Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
The best moment of a mystery thriller, with a detective involved, is when the detective peels the layers of the mystery for the audience to lose their minds in the crafty way in which everything was constructed. This climax where the detective puts together all the obvious pieces of the puzzle to present a beautiful picture is what turns out to be the most satisfying reward for the audience.Rian Johnson’sGlass Onionpresents this opportunity in its glorious fashion in the final moments when Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) lays out the pieces in front of the group, the members of which are all complacent in the crime one way or the other. ButGlass Onionpulls a trick on the viewers when it solves the mystery but prevents the detective from delivering justice. When the napkin is burnt by Miles Bron (Edward Norton), the evidence of everything he did vanishes. At this moment, it becomes clear that a detective can do only so much without evidence to back his theory.
This is when Blanc passes the baton to Helen Brand (Janelle Monáe) to allow her rage to take over. At the end ofGlass Onion,what pure detective work couldn’t achieve is achieved by uncontrolled anger as Helen burns down the Glass Onion, and with it, the Mona Lisa, bringing Bron’s empire to its knees. Through this brilliant curveball, not only doesGlass Onionavoid the risk of repetition in which the detective narrates the events to the awe of the bystanders, but it also makes it evident that while some mysteries need a detective to bring things to a boil, they may not need one to let the moment burst forth and erupt.
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Benoit Blanc Ushers the Climax But Does Not Deliver It
Great detective mysteries bank on how the detective connects the dots to create a great blueprint of the crime that unfolded. Benoit Blanc, with his accent and observational skills, achieves the same but in his own style. InKnives Out,Benoit Blanc serves as an observer of the family drama unfolding in front of his eyes as he attempts to solve the mystery behind the death of wealthy mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas) does much of the legwork until in the final moments of the film, Benoit Blanc comes out of the corner of the room to save the day with his deductions. When it comes toGlass Onion,the famous detective takes a more active role in the action as, contrary to first impression, he is not there to take part in a genius billionaire’s weekend games. Benoit Blanc’s true intention lies in uncovering the mystery behind the suspicious death of Andi, Cassandra’s twin sister (also Monáe) and Miles Bron’s former business partner.
Blanc first believes that Miles would be an obvious target as the stage is set for his eventual death with the billionaire inviting a group of friends who all have reason to kill the man if the opportunity arises. But when Duke (Dave Bautista) becomes the first victim, a real twist is thrown into the story. By the end of the film, Blanc achieves his purpose by revealing that Miles killed Andi because he knew that Andi had the original napkin on which the idea of the empire that Miles enjoyed was first written down by Andi. The napkin was key to proving that Miles' company Alpha was the brainchild of Andi. Just before the real climax, Benoit Blanc lays down the intricacies of Miles Bron’s plans to the benefit of the audience.
In true detective style, Blanc reveals that Miles Bron was behind Andi’s death, as he knew she had found the original napkin that she would use to bring him down to his knees. Although Andi’s death was intended to look like a suicide, Duke had seen Miles leaving Andi’s place. In short, Duke knew that Andi’s death wasn’t a suicide as the world believed it to be. When Duke came to know about Andi’s death, he blackmailed Miles to get a spot on Alpha News. This dangerous knowledge, in possession of Duke, motivated Miles to poison Duke before he could gain more advantage over him.All this unwrappingwould have been a great ending for theKnives Outmystery had it helped bring Miles Bron’s action in front of the law. But what good is a great mystery if the one who has wronged has not paid for his sins?
‘Glass Onion’ Limits the Role of Benoit Blanc
Glass Onionpulls a stunner when Miles Bron burns the last piece of evidence that would prove him guilty of his crime - the original napkin with Andi’s handwriting. To add to the misery of the detective, all the witnesses choose the side of the billionaire who would help them with their eventual goals. Here, it becomes evident that a detective can only do so much in the real world. Interestingly, at this moment, thisKnives Outmystery drops its caricaturish facade and becomes as real as it gets. It chooses to side with the evil as Benoit Blanc realizes that there’s nothing to prove Miles Bron’s guilt without the evidence i.e., the napkin.
With the evidence lost, the ball falls out of the hands of the detective and is caught by Helen Brand. Benoit Blanc offers courage to the mourning sister in the form of a glass of alcohol and subliminally asks her to let her rage take over. In this instance, Helen starts destroying the many precious glass sculptures placed within Bron’s glass paradise. Soon enough, she puts on a fire and uses the compound called Klear to set the whole place blazing. The flames devour Bron’s haven and with it, the precious and world-famous Mona Lisa is turned to ashes. While Bron doesn’t realize the damage Helen has caused to his reputation at first, the reality dawns upon him when Helen puts the pieces together for him. Helen makes it clear to Bron that his reputation will be destroyed when the world comes to know that his magical compound Klear has been behind the destruction of the most famous painting in the world. Helen has exacted her revenge in a sweet fashion and interestingly, the detective of the movie was smoking a cigar by the pool all this while. In the best climax to a mystery movie, the detective was not the one leading the action.
‘Glass Onion’ Deviates From Detective Story Endings
Without following the track left by its many glorious counterparts in the detective mystery genre,Glass Onionchooses to conclude the mystery by allowing the human impulse to set the record straight. While it would have been satisfying to see Benoit Blanc tie up the culprit without leaving any loose ends, a greater pleasure is offered to the audience by allowing Helen Brand to become the one who carries out justice.Glass Onion’sclimax offers poetic justice with Miles Bron using fire to remove the evidence from the picture and at the same time, Helen Brand using the same fire to bring her nemesis to his knees. By doing so,Glass Onionsidelines the detective and allows the characters to sort out the chaos.
The ways things end inGlass Onionmakes it clear that not all mysteries need a conclusion with the culprit being taken behind bars to feel satisfying. Sometimes, the detective’s role can be just limited to giving the entire situation some coherent meaning. The eventual outcome may not necessarily be in the hands of the detective.Glass Oniongoes out of its way to prove that sometimes the detective is given way too much limelight in a story where the sleuth has the least stakes and is naturally the one least affected by the outcome. Importantly,Glass Onionwould not have done anything differently if it would have allowed Benoit Blanc to bring justice to the doors of Miles Bron. Instead, by choosing to give lesser importance to Benoit Blanc in its ending,Glass Onionestablished that a sleuth’s power of deduction may not help against the power and money of a billionaire. By giving the reigns of the situation to Helen Brand,Glass Onionacknowledges that some situations require extraordinary measures, even if it is at the cost of stealing the thunder from the most important character in a detective mystery — the detective.
Glass Oniondoes not provide the opportunity for the audience to see the detective, in all his glory, breaking down a perfect crime. Rather it chooses to state in big bold letters that it’s important for the detective to sometimes not meddle in the action. Although Blanc paves the way for Helen, it’s Helen who dictates the climax. Through this brilliant choice,Glass Onionestablishes that while great mysteries feel incomplete without great detective work, not all mysteries necessitate a detective — sometimes chaos does the work equally well.
