Beetlejuice the Musical: How to Fix the Ending
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- čas přidán 14. 05. 2021
- I've really been enjoying Beetlejuice: The Musical recently. However, the ending seems to contradict the message and themes of the rest of the show. So, let's talk about that! I'd love to hear what other people think.
I know it's been ages since I've used this account, and I can't promise I'll continue uploading a lot, but I'm back for now so let's see how this goes. - Zábava
It's not so much that he wants to leave at the end, it's that he doesn't have a choice - he's recently deceased. He has to proceed directly to the Netherworld. He's really just putting a brave face on it.
You can interpret it that way, but it also seems like whatever force is drawing him to the Netherworld disappears when Juno enters and the door is closed. After all, the Maitlands never have to go to the Netherworld despite being recently deceased, and they avoid getting sucked through the door as well. The logic of how the Netherworld works is pretty loosely defined in the show, and the writers could have found an excuse for him to stay if they’d wanted to (as proved by a couple of cut songs).
But, overall, my point is just generally that they should have followed through with the themes/ redemption arc that was set up, or just made Beetlejuice 100% the villain. I personally find the middle ground they ended up with to be unsatisfying.
Yeah, it's all a matter of perspective. For me they got the balance right; he couldn't have been sufficiently redeemed to stick around, but was too redeemed to be entirely condemned. The end could have done with a polish, but for me it was good enough.
I definitely preferred the film version of Juno, but of course making Beetlejuice likeable meant they needed a villain...
I think the Netherworld is the ultimate destination for the deceased, but "ghosts" and other entities are ones who refuse to follow the handbook and break the rules. In the musical spirits aren't _supposed_ to remain in the world of the living. Beetlejuice isn't a ghost, he's a *demon* who can be summoned and is long forgotten and thus bored and screwing around with people to cause chaos to amuse himself. BJ is bored and tired and destructive and _needs_ to be exorcized and move on. Not proceeding directly to the Netherworld for a short time is fine for ghosts with unfinished business to figure out like the Maitlands, but BJ doesn't belong in the house anymore.
Plus, I think the show was much more subversive before it came to Broadway, and redeeming Beetlejuice to give him a happy ending on Earth really isn't what the show is about. Beetlejuice himself would probably say that's lame, and his rebirth and sudden death and acceptance of moving on are a subversion from the family themes of all the other characters. BJ, lovable as he becomes, is toxic chaos that isn't good for anyone and the embodiment of negative energy everyone needs to get rid of. Delia would understand!
@@hanonondricek411 Plus, I 100% believe that BJ is proud of Lydia tricking and killing him. He can now find new friends in the Netherworld, rather than forcing himself on people who don't want him around.
I’m doing a fanfiction where he does stay and redeem himself. And there’s also a bit of a romance between BJ and Lydia.
(Don’t worry. She’s 17 and he’s 19-looking.)
I think the writers of the musical didn't create a sympathetic Beetlejuice ---- the actor created a sympathetic Beetlejuice. So, of course, the writers didn't make him part of the "extended family". Your take on this is because of Alex's portrayal. A different actor, with different direction (but the very same script), with just subtle differences in some line readings, would have made Beetlejuice quite a bit more sinister.
Good point! With the OG Michael Keaton Beetlejuice, he wasn't as much of a sympathetic character, and (partially in thanks to the special effects and stop-motion Beetle-snake) was more of a scarier and darkly humorous character.
At least with the musical continuity, I can see Beetlejuice becoming friends with Lydia (and eventually leading up to the old cartoon version) better than in the movie version.
Yeah I totally agree! I’ve seen Alex Brightman and Justin Colette’s Beetlejuice. They were both amazing actors but Alex was a lot more sympathetic and Justin felt a lot more sinister with the same script.
Counterpoint: the song "That Beautiful sound"
Yeah I can totally see that. I guess I wasn’t really rooting for Beetlejuice, I was rooting for Alex.
@@portagenial It's a song about scaring people to death. That's pretty sinister.
Sky the girl scout, who opens the second act, is the first victim during the beautiful sound scene. The original stage direction called for her to die of fright -- although that was changed before the Broadway opening, intentionally terrifying someone that fragile is definitely evil.
My theory was that BJ himself was too ashamed of what he did and didn’t think THEY’D want him around anymore. And no one really objects to it cuz he did do some pretty messed up stuff and none of them know him well enough… except for Lydia. I think it does make sense that he has to leave and give them all time to heal before he comes back. And it’s pretty much cannon at this point that he DOES come back (what with all the fanfic)
I love this theory so much!! :D
I actually thought that the musical was almost a perfect prequel to the cartoon series. Imagine this: right after they're done cleaning up at the end, Lydia goes up to her room. And who does she see in her mirror? :D Just a thought, but I always liked to imagine it that way.
The fact that he's way more comedic and that they become friends gave me the animated series vibes.
I love this prompt.
yeah, but lydia in the cartoon is 12, this theory isn't logical, but its still really nice.
Def agree. The musical feels more like the cartoon than the film.
I actually had the same thought. BJ is a permanent resident of the Netherworld, but Lydia will one day be able to summon him and send him back as she pleases. Just as long as BJ doesn't try to kill her dad and stepmom again.
The musical should have ended with Beetlejuice going to therapy. I hope there's a dead therapist out there who can give him the help he needs
Oh my god I can see it so well. “It all started the day I died…”
Adam ghostwrote this (rimshot)
The therapist would probably have committed suicide, so they’d know what they’re talking about
imagine he tells the therapist about the herpes story 💀
@@Mr_Beeble_booseTherapist: Yes yes, I watch the play
I think it just needs an "I'll be back" added. As you said Beetlejuice never wanted freedom for freedoms sake, but now that he has it it'll be nice having a place he can return to
I feel like they could have done something like before Beetlejuice leaves Lydia says like "your always welcome here though" but then he rejects the offer for now to find his father or something but then sings a reprise of say my name with the lyrics saying like if you ever need my help you can always call for me
So it kinda goes with the Beetlejuice cartoon where Lydia and him are best friend and Lydia just summons him alot
Exactly
could just be california but in the tour they said something about him being welcome from time to time and they’d be glad to see him
I agree. In my opinion, the only reason to have Beetlejuice's mom as a character at all is for him to have a redemption arc. He didn't need to stay with the family, exactly. He could have been heading into the netherworld and Lydia say she'll miss him and he reply, "Yeah. I finally found a place I belong and now it's time to leave. Bye, dorks."
I'm guessing maybe the producers were aware of how the culture at large interprets Beetlejuice's relationship with Lydia (srsly there are so many couples who dress as them for Halloween or even at their wedding) and didn't want to feed into that. Hence the whole creepy old guy number, explicitly going against a romantic reading. I'm guessing that's also why they played up Beetlejuice's flirting with Adam and why Beetlejuice couldn't just stay and live with Lydia and her family in the end. I'm really not sure tho
Mhm I agree it feels quite intentional
Beetlejuice's relationship with Lydia has gone through so many progressive inceptions even before shooting the original film. The original scriptwriter Michael McDowell had a significantly darker and I'll be honest troubling concept for Beetlejuice which included rape. I have a feeling the musical creative team were implicitly aware of that too and like Burton before, wanted to do as much work to distance the harm in the storyline as possible. The paedophilia has always been rampant since it first came into being but the development work has helped.
@@Firegen1 excuse me RAPE?? That’s just so messed up 🙁
@@Firegen1
Unfortunately true. The old cartoon didn't help either (considering the series was all about how Beetlejuice and Lydia hung out together). Thankfully the musical pretty much emphasizes that their friendship is platonic.
Ok I really agree with most of the video but maybe, it was actually more in character...? Like, imagine the house one year later, Lydia and her parents go on with their life as a family, the Maitland are friends with them and support them while they explore themselves trying new things, but how would be everyday life to beetlejuice? Probably his happiest moment in the musical is in "that beautiful sound", when he has a friend, but he also has the opportunity to scare people and be caotic, which he would lose if he tried to completely fit with the rest of the family. I would also argue that without counting the time he spent stalking them, he knew the other characters just for two days or so, and since he can be seen thanks to Lydia, he could easily make new friends. While family is for sure and important theme in beetlejuice, moving on with your life is too, and even if it's not clearly expressed I think that he actually wants to see the world, and that he has some responsibility to face in the neitherworld.
...
Ok I'm just trying to justify the ending because I was really sad when he left the house.
I think killing Juno should've broken his curse and he can go travel the world. Just imagine how hilarious it would be if he came back in a sequel or something, dressed like a stereotypical tourist and carting bags and bags of souvenirs.
@@mysteroads5598 There was actually a planned sequel called “Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian”!
"I see you. I accept you. I fear for my safety around you." - BJ lol
I was kind of sad when he left, him and Lydia are such fun best friends and it doesn’t feel right with him just leaving lol
Fr
Eh, by the time BJ tricked Lydia into exercising Barbara, I don't think Lydia saw him as much of a friend anymore.
@@MsAliciaRLJust a creepy old guy
As someone who saw the DC version. It made a lot more sense him leaving. He was more sinister and the whole show had a darker tone.
They babified it for broadway and made him far nicer and sympathetic.
To be fair, they did what they did to keep the show running. The DC tryout wasn't well reviewed. I think part of it is also Alex's performance. He delivers very, very sinister lines with excellent comic delivery. His Beetlejuice is less threatening just because of his acting choices (also probably direction).
Said every Beetlejuice the Musical artist/fanfiction writer EVER!
He did threaten to kill them multiple times, some of them he had no reason to. And when he does get revived he immediately wants to go on a murder spree. So Beetlejuice is right, it would be weird for them to forgive him completely. I think the awkward goodbye is the perfect send off for him. Sort of like a "we don't know how to feel about you, but good luck!"
I would argue that almost exorcising Barbara in order to blackmail Lydia would probably make it a little harder for the Maitland's to forgive him, but I get your argument. Also, I think they didn't want people to get distracted from the ending number by Beetlejuice, since Lydia is still the main character so it's only right to finish the musical with her.
Honestly, I don't really think the focus is much on family. We're told multiple times "this is a show about death", and that really is the main focus. It's not just death, though, but also coming to terms with death, acceptance, and moving on. Like there's definitely a family subplot going on, but it's not the main focus.
Lydia and Charles are dealing with the death of a mother and wife. The whole thing with the focus being shifted from Adam and Barbara to Lydia is to flesh out how the loss of her mother is affecting her. She's so heartbroken and lost that she considers killing herself, not just because she's sad, but also because her father refuses to acknowledge her and her feelings. At the end, though we see Lydia and Charles come to accept things and work towards moving on.
Adam and Barbara are dealing with their own deaths, not just their physical deaths, but the death of their future and what they might have had. They have to come to terms with the fact that they never got to have a family or even find themselves. But then they come to terms with their loss, using their deaths as a means of letting go of their past to become better people so they can be there for Lydia. They accept what they've lost in order to gain something else.
Dehlia is also dealing with death, in a way. She fears her own future has died, that she has no chance to really fit in anywhere because of past rejections and abandonments. She's insecure, but at the end she lets go of all that to actually *be* there for Lydia, even though in her own words she doesn't understand it but she's part of it. She lets go of that fear of a dead future in order to try to have one, and winds up being accepted and finding her place.
Hell even Beetlejuice has to deal with death and acceptance. He literally comes to life and then dies within less than a minute, then has to process the things he's experienced during that (very) brief time of living. He accepts that he can't stay, accepts his own death as having been necessary in order to actually move on, and does so. That's the main reason he doesn't stay at the end; he's accepted that he needs to move on and better himself, because he is still the Bad Guy for most of the musical.
I'll also point out that a lot of BJ's "emotions" prior to him being alive are very likely played up to earn him sympathy. The only thing he likely really feels before that are things like selfishness and frustration when his plans to get what he want don't go how he wants them to. He himself says after coming to life that he's basically never experienced emotions before. He's overwhelmed by them, to the point that he falls back on something that's familiar; violence and chaos.
So a lot of what he says that could be construed as him being lonely or wanting friends/a family is likely much more meant in the sense that he wants to cause chaos easier. He wants to be seen not to meet people, but to terrify them easier, and likely kill them easier too. He seemed content to remain in the house with Lydia because people were coming to the house for him to scare and cause chaos with. When Lydia left to try and find her mom and then when she went "into Hell to avoid him", it's likely less that he felt betrayed and abandoned and more that he was experiencing narcissistic emotions that other things were more important to Lydia than he was. He then wants to be alive so he can leave the house, thus not needing to rely on anyone else to do what he does best; cause chaos, terrify people, and kill.
Also let's not forget he only said Adam and Barbara were going to be his best friends because he thought he could get something from them, and the same with Lydia. They were "best friends" up until he couldn't get what he wanted from them. He up and bails on Adam and Barbara after they prove useless for his plans, despite them *trying.* Instead of being supportive of Lydia about her mom and understanding her grief and all, he decides he's going to kill people, who include Lydia's father. I'm not sure about anyone else, but I don't see behaviors like that as stuff a person would do to people they *truly* consider best friends.
TL;DR: Beetlejuice has to leave at the end because like the rest of the main characters, he has to accept death and move on, because as sympathetic as he is, he's still actually a Bad Guy, and moving on is his way to better himself and all.
What they probably needed to establish in the musical is that BJ was banished, functionally trapped in the house, but being recently dead again meant he could go through the netherworld to other ghost-appropriate locales - so he got his freedom, but in a way that didn't mean he had to get on with the rest of the cast.
Tbh though...
The lore and what a ghost can and can't do in Beetlejuice was always a bit... awkward.
Like in the film, he's in the maitland's house, but confined to the pocket-dimension of the model town cemetary, then the maitland's summon him, and he's on "their level" invisible to everyone but lydia (unless he's actively doing a haunt) - until they banish him back.
At which point Lydia summons him and he's totally visible to everyone.
And they never explain why he wanted to get married XD
Again however, he kept all his promises while the maitlands broke theirs.
I think in the movie it was to like completely resurrect him if i remember correctly.
@@jamesquillen7965 heck in the movie it even worked...because HE ENDED UP IN THE WAITING ROOM. Juno is fully aware of beetlejuice and she even says he was her partner at one point.
making Juno beetlejuice's mom in the musical was an odd twist ill grant that
My theory is that his original goal was to be seen by someone via saying his name 3 times and eventually using them so he could live again and be free of the netherworld.The plan is all good in his head and seems to be going rlly well when he meets the maitlands but all of it changes when he meets Lydia. She becomes family to him and eventually so do the maitlands and everyone else and he feels love for the first time. This makes him want to live even more so he can be with all of them(we see in creepy old guy and he actually feels loved and happy) but he is so blind to how badly it is all actually going for him and accepts his fate in the end out of pure embarrassment as the reality of "oh my god i hurt everyone i love" hit him.
eddie perfect literally said, talking about the demos, that the producers/whoever reviewed the music immediately shut down his redemption song. in the dc production, beetlejuice is much more like the movie version as his goal is to be free and is much more violent/selfish. to change the ending between dc and broadway i think might've been too much of a change for them. plus, producers might've just seen this as "redeeming bj?? he's the gross villian!" and i believe eddie has said that the focus of the story would be on lydia.
justice for the beetle though😭
Yep, it definitely seems like there was a conflict between producers and creatives. If they'd gone full redemption or full villain, it probably would have felt more narratively satisfying!
I agree 100%
The ending has always been so sad to me because BJ ends up alone 🥺
Now, that's where fanfics come in.
lol the fandom literally did what she wanted
Great analysis! Something you didn’t point out, but has been on my mind since I first saw (a bootleg) of Beetlejuice is the maitlands’ character arcs. Their introductory and recurring theme is “ready, set, let’s-“ with them being too scared to actually go and take the next step. They’re too scared of failing as parents so they cling to their lives as a married couple without children even though it’s not what they feel is right for them and end up dead before they get the nerve to try. Then, throughout the rest of the show, they do the same thing but with their life in the house. They cling to their home and try to scare away the family who tries to live in it. At the end they are rewarded with their surrogate daughter and the ability to keep their home, but I fail to see this as any different than where they were in the first place-in denial about what they have to do to move forward. They’re dead. Their place in the world and home they once knew is over. And it’s time for a new family to build the life in their home they never could. Barbara and Adam need to take the next step, accept their death, and go. But then…they don’t.
Yeah, that's an excellent point, and really makes a lot of sense!
You skipped the two most important parts of their arc, barbara 2.0 and the exorcism. They're "rewarded" with their surrogate daughter because they took the next step. The point that's made in the bridge of barbara 2.0 is that leaving to the netherworld would be running away from their problems again, and instead, they take a risk to help lydia. they decide that lydia is enough of a daughter to them that they will protect her when they can, even if it means putting themselves in danger. also, the thing lydia reads that ends up exorcising barbara says "mother nearest" as in, yknow, nearest mother. lydia sees barbara (and by extention, adam) as a parental figure. besides, would going to the netherworld be taking a risk? we know the netherworld is boring, and very "meh" and the maitlands wouldn't really be taking the next step by going there, they'd be choosing the safest option, but becoming parental figures to lydia would be taking the next step. it has responsibilities that they wouldn't've taken prior to the 2.0 thing. they would've ran away from a big decision like this.
Late comment time hehe, and also super excessively long comment time. This might not even be relevant now ahah.
They do move on, though. Literally the whole thing with Barbara 2.0 is them realizing they've been hiding (they both admit it, with Adam having a line of "Barbara you're right I think I've been hiding" and Barbara replying with "I was too, I don't even *like* pottery!"). Adam also has a line about being "tragic and static", Barbara has a line about the stuff in their attic representing the "feelings we've been repressing" and destroying it to move on with "take it and trash it, burn it or smash it, we have to adapt to survive".
They both acknowledge that it's time to become better people, especially with Barbara's lines of "we cannot ignore that Lydia needs us" and "Adam I want to stay, she needs people who won't run away, friends who won't stop at problems or obstacles, not a house but a home". They both then immediately go "Ready, set, let's go", finally finishing the sentence, signaling that they ARE taking the next steps in accepting their deaths, and moving on. Both of them have lines for this, Barbara saying "We can be fighters with fire inside us, we're no longer detritus we're finally alive" and Adam saying "No more excuses we're no longer useless, we've got nothing to lose we can finally begin". They also both have lines about how it's "time to let go".
Barbara 2.0 is ALL ABOUT the Maitlands realizing they can't hold on to the past, accepting their deaths ("The Barbara you married, she is dead and buried six feet below", "The new Adam is wiser, the old one's fertilizer"), and moving on. In this sense moving on doesn't mean going to the Netherworld, because doing so leaves Lydia behind. In this sense, moving on is moving on from their past lives.
...I'm not sure if the "bootleg" version you saw contains this song or not, or if lyrics were really altered or not. I'm going by the official album lyrics, since those ones seem like the "canon" lyrics. And like I said, who even knows if this is still relevant to how you feel on the matter hah. But i figured I'd go unreasonably deep into the song and all either way.
Beetlejiuce and Lydia's motivations seem all over the place in the musical. He wants freedom then when he gets a friend he's okay without it until she dumps him then he wants to be alive so he wont be alone and after saving everyone he leaves to the netherworld for some reason. Lydia wants to scare her family into moving back to New York, then wants to stay in the house alone without her dad, then wants to find her mom. The second half of the musical needs some work.
Well, BJ is at least pretty consistent in that he's tired of being alone. At first, he thinks that Lydia being his friend will solve that, but when he realizes that she's planning on leaving him, THAT'S when he decides he needs to become alive so that he can leave the house and go find new people. In all scenarios, he just wants to find someone who he can share his life/death with.
Lydia, on the other hand, acts like a teenager who's still coping with the loss of a parent (and who's taking it out on her father, who she thinks is disrespecting her mom's memory). She's trying to hold onto her mom, which originally means going back to the house she associates with her mom, then means FINDING her mom. I agree that "That Beautiful Sound" doesn't fit neatly into that motivation, but she can't exactly leave the house and go back to her old home by herself.
Loved your analysis as always, but I do think Beetlejuice is irredeemable at the end. He actively tried to murder and torture the Deetz and The Maitlands while Lydia is in the underworld. While I do think he made the step towards redemption by killing his mom, he’s not trying to so much save them but instead kill his mother because of they’re messy relationship. Now when comparing him to the movie he’s WIDLY better (he’s pretty vile in the movie lol)
But I feel like he wouldn’t really mesh being with the rest of the family at the end after all his actions. I think he should have time on his own and perhaps he could come back later. Again great vids!
@@erichartley2089 These are all excellent points, and I mostly agree! I think plenty of other things would have to be tweaked for it to make sense for him to stay. I guess my main impetus for making this video was just that it felt odd how the show ties Beetlejuice into the themes of family, and how the show focuses so much on his loneliness and desire to be seen, but then basically abandons this at the end. It's like they begin to set up a redemption arc (or the potential for one) and then don't follow through. They don't even leave the door open, with him saying he'll "never come this way again". If they'd just made him the straight up villain (more like in the movie), I wouldn't have this issue. But, as is, it feels like an unintentionally incomplete character arc to me.
@@musicalmusing8492 yea you actually opened me to see the overall narrative being family and I agree that if literally every single character has a the family theme resolved, you’d think the namesake character would be as well
@@erichartley2089 I kind of think BJ and Lydia could have a similar relationship as the cartoon later on, with BJ living in the Netherworld, but being able to occasionally visit Earth
I thought the same thing about the ending here. Infact, I would have made Maxie Dean the real villain, instead of Juno. Yeah, it would not be the first-time humans are the real monsters, but if someone wants to make money off of the supernatural, why not make a villainous motive out of that?
I honestly think it would be too jarring if after everything the beetlejuice put them through if they just excepted him in the end with no questions or reservations. I mean they’d just be leading a psycho murderer stay in their house for what? I agree that they should’ve changed bj’s motivation to include freedom more so it makes sense that he would willingly leave. as it stands, it would make more sense if he stuck around like a leech (which I feel like he would try before realizing he doesn’t fit in and would actually prefer to explore the world or work on himself, finding his own friends and family) or popped in occasionally and bothered them. He already has no boundaries and is extremely clingy, so I can see him being a harmless nuisance instead of a dangerous one.
I agree, it would match up better with their character arcs if Beetlejuice stayed with Lydia (and they stayed morally gray best buddies) and if the Maitlands moved on to the netherworld and let go. (Stop being afraid and clinging to physical stuff as a substitute for growth). The ending as is does seem to contradict what they were building on throughout the show.
I saw the musical last month and it's my new favorite thing! I agree with you that the ending was a little expedited and that in a perfect world Beetlejuice should have stayed with the family as the cool zombie uncle!
Since I want BJ and Lydia to be friends like in the animated series, I fullheartedly agree with you
If that ain't it strange song was from early in the musicals creation, it was most likely written for the dc show, where Beetlejuice was really unredeemable as he has no reason to trick Lydia as he openly encourages her to bring her mom back before calling her gullible
I’ve just been to see Beetlejuice twice in the last month or so, so I’m sosososo happy to see your video!! Cause it’s definitely in line with what I was thinking. After making Bj sympathetic and the Lydia/Bj friendship so strong it really bugs me the conclusion of wanting to kill him. Especially when you think of the fact he would have been 100% human, no powers, nada and that actually bugs me a lot more than I thought it would. Especially as I think he talks more than does any sort of murder
My headcanon:
Beetlejuice goes to leave after hug:
Lydia: Hey, Beetlejuice.
Beetlejuice *turns head around*: Yeah?
Lydia: Don't be a stranger. *smirk*
Beetlejuice: Ah! Can't get rid of me the easy, kid.
He leaves in all his glory.
Well let's hope for that sequel!
Ahhh! You're back :) I was worried that we'd seen the last of you!
Hey, nice to see you commenting after all this time! I’m impressed you stuck around! I’m currently super busy with work, but hopefully I’ll be able to post some more videos soon-ish.
I never actually caught on to that. I always kind of thought that the ending was great but I get where you’re coming from. Idk I think I just never questioned it but I do agree, and ending where BJ ends up staying might’ve worked better. Ofc I still adore and love the musical and how it ends, but yeah that ending would’ve been nice
I actually really agree with what you said in this video. It never clicked with me or made sense to me that he would leave in the end. I never thought as Musical Beetlejuice as a villain/antagonist. It's as Lydia says at the ending, he's just a really lonely guy who wants to feel a connection and not to be lonely/alone anymore. I also really relate to him, especially in "Invisible ( Reprise ). So I also thought he'd want to stay with in the Maitlands/Deetz house. I love this video so much! Thank you for this! 💚
I just saw the show in SF twice and I was so happy to see this video because I think the musical is really fun and I enjoyed myself a lot, but I don't really feel like it stuck the landing. I think one of the things that I really enjoy about the movies is the Maitlands, so I felt like my problem with the show was that it becomes more about fixing Lydia's relationship with her dad over giving the Maitlands a more satisfying resolution.
Welp, congratulations.... now I'm sad 'cus you reminded me of my own repressed thoughts while watching the musical
I think a reason they did that might not be tied to the movie at all. What would his place in their family be if he stayed? Charles gained a wife and regained a daughter. Lydia wanted her mother back, and she gained 3 parents and got her dad back. The Maitlands wanted a daughter and got Lydia. Beetlejuice's issues, though, are more parental. But imagine anyone in that movie filling in the parental role he was ultimately missing
Though there's a nice goodbye scene at the end, and Beetlejuice saves them once, that doesn't change the fact that things would likely be extremely awkward if he stayed. I mean, he did try to kill all of them except Lydia and he kicked them out of their house, separating them from their daughter. He almost killed Barbara as well when he exorcised her. We've got to keep in mind that as the fans, we're biased. We love this character, so ofc we want the best for him. But to these other characters, he's the villain, even if he's done good things. I mean, you wouldn't say that Christine and Raoul should let the phantom tag along with their relationship just because he did a nice thing at the end of the show because the other things he did to those characters weren't exactly forgivable. Even if a character is given redemption and the people they did the harm to forgives them (the ring scene in phantom and the goodbye scene here), that doesn't mean they owe them the new life (not that they necessarily would've been the ones to turn him away, it was his choice and that aspect of it may be irrelevant because of that lol)
But also, keep in mind that it wasn't only the world of the living Beetlejuice could previously interact with. He avoided the netherworld, likely because of his mother. He didn't really want to see her, but now she isn't in the picture anymore, so the netherworld might be more of a haven than it was before. There would be other dead people there, maybe some who understand him better, and he might belong with them better than with the family. Again, we're biased as fans to want him to stay with the other characters we love, but again, it might be a bit awkward after everything, and much safer of an option to go to the netherworld instead cause after everything, what he really needs is a fresh start in a place that's now not nearly so scary
i think this video was great!! your analysis was very well put together and i enjoyed hearing your interpretations of the musical :)
Thanks so much!
yeah, I loove the musical, but, as the huge zoomer I am, I have never watched the original movie, or maybe I have but only remember images of it and not really the plot. That's why it surprised me to find out that beetlejuice is evil in the original?? hahah I know this sounds stupid of me, but the vibe he gave off to me in the musical is definitely not that of an antagonist. Musical BJ is basically just a wild card, he doesnt go out of his way to harm others, he just does it when he feels like he has been wronged or when they come in between him and his plans. He is chaotic and fun and nasty and a pervert, in general he is like a trash man who is awful but you just cant hate him. And I think the musical really drives this point home with many little moments - like how BJ makes it clear that his marriage to Lydia is not in anyway romantic and it's like a "green card" thing, or how he spooks people during "that beautiful sound" but doesnt actually harm them physically. He threatens to kill the maitlands and the deetz during that game show bit, but he never actually does it. Idk, i can understand how he could be seen as an antagonist if these events had happened in a different kind of show, but the Beetlejuice Musical has this overall goofy and fun feeling, sorta cartoonish, even. Maybe that is why I can't see musical BJ as an evil person. He is simply too lovable for that.
This^^
8:46 The Beetlejuice backup dancer staring at the camera judgingly 😭
Amazing video! Can't believe I'm finding this 1 month late though. Keep up the good work!
Thank you!! 😊
I agree because I also found it a weird choice to treat Beetlejuice like this. I don't hate this ending tho. I like to think that he now feels free and confident enough, since his abusive mother is dead, he wants to leave the house and make friends the proper way, without, well, forcing them into a marriage. He now has a group of kinda-friends, so he's not nearly as obsessed with keeping them near him as he used to be.
To clarify me killing otho- DELIA BASICALLY TOLD ME TO JUST LOOK UP THAT CLIP OF THAT SCENE
after Otho confessed that he was a fraud SHE HAD NO HESITATION WHATSOEVER 💀 and said “SPIN THE WHEEL!”
it was very justified
and it was needed and right
"And such a bold departure from the original source material!"
I like all the points you made in this video! I’ve seen it a few times on Broadway. I guess what I took from the ending is that Beetlejuice knows he’d still be a burden to this particular family in the long run, and they don’t really protest him leaving because there’s a part of them that believes that too. But there’s is also a part of them that validated his attempt to redeem himself a little, and they did see some good in him in the end, so that kind of gives him the confidence that he can go on and find his own people (demon friends?) now because he believes if they can see it, there’s a chance others will see and accept him too. Maybe even more.
Doesn't it imply that he kills Otho?
I feel like the Say My Name repetition is a foreshadow of the song Say My Name
You know, ironically movie beetlejuice would have been redeemed in the unmade sequel
I don't know anything about the musical, but this version of Betelgeuse sounds a lot more like the character from the animated series.
I think the writers thought it might be too forgiving to let him stay after he tried to kill some characters and forced Lydia to marry him and were afraid it might not be well received.
I wouldn't hate it if he stayed with the family, musical Beetlejuice is sympathetic he really wanted to be loved and have a best friend I think the end would be more satisfying if they added a line saying they are still friends and invite him to visit sometimes like the cartoon.
I hoped Lydia said his name three times so we could see him human
You should read Beetlejuice the musical family plot it ties the musical up in a nice little knot and it makes every complaint that you said make a little more sense
I liked the ending because it gave him the power to change.
I AGREE WITH YOU ON THIS, I DIDN'T LIKE THE ENDING EITHER, AND I KNOW IT WAS MEANT TO SHOW YOU SHOULD MOVE ON [IN TERMS OF LYDIA'S STORY ARC]. BUT I PERSONALLY THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE HAD LYDIA AND CHARLES RECONNECT WITH HER MOM ON LAST TIME, FOR CLOSURE. AND I AGREE WITH OTHERS IN SAYING THAT T WOULD'VE BEEN SO COOL TO SEE IT TIE INTO THE TV SERIES SOMEHOW.
(SINCE WE DON'T KNOW HOW THEY BECAME FREINDS IN THE FIRST PLACE), AND ESPECIALLY WHEN BJ SEEMED TO CARE ABOUT LYDIA AND STAND UP FOR HER WHEN JUNO TRIED TO TAKE HER AWAY. I DON'T LIKE TO CRITICIZE ART,, BUT I THINK THEY MISSED A COUPLE OF OPPORTUNITIES THERE.
IN SOME WAYS I LIKE IT BETTER THAN THE MOVIE, [I LOVE THE MOVIE DON'T GET ME WRONG], BUT THERE'S SO MUCH MORE THEY DID FOR THE MUSICAL ESPECIALLY MAKING BJ SYMPATHETIC.
ALL AND ALL THEY KIND OF SHOT THEIR STORY IN THE FOOT WITH THE ENDING IF YOU ASK ME, BUT I'M NOT A PRO AT WRITING SO WHAT OD I KNOW?
i totally agree with you. from what i've seen, most people in the fandom seem to prefer the idea that he stayed with the deetz-maitlands instead of just leaving. it does undermine his whole arc a bit
ok I wish that the cut song was in the musical it was so perfect
Also in Creepy Old Guy it’s stated that he did torture people after the Exorcism scene when Lydia left to the netherworld
I can't remember if Lydia's wedding dress in the movie is red or white, but I'm pretty sure I've interpreted the change from a black dress to a red dress to at least be a nod to the cartoon, where her gothy outfit always turns red when she travels to the Netherworld to hang with Beej.
Late to the game, but I was actually super depressed when I realized he goes to the netherworld! When I read the wikipedia summary and said that he *left*, I assumed that since his mother was dead/defeated, he could not only be seen by the living, but also LEAVE THE HOUSE. I figured he was going on a world tour! I personally think that would've been the right ending with his heel-face turn. He gets the "murder bad" thing now, so he's safe(r), gets to leave and live (as much a dead guy can). He deserves it!
I'm not quite so sure he can be seen by the living after he dies, because he's now a ghost himself instead of a dead demon guy, and people can't see ghosts most of the time in the BJ musical lore. I actually don't get why Delia can see him and the Mailands at the end; Charles I can see, because he winds up going into the Netherworld after Lydia and all, so perhaps that gives him some kind of...ghost sight? But then I think even he can see the Maitlands before that, when Lydia accidentally starts to exorcise Barbara. So maybe that spell had something to do with it, because Delia never goes to the Netherworld but can see the Maitlands and Juno just fine near the end, when she couldn't see them during the Day-o sequence. She can also see newly deceased ghost BJ.
It's honestly one of the most inconsistent things in the musical and it annoys me unreasonably haha.
@@WittySomething Hmm...🤔 I don't know if it's fanon or canon that BJ is cursed to be unable to interact with the world, and that his curse is broken when someone says his name. People can see him, Beautiful Sound proves that, but he can't leave the house.
As to Chuck and D being able to see the Maitlands, I think that goes back to a line in Fright of their Lives. BJ says "You gotta *make them* see you." which I think implies that if ghosts freak breathers out enough, that they'll believe in ghosts and the ghosts become visible to them. When BJ got summoned, D and Chuck didn't have much of a choice whether or not to believe.
Thank you! I recently discovered the musical and I'm obsessed with it since, but I've been thinking a lot about the writing and especially the ending. As you mentioned Lydia and Beetlejuice are connected by their longing for visibility and I honestly wish the writers would've made a stronger point about being seen by family and people you love in the end, because it's like... the main theme? And yes, being truly seen can help you with grief, can bring you closer to people and redeem you through showing you what truly matters (like BJ grasping the feeling of being human and then saving the day).
So yeah, the ending had me unsatisfied, but your video was like the missing piece for me
I think to truly redeem the beetle he hast to leave of his own volition. And I think something that would’ve been cool is for him to make a statement about how now that his mom is out of the picture he hast to step in to her shoes and maybe he can change it to where the people of the neither world also find people to be with again. You can even throw in a small snippet where Lydia looks into a mirror and sees Beetlejuice isn’t gone for good and when she questions I’m on it he says “ well I can’t leave my best friend completely, call me beep me, ya know if you wanna reach me…” she can even mess with him like she did in say my name. Because a full redemption doesn’t fit Beetlejuice because he is literally chaotic neutral he genuinely wants to be feared and loved at the same time, I need to remind you he did actually murder someone and attempt to murder multiple others after Lydia pulled her bait and switch
Ik I'm late but my take is that since becoming alive gave him humanity, which is shown thru the Maitlands to not end after death, he realised his actions weren't redeemable enough and did the best thing for both parties when something goes very wrong and left. Loved your take tho
I think that he's sais he's gotta get going as in a funny way he knows he's gonna come back but he's just going for now cause yea he wants freedom but he also had fun and is gonna rest for a bit
you're very right and i didn't even notice
I wish he stayed at the end :(
Is Beetlejuice trapped in the movie in the miniature? I never thought of it that way,ha! I always thought that he was just like a leech of a ghost and maybe became more aware of the locals that passed that he could pray upon to find a way to the living side but I thought he could like skulk round everywhere. Cuz I think Juneau at one point says that Beetlejuice is "sleazing around their graveyard", maybe it's just cuz I was younger, I just always took that as he could possess their TV or model anything that's incorporeally attached to their haunting ground. Like an in between to an in between to an in between which is why they have to evoke his name? Like they might be attached to their house but it's a separate plane kind of, and theres a larger plane that is the world of the deceased? I don't know the handbook for the recently deceased isn't read from too often so I guess I made up my own rules, lol. Love this video and interpretation though.
If there is a line that I think should change is the scene where Lydia gets Adam and Barbara to open up the handbook of the recently deceased.So the original is Beetlejuice saying “I thought we were pals?” With her response being “What are you talking about?”Personally,I believe that because of the song “That beautiful sound” it shows an instant bond towards Lydia and BJ.But with Lydia saying that,it’s almost confusing.So I think that she should say something like “We are but…I need to see my mum again.I’m sorry.”
I really want to see this musical, but cannot see it live. Does anyone know of another way to watch it?
It probably would have made more sense if he'd stayed with them, had a short reprise of "Fright of their Lives" from the Maitlands to Beetlejuice about kindness, and then wrapped it up basically the same, otherwise.
Oh wow, I’ve never thought of it this way. The song ain’t it strange wasn’t touched in a lot in the video so if people are curious, it is mainly just them practically doing group therapy after beetlejuice saves their lives and it also ties in the family bit because they all say they were assholes and accept it and care about each other, but when Lydia says she’s an asshole for pushing everyone who loved her away they all disagree and forgive her, they also redeemed beetlejuice for being a weird pervert and murderer because they realize that he wants people to care about him. They talk about how strange it is that they were all bad people but “however hard you suck you can be redeemed”. Not so much about how it’s weird that because changed but a meaningful song about how everyone can change and if a horrible demon/creep can change that they can too. I love the way they ended with shake senora to complete the story with Lydia and Charles but this song would’ve also wrapped it up nicely, showing that their still being angry at him but accepting each other and him just like beetlejuice has always wanted and paving the way towards forgiveness by throwing things out there and getting things off their chests. As a person who studies therapy and psychology it’s a fun way to see how they couldve ended it. It’s a shame they scrapped the song just to keep it closer to the original.I think eddie perfect said something about how it might offend people with them forgiving when he did do some messed up shit. Although in the california tour, or atleast the show I saw, there were a few changed lines about how he’s welcome there and their glad to see him once in a while after he finished traveling the world or whatever he does. Anyways thanks for listening to my Ted talk about redemption and the (flawed) ending that could’ve been an interesting way to show the family theme :)
Probably listen to the song and it’ll explain itself a bit, on Spotify it doesn’t show who said what but if you look up the lyrics it shows
I mean it makes sense to me, he just recently died and was therefore suppoaed to leave to the netherworld. My headcannon is that he does eventually come back anyways after figuring himself out. It's Beetlejuice afterall.
I'm so glad I found this video. I thought I was the only who was bothered by the ending.
See, the first exposure I had to this musical was the song "Dead Mom" and the first thing I thought after listening to it was "Oh, so it's an edgy Lilo and Stich". The set up is basically the same, with raunchier jokes. I thought it was a neat way to mix the movie and the cartoon, so I watched the musical. So you can imagine my disappointment when I saw the ending. It seems like they were too scared to stray away from the original source material (oh the irony) so they wrote an ending more fitting for the movie character, only with Lydia killing him this time (and she has apparently no problems killing alive human beings? Whatever) but with a sort of hasty "redemption arc" tackled at the end...when he was already dead. Couldn't his mother show up when he was alive at least?
Also, Barbara is the one who suffers the most at the hand of Beetlejuice but unlike the movie she gets no revenge. That's so unfair.
do you have a link or something to this bootleg, i've been looking everywhere for somewhere to watch it
Look up bj slime tutorial click the first one
HERE I HAVE A LINK
look up slime tutorial (bjs) btw it’s the Presley version
@@imegsellent835 where is the link? Lol
I agree with everything you said…
We just ignoring the death of that guru? Or are we ignoring it because he's a fraud who's only in it for the money? Also, like, I can't imagine it not being incredibly awkward to live with your underage ex-wife who murdered you after you coerced into marriage. I don't think he's irredeemable, but it wouldn't be right for him to stay after all the trouble he caused- leaving it in that he'll come if he's summoned, but won't bother them if they don't want him to, would have a better ending. Also, like, he is going off to find his dad, which is an example of the family thing, and kind of parallels Lydia, it's just really clumsy. I think that him going on his quest to find his dad, and either reminding them how to summon him, or saying that he'll come back to introduce his dad to him once he finds him, would have been an ideal ending.
Perhaps it could add more to Beetlejuice's character if they hinted towards him leaving in fear that he wouldn't be accepted by his found friends because he himself sees his actions as irredeemable. For Beetlejuice, he can finally be seen by people which was his main goal and he is known to make drastic actions to keep what he has, like he does when he believes Lydia is leaving him. So if they tweaked it to subtly hint towards him not wanting to lose this and makes the drastic decision to leave (potentially coming back later once the 'water has cooled down') I think they could make this ending work. At least that's my headcannon XD
I'm kinda late to the party, but I'm gonna write a comment anyway, because I haven't seen anyone mentioning following arguments. (FYI I would love a different ending, ie. some sort of back door, a tiny scene, where Lydia summons Beetlejuice back and them being BFFs. I think that their friendly relations were awesomely written in the musical plus I LOVE the cartoon. Anyway, back to the point!)
I think that Beetlejuice did redeem himself, mostly, but I also think he could not stay. Not just like that, not with everyone's acceptance. As I've already written, Lydia could summon him later, because they are both twisted (let the whole Beautiful Sound song be as evidence), but nothing else.
1. BJ did trick Maitlands into staying in the world of the living for his own goals.
2. He did mention killing and murdering several times and while it's just talk...
3. HE DID ACTUALLY ATTEMPT MURDER TWICE ON LYDIA'S FATHER (once when he didn't believe they were happy about the marriage idea and the second time when he was briefly alive). He was stopped both of the times, but what if he wasn't?
4. And last but not least: WHAT HAPPENED TO KEVIN/OTHO? He rolled away from the stage in that teethy wheel and we haven't heard of him any more. As much as I'd like to think he's fine, taking into account the context of that scene... You know, highly doubtful.
And yes, I do agree that Beetlejuice's actions no. 3 and 4 (plus marriage thing) were caused by his loneliness, desperate need for a friend and the thought that Lydia (aka his only friend) abandoned him, still though... those were very bad actions. The redemption wasn't strong enough for him to stay with everyone's acceptance. Lydia summoning him later is another topic... That ending would have most sense and would be totally awesome.
PS. Plus Lydia summoning Beetlejuice after the events shown in the musical not only would be a perfect connection to the cartoon series, but it would also have a deeper sense: in the cartoon Lydia has a good influence on Beetlejuice. It's very likely the cartoon BJ would be much, much, MUCH worse if not her. I think that also fits with the musical versions of Lydia and BJ.
And yes, I overthink that story, but I just love Beetlejuice.
Musical Beetlejuice strikes me as someone with BPD and an abusive childhood. While not excusing his actions, it does make him reformable. With therapy and time he could get better. Didn't you say musical Delia was a therapist? And didn't we get to see his trauma clearly laid out?
Ending the musical with Beetlejuice admitting he has done bad stuff and genuinely seeking to do better, with the help and more importantly, acceptance of those around him could have been a more thematic ending.
That being said, I did think it suited Beetlejuice's character how, in the end Beetlejuice jumped between a bunch of different emotions before stilling for the most self-destructive action.
Unfortunately he didn't have the character growth to try and change his nature. For an even darker ending, but one possibly more thematic - Delia could have offered Beetlejuice help, a way to get the love and friendship he so clearly craved but in the end, being to unable to change his nature, does something self-destructive and gets sent back to hell. Ending with him feeling trapped in his hopelessness, going back to him believing himself as evil but willingly excepting his punishment.
Hi, to me, The thing that feels a but off is The fact that Lydia does not see her mom while being in The netherworld. This would have been amazing to have full disclosure after she makes up with het dad.
Anyone know where we can find The full version with Alex in it as shown in this video?
this is a really good video, but im sad u didnt use sophia anne caruso :(
Thanks! Unfortunately, the bootleg I had with Sophia just wasn't very good quality, either video or audio, so I opted for the one that looked better. I think there's one or two clips with Sophia in the video, though.
@@musicalmusing8492 Thank you for letting me know! I love her so much
IT'S SHOWTIME
Good vid!
Where can i find full recording of the musical? (and not just songs because they dont incl the plot in between)
search up the name of the musical but with "slime tutorial" added
I know this is a late post, but I think that you are right. They should have let him stay in the house. But I think that at the end Lydia is the one who tells him to stay but everyone else objects to this. So Lydia sings a song to convince everyone else to let Beetlejuice stay. I think that’s how the more cute Beetlejuice character should have His end. (P.S. I’m sorry that this is so late and hard to keep up this but I hope you guys understand🙂)
That title implies the ending was bad, which I disagree with.
In the DC version Barbara and Adam have a miscarriage, so that could’ve been passed on from the DC version
Beetlejuice isn't the main character, despite that being the name. He's the narrator in the musical and as you said the antagonist in the movie. The story includes him and he's necessary to it, but he is not the _main_ character as far as that goes. The Matelands are the main characters technically in the movie, and Lydia is the main character in the musical. Beetlejuice plays a critical role but it is still to a degree a supporting role.
Saw the show in San Fransico on December 29, 2022 *GREAT* show, though the strobe lighting pre-show and intermission were *ANNOYING*
I'm interested
Maybe they’ll address it in the sequel
FYI an aside isn't always in character
I would like to point out the worst thing Beetlejuice does is not attempt to marry Lydia it would be the one count of murder (Otho/Kevin) in the multiple counts of attempted murder.
Also he did kill Otho although Otho was a fraud so yeah..I mean Kevin ofc
7:47 surprise shower scene
doesnt he kill kevin
Great video. You just need some social media accounts to follow & message you on!