Netflix's Stranger Things' Maya Hawke, Do Revenge weaves the Hitchcock-inspired tale of two adolescent girls at a prestigious private school who conspire to exact payback on the people who have wronged them. Taking the bare bones of Strangers on a Train and injecting teen drama into the mix makes for a singular story indeed.
Though its story bears similarities to an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece, Do Revenge manages to pay homage without being actively derivative. Key elements of its story are original, making it a fresh and interesting spin on the typical revenge story. After Drea (Mendes) has an intimate video leaked to her entire school, she believes her social life is over. Enlisting the help of new girl Eleanor (Hawke), Drea goes after the school's most popular students, while also helping Eleanor with a revenge plan of her own.
Do Revenge is filled with an appropriate amount of twists and turns. A shocking second act reveals that Eleanor was actually targeting Drea all along, hoping to get revenge for an act that Drea had entirely forgotten. The way that their plans continue to unfold results in mutual personal loss, and they both eventually come to realize the error of their ways. Though themes of revenge normally best suit horror movies, Do Revenge manages to offer a feel-good ending that sees all of its characters grow: some by choice, and others more forcibly as the result of various revenge schemes.
What Happens In Do Revenge's Ending
After their respective quests for revenge boil over into mutual animosity, Drea and Eleanor finally find themselves with an opportunity to take down school golden boy Max Broussard. Needing to prove that Max was responsible for leaking Drea's video, the girls attend his end of year party, but they can't keep their own problems in check. Their argument prompts an unexpected confession from Max, which Eleanor subtly captures on video and plays to the entire party. With his misdeeds brought publicly to light, Max is exposed to the school and Drea finally gets her revenge - although achieving her goal makes her re-evaluate her own life.
Eleanor's Plan For Revenge On Drea Explained
As flawed villain plan stemmed from Drea starting a rumor about her that ruined her life, and the resulting grudge served as the fuel for most of Do Revenge's plot, but the specifics of it are skimmed over as part of the reveal of her true identity.
Was Drea & Eleanor's Revenge Scheme Actually A Crime?
Drea and Eleanor's plans for revenge mostly involved exposing the illegal or unsavory actions of others, but they did also commit a number of crimes during the movie. Spiking the school's food with hallucinogenic drugs is a clear crime - one which could earn both girls criminal records on its own. They also hack into and distribute messages from Max's phone, which is a clear breach of his personal privacy, and also something that in many countries is considered an illegal act. Eleanor also deliberately crashes her car into Drea's, and Drea also plants cocaine on Elise (Sophie Turner) as a form of revenge, which is obviously also a crime. This makes both of Do Revenge's main characters criminals multiple times over, although they seem to manage to escape legal repercussions for their schemes.
What Happens To Max After He Is Exposed
Max's fate is briefly revealed in a Do Revenge credits scene, where he has ed a group for men called "Masculinity Examined - How to untangle the toxic roots of patriarchy." This hints that Drea and Eleanor's plan did indeed ruin his life enough to force him to reevaluate himself enough to participate in the group. As Do Revenge's ending shows his friends and fellow students turning on him, it's unlikely that he retained the same social influence after his ission of his own narcissism is publicly aired.
Why Drea Stops Caring About Getting Into Yale
Do Revenge ends with Drea revealing that she has decided not to attend Yale, giving up her lifelong dream to pursue other interests instead. The only true explanation she gives is in the words "who cares?" — but her relationship with Russ may well have something to do with her change of heart. Earlier in the movie, Russ challenges the notion of conforming to societal standards of success, and Drea seems to take this in. The all-consuming revenge plot that continues to unfold appears to have offered Drea a new perspective on herself and her life, and she instead chooses to pursue happiness and kindness instead of Ivy League success as a way of shaking off the mistakes of her former self.
Why Eleanor & Drea Stay Friends In Do Revenge
Camila Mendes' time on Riverdale gave her experience with ending twists, and Do Revenge is no exception: the movie ends with the enemies legitimizing their formerly fake friendship. The reason for this is relatively simple, as the pair bonded over their revenge schemes while they worked through their respective trauma, learning about themselves and one another in the process. Both Drea and Eleanor may have ruined the other's life in some way, but they also discovered catharsis in their destructive plans, and that ultimately created a bond that sured their history. Moving on from the past as a means of growing up is one of the key themes of Do Revenge, and its evidence by Eleanor and Drea's continued friendship.
The Real Meaning Of Do Revenge's Ending
At its heart, Do Revenge is really a coming-of-age story, as proven by the ending. One of the driving forces behind its story is the inherent self-absorption of youth, and how Drea and Eleanor each come to understand that life is rarely as simple as labeling people good or evil based on personal experience. Through exposing Max - a truly irredeemable and unapologetic villain - Drea and Eleanor better understand each other's motivations: they each wanted to inflict pain on others as a means of overcoming their own trauma. Do Revenge's ending sees both of them learn to let go of their pain and forgive one another, making it a clear coming-of-age tale of self-discovery and responsibility.
