's a joke- even waits for the punchline.

Then a phone rings, Rory jumps in fear, scanning the room all paranoid.

And remember when he saw Carter being crushed by a sign on his way to a theater in Paris? He says he was so traumatized he hid under a shopping cart for 4 hours. My shayla 😭 They legit threw away this side of him and tried to make him cooler for the film by giving him a Mustang, by deleting the scene where he tears up and him saying he got so scared he hid under a shopping cart for 4 hours.

Oh and in the script, right before he dies he's about to do drugs behind a car, but when Thomas, a cop, calls out to him, he cringes at his name and walks off in fear while dragging a dead tree (maybe to hide behind it?). If he'd stayed put and done drugs where he was, he wouldn’t have died.

TOLD YOU HE'S INSECURE!!!

Here are some other things that hit me about Rory when reading the script:

While at Thomas' home, Nora leaves saying she has to plan the funeral. Eugene wants to leave too, so Rory hands him a phone and says "Be careful. Even if you don’t believe it, give this to Nora."

Why?

Because Rory knows the elevator is kaput. In the script, we only read him tooking it earlier.

So as I've already explained below: Rory cares about the people around him- even those he's just met. That line is also proof that he's one of the first to believe Kimberly's claim about death chasing them. In fact, it was said Rory was the most helpful to her after Thomas and Clear (Can’t recall where I heard it, maybe a producer interview?)

Final note about the script:

Kat and Rory die much closer together- and happily. In the film, Kat is annoyed and says something like "Can you work quieter?" before dying, so it's not exactly a happy death. But in the script, she's already safe and celebrating when she dies. And Rory too is happy; is satisfied and smiling while doing coke.

That's not something you see often in Final Destination; two characters dying that close together both in terms of the place of death, time of death and the mood they were in right before/while dying.

Trivia: Kat’s death in the script is described as "Head-Kebab." Damn it 😭

Back to the film:

Rory is one of the first ones to take Kimberly and the whole death situation seriously. Eg; when he's hanging something to the storage room, even though no one asks what he's doing, he still feels like he has to explain it out loud: he clearly wants help without outright asking for it. (Kind of like what I mentioned earlier with the car scene.) But when help doesn't come, he goes through with it in an insecure way, and he takes the hook man shadow seriously- we can tell it bothered him.

Another moment: when Eugene freaks out and puts a gun to his head, Rory says, "Don't do it, chillax man" While his body language may seem exaggerated, you can really feel how he genuinely cares- not just himself, but Eugene and the others he's just met. When Eugene collapses, Rory rushes to help him calm down. And let's not forget: when Brian almost gets hit by a car, Rory saves him, saying, "You trying to get yourself killed, little boy?" That fits so well with my "Green flag trying to look like a Red flag" theory- or maybe the film wants us to sympathize with him before he dies.

Then there’s the car scene again where he says he wanted to see a theater in Paris. At first it felt off- didn't really match his character (Also does it mean a play or the movies?) But the situation was serious, so he let his guard down and had to talk about it.

There's a great contrast between how reluctantly he says "I had tickets to go..." and how excitedly he talks about doing coke and seeing a guy get crushed by a sign, though he was scared lol.

Same thing when Rory asks "Can you throw away my porno, drugs, and stuff when I die? I don't want to make my mom sad" He knows what he’s doing is wrong and cares about his loved ones. But like I said, maybe his insecurity makes him try to look like a red flag.

Still, I'm not sure how to interpret him doing coke right after asking Kimberly for that favor, but one thing is certain; conflicting desires and the choices made accordingly always add more depth to characters. And remember what I said earlier? To Kat, he says "Send it/Keep em coming" but to Kimberly, he asks nicely- maybe it's a sign of growth/development, coming to terms with his "Green flag" side. And I won't even get into, "Will it hurt when I die?" part in the same scene.

Now let's talk about the elevator scene- possibly filler but my favorite Rory scene. It adds nothing to the plot, just foreshadows the elevator danger and offers comic relief.

And in this scene, Rory doesn’t seem insecure at all. After all, who licks their hand and goes "Let me get that for you" to a stranger- for a thing that isn't even there? What exactly motivates them to do so?

Just to mess with him? Or he wanted to touch him? I've tried analyzing it but nah- nothing. But everything I've written proves that Rory does have actual depth- maybe even character development.

Though, this "confident/non-insecure" moment happens right after he does coke. (Honestly, is there even a single scene where the guy isn't on drugs? Blud was high the entire film)

I wonder if his use of coke/drugs might be about feeling more confident- getting high as a way to boost his self-esteem?

I don't know. This elevator scene messes with my head bro 😭

Edit: Remember when Rory takes off his shoe and asks "Is that dog shit?" Why does he do that? Because in the script, it happens around a large group- so maybe it's his insecurity again, trying to shift the blame or deflect attention after possibly feeling embarrassed.

Edit for Tumblr 3 days after posting this: I stumbled upon the novelization of Final Destination 2 (not sure if it's canon?) and decided to read the Rory scenes and honestly... WHAT THE ACTUAL FÜCK 💀🙏

-> Rory in the script: Sometimes rough, sometimes emotional, very insecure, caring towards his loved ones

-> Rory in the movie: Cool, Funny, Caring

-> Rory in the novel: H O R N Y C R A C K H E A D 😐

So firstly, Rory's surname isn't Peters here but "Cunningham" (Apparently it is a Scottish surname but when I first saw it I couldn't help but notice the "Cunning" part which kinda may fit him? Idk) He is not 27 years here, but 24.

Now read this:

"The air around him was thick with a heady mixture of marijuana smoke and burning joss sticks, and the rapid beat of his latest demo track thumped through the floormounted bass speakers, making the empty beer bottles strewn on top of the TV clatter. It was making him feel horny, for no particular reason.

But then, he was twenty-four. He always felt horny."

Wrap it up unc 🥀

Now, the novel actually gives us the answer why Rory says "Is that dog shit dude?"

Get ready...

Because he was drunk and/or on drugs 😐 Wow... He saw something wedged under his shoe and asked that to that guy. Just wow 😐

And also apparently he just "imagined" that something was on that man's face (we read that Rory even thinks that the thing, a piece of turkey, is growing) due to being drunk and/or being on drugs as well.

Come on dude... 😐

Out of all the answers we could have gotten we got the most simple and obvious one. I mean yeah it explains it but idk- it just doesn't add anything interesting to him at all. That's why I even questioned that elevator scene in the first place. What's worth analyzing is there if Rory was not really concious of his decisions during the elevator scene? What depth would be there for such character? Damnit.

Well, at least he was nice. He was hit with a sudden hilarity and wanted to laugh but controlled himself because "it was rude to laugh at people when you were in an elevator. He had to be polite." OK. 😐

Anyways, when the quote on quote "coke-head kid, Rory" sits on the couch besides Kat when they first go to Thomas' home, Kat is quote on quote "disgusted" and tries to sit as far away from him as humanly possible. OK. 😐

Also in this version, Rory doesn't ask for a Valium compared to the movie and script versions, which, if you've read above, we had concluded he might have asked that because he was insecure and needed it.

Though, I think I kinda like this exchange:

"So, maybe if you shut the fuck up you'll live, huh?" Rory muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, like I'm going to take advice from you,” Kat retorted, giving him a disgusted look.

We read that Kat finds Rory disgusting and maybe the writers wrote these because they didn't want us to ship Kat with Rory because there is another girl whom they most probably wanted us to ship Rory with instead... I wish I was joking. Let's read a bit about this.

"Rory wriggled deeper into his seat, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of being sandwiched next to X. True, she was kind of weird, but she was really warm and she smelt so good. He wondered vaguely if she would make out with him if they survived all this "Death" stuff."

What name do y'all think belongs to the X spot?

A-) Nora

B-) Clear

C-) Kimberly

D-) Isabella

The true answer is...

IT'S NORA THE WIDOOOOW 😰😱

WTF!? RORY U MF HER KID JUST DIED HOW COULD YOU BRO 😭✌️

jk.

it's kimberly 😐

*sighs*

*internal screaming*

Rory is just too pervert and kinda creep in this novel. He legit wants to make out with her. He thinks she "smells good and is warm". So... Um... Rory was actually with lots of girls at his "Bachelor Pad" when he heard the news of Evan Lewis dying and one of the girls was even unzipping his pants and he thought this was some bitching party and "he was getting more than lucky tonight." Ayo 💀🖐

So even though he isn't married yet, he slept with lots of girls and possibly had relationships with some too. (I'm unfamiliar with this strange relationship concept but won't write my opinions to not to make it biased 😝)

But maybe he wants someone to actually love this time? Kimberly made him realize this? We read multiple times in this book that Rory's life has always been sorta bad and we also read he truly cares for his loved ones just like we analyzed from the screenplay. So woah- yes, that could be!!!

But nah- unfortunately no.

After Kat's Expedition crashed while they were on the road to find the pregnant Isabella, in the scenes that followed, Rory knows it's his time to die, so he dreams of a death that he is "somewhere surrounded by dozens of beautiful naked women, too blissed-out to notice that the cyanide his twelfth ex-wife had slipped into his double mocha decaff that morning was finally taking effect."

Man that was a long ahh sentence.

(Also, I'm sorry but as you've read his dream, this version of Rory screams actually being RED FLAG!!! 🚩🚩🚩)

Now, letting my personal thoughts aside for the sake of unbiased 😝 analyzing; this doesn't sound like a character who cares for his loved ones to me that we had concluded after analyzing the movie and the screenplay.

Why? Because this way he would clearly dump Kimberly too. He even called her "crazy bitch" in his mind when he saw her at TV. He's way rougher in the novel than he was in the script.

Yes he called her that in his mind for fun but like... What's left of a character if all of what he says should not be taken seriously because those were the sake of comic relief?

I don't get it.

But well, that might be a contradiction oh right; to really care for the feelings of your loved ones but still you can't help yourself jumping from one girl to another, not seeing them like a genuine human being with hurt feelings just as real and painful as yours.

Can we conclude this? 😩✌️

I will admit though- I actually loved those 3-4 pages on which we dive into Rory's mind before and during his death. Those were really good to understand his mentality and life journey. I recommend you all to give those pages a read.

Now let's change the tone a bit and speak about what I liked:

-> I'm glad Rory saying he hid under a shopping cart for 4 hours and him tearing up while asking Kimberly for the favor are in this novel too. Oh god why did the movie said "begone th0t" to these 2 scenes 🥀

-> You guys remember the kerfuffle inside Thomas' home that made a canoe crush to the glass after Eugene's motorcycle ring fell to the floor?

After that, this happens:

"I should've seen that coming," Clear said dryly as she nonchalantly dusted herself off. Huddled on the sofa, Rory, Kat and Nora stared at her.

SO CUTE. As we saw in the movie but in this novel 3 of them are almost hugging 🥰

(Huddled apparently means something like things getting closer to each other so...)

Kat now isn't very disgusted by him huh 🤭

That was it.

Now let me very quickly list the things I didn't like that much and try to analyze some of them:

-> So, Rory wanted to make out with Kimberly, and later, Kimberly thinks Rory doesn't look that bad actually, it would be even good if he took a shower...

GOD PLS NO WTF GOD NO NOT THEM OMG NOT THEEEM 😭😭😭

(Text: "She turned to look at him properly, watching as he stood and twitched and sniffed, his unwashed hair hanging down in greasy ringlets around his face. He actually wasn't that bad looking, she thought, if only he would get a haircut and a shave, and maybe take a shower every once in a while.")

And also, Kat actually finds the guy who came to save him cute!!! 😱

WHOEVER WROTE THIS NOVEL HATED RORY X KAT YALL AND DIDNT WANT US TO SHIP THEM I JUST KNOW IT 😩

BUT NAH- RORY X KAT FOREVER!!! RAWWWRRRHHHH-

-> Do you remember Kimberly saying "If I call you and say "subway, get to a high rise fast." while they were at Thomas' home?

Upon this, Rory looks at her with a confusion on his face. So Kimberly, while rolling her eyes, explains him what she means. Then she thinks in her mind:

"She hoped that Thomas would have some luck in finding the white van soon, because if she ended up in a padded cell with this Rory guy, she might as well just shoot herself right now and be done with it."

the AUDACITY of Kimberly thinking like this when her friends who died in the car crash were not so different than Rory 🥀

In fact she even admits this:

"She was dimly aware of Rory hanging on the periphery of her vision, but was too focused on what was going on in front of her to pay him much attention. As it was, most of what he'd said to her up 'til this point consisted of callous jokes at someone else's expense or drugrelated humor. In a way, he reminded her of a far grungier, more burned-out version of Dano."

So I too realized in the novel, he just jokes a lot. And Kimberly doesn't care about him that much even tho he was one of the first to believe her and 'helped her' (I think it was mostly because he was afraid of dying and so he probably thought there is nothing to lose if I believe her and help her)

-> In this novel version, Rory doesn't give Eugene the phone so he could give it Nora. He just says "Be careful dude"

Thomas does that instead.

Though, this was his apartment after all so he possibly knew the elevator is kaput so it kinda makes sense he would be the one to do that.

But how in the world could a cop know this, and still make a woman, who he knows is about to meet her maker, go there even though they legit worked hard to escape death just minutes before???

Well, we read that he was a rookie cop or something but anyways, this isn't about him 💔

-> In this novel, Rory says this:

"...I mean, someone in this car is about to get whacked; do the rest of you really feel like sitting next to him? Or her?"

As you can see, he says "rest of you", meanwhile in the movie and the screenplay he said "rest of us".

This tells me yes he still doesn't like to sit next to a dead body but now he provides it to them more clearly. It sounds less insecure of him actually.

-> Above, I was wondering why Rory would decide to do coke right after asking Kimberly for the favor of throwing his drugs and stuff.

We have an answer why here:

"If he was going to die soon, why not doing it?" Oh my f1cking god 😀

-> Rory wanted to be Rock Star ever since he was a kid; a guitarist. One of the guys at his Bachelor Pad was said to be his bass player.

As I understood, he was in a band but the band wasn't really successful.

There is one crucial line here though which almost made me shed a tear.

So apparently, he wanted to be a famous musician like Kurt Cobain. It says:

"Nothing was going to stop him.

Nothing, it turned out, but himself."

...

This line opened my eyes on Rory's personality and his decisions made in this novel. His addiction... was a problem. I should have understood that already by the book saying time to time that his life has never been fine. He also described his life as fucked up and never going right. He had said he truly loved his loved ones but he doesn't like who he is. Also, read this, it comes right after Rory gives Kimberly his stuff:

"Rory took a deep breath and blew it back out through his teeth, relieved to have at least one worry taken off his shoulders."

He really was having a burnout his whole life...

I didn't really see it that way until now because he was like a comic relief indeed.

I feel like it came so suddenly but looking back... WE HAD THE WHOLE BUILD UP!

And I'm angry at myself because I actually have a friend (shout out to Blake, if he ever reads this) who was struggling with addiction and after rehab, he came clean. Drugs and addiction are something Blake always opens up whenever we have a convo, I see it now very well that it really is hard to let go of truly, it makes its way into your life but there's this...

... Wasn't Rory's actions/scenes supposed to be for comic relief, as Kimberly also says something similar to it (I had written about this above) but now with this line it all turned upside down? Ah damn it...

-> Rory's drug habit is described as "expensive" on one of the pages I recommended you all to read.

Guess it checks out why our hb was a Chevette driver. Though, I guess he was driving the Mustang in the book...

(I feel stupid not having guessed that obviously drugs would be expensive... I'm innocent af 🤣😐)

Now let me finish this:

I love how while at Thomas' home, Rory goes to the closet and many stuff fall towards him, he actually screams and cries for help when he falls.

"Help! Help me!"

"In his mind's eye he could see his throat being sliced open by the blades on the hockey skates, his eyes being gouged out by the soccer cleats, his skull crushed like a ripe melon by the bowling ball."

He keeps his eyes out for these things huh.

Then he falls and makes other things fall with him.

"Kimberly stared at him accusingly, and rolled her eyes as she saw the mess he'd made.

"Sorry," Rory said lamely."

Bro Kimberly had a beef with Rory 😭✌️

So anyways, it's just very vulnerable to me. In fact, Kimberly also describes Rory looking vulnerable later on, I think she had sensed it through his eyes...

His true nature is vulnerable and insecure, he is loving and caring but drugs destroyed his life. He acts cool and jokes around, tries to look like a red flag, probably lives with his unsuccessful band at the Bachelor Pad and being broke with so many problems and regrets...

He is real and he is relatable. Many people today are like that, just the thing that altered their true self may not always be drugs.

To whoever reading this; Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones, or even a stranger you think needs it ♡

Thank you for reading.

#final destination 2 #final destination #rory peters #analysis #character analysis #horror movies #kimberly corman #ian mckinley #sam lawton #peter friedkin #fd5 #fd2 #horror #wendy christensen

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