MovieChat Forums > They Might Be Giants (1971) Discussion > What happened at the ending? **SPOILER**

What happened at the ending? SPOILER

posted 21 years ago by mcerion
77 replies | jump to latest

When I first saw this film I thought that the Dr. Watson character had slipped into Holmes' view of the world at the end in the park. In other words, she had slipped into his insanity and saw Moriarity just as Holmes did, but, later when I viewed the film again I felt that the characters had died at the end. Obviously this new understanding of the ending changed the entire feeling of the film for me. It now seems so bittersweet. Did anyone else see it that way?

I know this board isn't getting a lot of traffic, so I will check back once in awhile in the hopes that eventually someone will see this post.

[–] Druff (1801) a year ago

I didn't overthink it. Holmes had endured a major tragedy and his mind had broken but he was happy. Watson had lead a fairly "normal" and mundane life, and she was miserable. Over the course of the movie, she gradually came over to his side. I don't think she necessarily literally went insane, but the embraced his way of finding joy by seeing clues and mysteries in everyday life. There was no Moriarity and there would never be a Moriarity. It ends with them standing at the mouth of a tunnel waiting for Moriarity to appear. A few seconds later, after it was clear nothing was actually happening, they would shrug and go home.

Or maybe the assassin would appear from the tunnel on horseback and shoot Holmes in the eyeball. Who knows? Nobody.

The ending is deliberately ambiguous, and looking for an actual definitive conclusion is pure folly.

[–] Owlwise (1535) 5 months ago

I still return to this board, and to this thread in particular, after all these years. More & more it strikes me that the beauty of the ending is that every possibility proposed & discussed here over the years can be equally true. And that's the genius of the ending as well. It will never be a film for everyone— especially not for those who are enamored of the current geek culture demand for neatly-tied-in-a-bow "logical" endings where everything must fit tightly—but for those of us who respond powerfully to poetry & imagination, it remains a source of endless delight & always thoughtful musing. Whenever I'm feeling low & dispirited, this is one of the movies that I'll turn to for a reminder of beauty, dreams, hope.