A surprising hostage situation, a visually stunning final course, and one chef's legacy literally going up in smoke. The ending of "The Menu" continues to delight viewers for so many reasons.
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00:00A surprising hostage situation, a visually stunning final chorus, and one chef's legacy
00:05literally going up in smoke, the ending of the menu continues to delight viewers for
00:10so many reasons.
00:12One of the biggest mysteries in the menu is Chef Slowik, since it seems like he's really
00:17going through a full-on breakdown throughout the night.
00:20He makes a creepy early impression with a disturbing tale of childhood trauma, made
00:24all the more chilling by Ralph Fiennes' incredible performance.
00:27Plus, he's somehow been able to convince his staff to follow him to the end, literally.
00:32He's ready to end it all, and he's planning to take his guests, his staff, and himself
00:36out in a ball of fire.
00:37So why is Chef Slowik suddenly ready to end everything?
00:40The accomplished chef explains that after years of cooking overly artsy food for unworthy
00:45and disrespectful clients, he's completely lost his passion for cooking.
00:49He now looks to end his suffering by dishing out some cold revenge.
00:53Chef Slowik's latest menu is simply him punishing those that have brought him into this life.
00:57And embody everything he's grown to hate about the avant-garde food world, including petty
01:02food critics, narcissistic businessmen, and pretentious foodies.
01:06This growing disdain perfectly explains Chef Slowik's generally cold presence.
01:10In fact, his existence has become so bad that he would rather die than have to cook another
01:15meal ever again.
01:16I've been fooled into trying to satisfy people who can never be satisfied."
01:21Chef Slowik gradually reveals why he is ready to end it all, and get some cold revenge on
01:26his guests.
01:27However, it's more difficult to figure out why his staff is so willing to follow him
01:31into the abyss.
01:32Most of them are young and could have some promising cooking careers ahead of them thanks
01:36to the impeccable dishes they serve.
01:38So why are they willing to go down in flames and never even think about fighting back?
01:42Sadly, the answer is that there's no place they'd rather be.
01:46It would be easy to say that Chef Slowik simply brainwashes the cooks to follow his order
01:50because of how in sync they are with him at every turn.
01:53Truthfully, everyone's more than willing to be there just so they can work for Chef
01:57Slowik.
01:58Slowik's staff represents the allure of desperately wanting to make it in a tough industry and
02:03the willingness to do just about anything to attain accolades and respect.
02:07They might know that this will be the last meal they cook, but if they're working on
02:10Chef Slowik's masterpiece, then it's an opportunity they can't pass up.
02:15It's basically the same reason that people don't quit after Gordon Ramsay screams and
02:18yells at them during service.
02:20Their staying mentality embodies their views of their art, being more valued alongside
02:25Chef Slowik, even in death.
02:27Throughout the film, there's a silver door in the restaurant that catches the attention
02:31of Anya Taylor-Joy's Margot, which adds another mystery to the whole ordeal.
02:36Once Margot is able to go into Chef Slowik's house while running an errand for him, she
02:40discovers what's behind an identical door in his house.
02:43What she finds could be easily considered Chef Slowik's planning and motivation room
02:47since there are newspaper clippings on the walls of some of his reviews and photos that
02:51embody his rise to prominence.
02:53However, Margot makes a more important discovery that inspires her fight for survival.
02:57In his secret room, she sees a photo of Chef Slowik working as a chef at a local burger
03:02joint.
03:03He's smiling, and it looks as though he truly has a passion for cooking.
03:06It might look unimportant to most, but Margot sees it as a symbol of Chef Slowik's love
03:10for food and a reminder of the simpler life he had before becoming a world-famous culinary
03:16As well as giving Margot the opportunity to survive Chef Slowik's final meal, it delves
03:21deep into the chef's psyche.
03:22Guess what?
03:23Yes, Chef.
03:27Chef Slowik tells Margot that his guests are being punished for destroying his love of
03:30food.
03:31He reveals that they also embody a world of cooking that's devoid of any real passion,
03:35but he views her as different.
03:37Unlike the other guests, he respects her and believes that she is much more real than anyone
03:42else sitting in the dining room.
03:43Despite this respect, Chef Slowik doesn't plan on letting Margot go, so she's forced
03:48to figure out a way to leave on her own.
03:50Inspired by the photo of Chef Slowik cooking burgers in his youth, Margot challenges him
03:54to make her a simple cheeseburger and fries.
03:57In this moment, there's a legitimate power shift, and Margot even does Chef Slowik's
04:01signature hand clap to get everyone's attention.
04:04With confidence, she looks totally in control as she's served a mouth-watering burger with
04:08fries.
04:09Touching on the chef's long-buried desire to make simple food with love, Margot finds
04:14a way to escape from his revenge menu.
04:16Margot's discovery of Chef Slowik's past as a burger chef is a major turning point in
04:21the film and heavily inspires her to order a cheeseburger in order to possibly save herself.
04:26Her request is granted, and Chef Slowik makes one hell of a plate of cheeseburger and fries
04:30that makes you want to rip it off the screen and eat it yourself.
04:33But there's more to this cheeseburger than meets the eye.
04:35I'll make you feel as if you're eating the first cheeseburger you ever ate."
04:40Not only does this cheeseburger connect to a former part of Chef Slowik's life as a chef
04:44who genuinely loved to cook, but it symbolizes a part of cooking that's lost on most of the
04:49people in the room.
04:50It represents that brand of easy cooking that's timeless and never needs to be flashy in order
04:55to establish a connection with people.
04:57It's innocent and has real flavor to it, not because of special spices, but because the
05:02love and touch of the person cooking it is present in every bite.
05:05When I eat your food, it tastes like it was made with no love.
05:09Chef Slowik doesn't even prepare a fancy cheeseburger and fries.
05:13Instead, it's just a nice, simple burger sitting on top of a paper plate that easily puts a
05:17smile on a person's face.
05:19It certainly puts a smile on Chef Slowik's face and reignites his radiating love of food
05:24that had been gone for so long.
05:25Now that… is a cheeseburger.
05:32After getting Chef Slowik to fill her request for a cheeseburger, there's a tense moment
05:35in which everyone wonders if he'll actually let Margot go.
05:39Even in her request to have the rest of the meal to go, viewers can't help but question
05:42if her ruse will actually work.
05:44But surprisingly, it does.
05:46Chef Slowik wraps up all her food in a paper bag, gives her a party favor bag, and tells
05:50his staff to let her walk out the door and leave.
05:53But why does he have a change of heart when it comes to Margot?
05:55This menu, this guest list, this entire evening has been painstakingly planned, and you were
06:02not a part of that plan.
06:03Throughout the menu, Chef Slowik constantly tells Margot that she's different from the
06:07other guests because she seems more genuine and real, and isn't meant to be there in the
06:11first place.
06:12By ordering a cheeseburger, Margot proves that she's not like anyone else in the room
06:16as she can appreciate a simple home-cooked meal.
06:19Chef Slowik likely lets her go because she doesn't deserve to die with the rest of the
06:22room, or because he respects how clever she is when she makes that to-go request.
06:27Either way, Margot uses Chef Slowik's original love of food to make a last-ditch effort to
06:32survive, and it totally works.
06:34Once Margot is allowed to leave, everyone wonders if Chef Slowik will have a change
06:38of heart and end the bloodshed that's consumed the night.
06:41After all, Chef Slowik has been reminded of his love of food and cooked a meal that brings
06:45some genuine warmth to the character for the first time in the film.
06:49However, once Margot leaves, he reverts back to his old form, as the final course is ready
06:54to be served.
06:55So why doesn't Margot's cheeseburger request change anything for Chef Slowik?
06:59Chef Slowik doesn't have a real change of heart at any point, and he's still committed
07:03to his final menu.
07:04Just because Margot showed that she isn't like the others in the room doesn't mean that
07:08it changes anything for any of the other diners or Chef Slowik.
07:12He always felt that Margot was different, and once she's out of the line of fire, there's
07:16nothing stopping him from completing his masterpiece.
07:19Frankly, even the other guests seem to accept their fate, as no one tries to stop Chef Slowik
07:23in the final moments.
07:24In fact, Judith lights Anne even waves for Margot to leave, showing that the remaining
07:29guests are already resigned to their fate.
07:33Although Margot is able to escape, the other guests are basically trapped for the final
07:37course.
07:38Chef Slowik suggests that the diners could fight back, and he even allows the men to
07:42run and hide on the island during the men's folly course.
07:45But in all seriousness, could anyone else actually escape if they tried?
07:49To our male diners, we now offer you the chance to escape.
07:53The answer is likely no.
07:55The Hawthorne staff are plenty fit to fight off any physical advances made by their guests,
08:00and no one is able to effectively hide during their terrifying rendition of Hide and Seek.
08:04Even if other diners tried to play on Chef Slowik's humanity in the way that Margot did,
08:09he would probably see their attempts as insincere and keep them captive anyway.
08:13Throughout the film, the guests are told there's no escape for them, and that seems
08:16like the case right up to the bitter end.
08:19After all of the many horrors seen throughout the night, everyone's left wondering what
08:23Chef Slowik has up his sleeve for the final course, especially as it's likely going to
08:27be the last meal anyone has.
08:29Like any classic auteur chef, he can't do something simple and goes for an avant-garde
08:34take on s'mores.
08:35As for why he chooses this particular dish, Chef Slowik talks about s'mores being the
08:40staple of any innocent childhood, curling up around the fire with family and friends
08:44roasting marshmallows.
08:46This final course seemingly represents the innocence that was lost by Chef Slowik himself
08:50throughout his career.
08:52Instead of roasting marshmallows, the plan is to roast everyone inside Hawthorne.
08:56It's a visually stunning dish, prepared in a typically theatrical fashion.
09:00Everything and everyone going up in flames is a horrifying sight to behold, especially
09:04as all of the guests are covered in marshmallows.
09:07It's a fiery final course, with some solid symbolism and horrifying conclusions.
09:13With Chef Slowik's menu finally coming together and his final course in action, there's only
09:17one way for things to end, and that's in flames.
09:21Just after saying his goodbyes and giving his final words to the guests, Chef Slowik
09:25lights the room ablaze and puts an end to this night of horrors.
09:29Meanwhile, Margot's escape is not quite going to plan since the boat breaks down on the
09:34water.
09:35From Margot's point of view, we see the final results of Chef Slowik's menu and what's left
09:39of Hawthorne.
09:40As Margot looks back at Hawthorne, she sees flames bursting out of windows and the entire
09:45building starting to burn down.
09:47The restaurant, and possibly the entire island, will simply turn to ash before anyone can
09:51save it.
09:52Chef Slowik's vision has been fully realized.
09:55The final course also presents the perfect backdrop for Margot to simply keep eating
09:59her cheeseburger in peace, knowing that she survived.
10:03While a sequel to the menu hasn't been announced, fans are wondering whether Chef Slowik might
10:07return to torment a new set of guests in the future.
10:10However, the movie ends pretty definitively with the completion of the chef's menu literally
10:14going up in smoke.
10:16As Chef Slowik is last seen inside the restaurant with the guests and his staff, it seems unlikely
10:21that he has any plans to escape the fiery mess of his own making.
10:25You represent the ruin of my art and my life."
10:30At the end of the menu, Hawthorne is burned to the ground.
10:33Margot was the sole survivor.
10:35Chef Slowik's legacy is destroyed by his own masterpiece, with no real successor mentioned
10:40or hinted at.
10:41As a result, it seems likely that The Menu is a superb one-off horror story full of decadent
10:47food, sharp comedy, and disturbing moments.
10:50If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please dial or text 988 to speak
10:55with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
10:58You can also seek help by visiting 988lifeline.org.