Marriage isn’t always candlelight dinners and shared Netflix passwords. Sometimes it’s passive-aggressive digs, a kitchen remodel gone wrong, and in the case of The Roses, a warzone disguised as a divorce. Directed with biting wit and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, the film reimagines the battles of wills first told in the 1989 classic The War of the Roses. But this isn’t just a copy and past update. It’s darker, sharper and strangely tender.
By the time the credits roll, The Roses ending delivers something that is equal parts tragic, funny and ironic. It asks what happens when two people who once loved each other can’t let go of the fight, or each other?
⚠️Spoiler Alert: Major spoilers ahead for The Roses ending. If you haven’t watched Theo and Ivy’s explosive finale, read on at your own risk. Literally.
The Climax: From Homicide to Harmony
The Roses ending doesn’t hold back, it escalates the absurdity of marital combat to its breaking point.
- The Poison: Things spiral when Theo, in a moment of cruel control, tricks Ivy into eating a raspberry dessert, knowing she’s allergic to it. He withholds her EpiPen, dangling her life as leverage to force her to sign the divorce papers. He does inject her in time, but the trust between them crumbles completely.
- The Vengeance: If that wasn’t ugly enough, Theo smashes Ivy’s prized Julia Child stove, the crown jewel of her kitchen and a symbol of her independence. This act of destruction is a breaking point. Ivy pulls a gun, ready to end their war in a blaze of gunpowder.
- The Conversation: But instead of a bullet, we get a pause. Theo locks himself in the bathroom. Separated by a thin door, the two finally drop the weapons and insults. What spills out is raw and vulnerable confessions of loneliness, miscommunication and shockingly, lingering love.
This sequence turns the film on its head. For the first time, they’re not enemies. They’re two flawed humans who lost their way.
The Ambiguous Final Scene
Here’s where The Roses ending earns its black comedy crown.
Theo steps out of the bathroom. Ivy lowers the gun. They laugh through tears, share a kiss and promise to try again. For once, it feels like we’ve swerved into rom-com territory. They’ve rediscovered each other. Love wins, right?
Not quite.
The broken stove from earlier has cracked as a gas pipe. Neither of them notices. When Theo commands their smart home system to light the fireplace for a romantic glow, the house doesn’t fill with warmth, it explodes. The screen fades to white with a thunderous boom. The war is over, not with hatred, but with fire.
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What The Roses Ending Means
The brilliance of The Roses ending lies in its balance of tenderness and tragedy.
- Bittersweet Redemption: Unlike the 1989 version, where the couple dies still despising each other, Theo and Ivy reconcile. They die as partners and not rivals. Their final kiss gives the story an unexpected softness, even if it lasts only seconds.
- Accident, Not Intent: Their deaths aren’t deliberate. They’re collateral damage from the chaos they unleashed. The gas leak is a literal reminder of how destructive grudges can be. You may patch things emotionally, but sometimes that damage is already permanent.
- Love And Ego: The final irony? They lost everything over pride, furniture and stubbornness. By the time they choose love, it’s too late. The film suggests that marriage demands constant maintenance, like a house. Ignore the cracks and eventually, the whole place blows up.
The Tone of The Roses Ending
Yes, it’s dark. But it’s also funny in that twisted way only a black comedy can pull off. You chuckle at the absurdity even as you feel the sting of loss. That duality, laughter and heartbreak side by side, is exactly why The Roses ending lingers long after the credits.
It reminds us that relationships can survive almost anything, except silence, ego and maybe a faulty gas line.
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Final Thoughts
The Roses ending takes on one of cinema’s darkest marital battles and flips it. Instead of going out snarling, Theo and Ivy die hand in hand. It’s tragic, but also oddly hopeful. They prove that love was still there all along, buried under years of resentment.
At the same time, the ending is a cautionary tale. Don’t wait until the house is burning down or leaking gas, to say what you feel. Don’t smash the metaphorical stove. Talk. Listen. Fix things before it’s too late.
It’s messy, it’s funny and it’s heartbreaking, exactly what you’d expect from a black comedy starring Cumberbatch and Colman.
FAQs on The Roses Ending
1. Do Theo and Ivy survive the explosion?
No. The fade to white and booming sound confirm their deaths. It’s an accidental tragedy caused by the gas leak.
2. How is this ending different from the 1989 film?
In the original, the couple dies still hating each other. Here, they reconcile before the explosion, giving the story a bittersweet twist.
3. What does the stove symbolize?
The Julia Child stove represents Ivy’s independence and passion. When Theo destroys it, he’s not just smashing an appliance, he’s crushing her sense of self.
4. Why does the film use a smart home system in the final scene?
It’s a modern twist. Technology becomes the unwitting trigger for their demise, showing how even “smart” solutions can’t fix human stubbornness.
5. What’s the message of The Roses ending?
That love can survive bitterness, but pride and neglect can destroy even the strongest bonds. Reconciliation is beautiful, but sometimes it comes too late.