rambling about mary’s name in the backrooms movie so spoiler warning (it’s probably really obvious stuff but i like talking about this and id love to discuss w others😢)
Regarding Mary Kline’s name, I think it’s really interesting that that’s her name, as well as the fact that she is the third person to be in the backrooms with Clark. She’s also the one who puts the final nail in the coffin of Clark’s regression as a person, as he lets himself be consumed by the backrooms and becoming just like the entities he used to fear— though one can argue that he’s always been a monster; the backrooms enabled his flaws to fester even more in isolation, leading to the person he was just before he died. I think there has to be some biblical meaning in Mary’s character based on those traits I mentioned at the start, and also her role. Mary is obviously the mother of Christ, and the number three is a significant pattern in the Bible. There’s the Holy Trinity, three gifts that Jesus receives on the night of his birth, Jesus rising on the third day, the cock crowing three times, and when Peter denies his relations with Jesus three times—I can go on, really.
Now, I’m going to sound hella, HELLA American right now. I’m going to talk about football because this movie takes place in the States, but also, I have an actual reason, I swear!
The Hail Mary pass, in football, is a very desperate, last resort attempt of a very long forward pass of the ball with a slim chance of actually reaching completion. It’s done when there’s little time on the clock, and so that’s where “throwing a Hail Mary” comes from. I think you can see where I’m going with this in relation to Mary’s role in the story! Mary is likely a last resort option for Clark in his circumstances. He has a strained relationship with his wife, he has a failing business, he struggles with alcoholism, he can’t live on in his passion of architecture, and most importantly, his stubbornness to actually let go of his ego and change. The last part is what gives Mary’s work as a therapist such a low chance of success (like the pass) because the client has to actually open themselves to their therapist eventually if they want to change for the better, and Clark needs to understand that he too, can be at fault. It’s difficult for therapy to “fix” him if he isn’t able to do the work himself. (I think this can also draw parallels to Clark doing all the work in the household while his wife, Barbara, can’t and gets blamed for it. I can save that for a later discussion, though.)
Then, there is the last actual conversation between Mary and Clark, a very clear-cut reflection of “throwing a Hail Mary.” Clark, having already killed two people—indirectly and directly— has gone off the deep end. Bobby’s death was a freak accident; How were any of them supposed to anticipate an entity? Though it’s still because of Clark’s constant need to prove himself right that Bobby’s life had to be cut so short. Maybe it was right after he killed Kat that he realized: there’s no going back. I’m sure he didn’t initially intend to kill her. I can only assume that it was a similar kind of argument Clark would have with his wife, with his aggression overtaking him, but escalating even further because of Kat’s fighting energy, and the circumstances are much dire, considering Clark is the reason for Kat watching her boyfriend die so gruesomely. I’m not sure how long Clark has been in the backrooms in real time, but it was definitely long enough for him to already familiarize himself with finding the kitchen-dining area and to sever her head and keep it in the fridge. Perhaps he was already at his tipping point just before reuniting with Kat, and their argument and her murder were what sent him over the edge.
I’m rambling, but my main point is that Clark’s redemption is close to impossible at this point. How can he turn back now? Is change really a choice for him now? I’m not trying to remove the responsibility from him because a lot of what happens in the movie is the result of his own selfishness and stubbornness. Not to mention, in my initial talks of this movie, I was very harsh on him.
That last confrontation between Mary and Clark is a desperate last resort for a change of heart for Clark. Mary is tied up, vulnerable, in the same position as Barbara in the marriage. Clark is not, with a knife in hand (a phallic symbol of power?), he is the one with power in this dynamic. The timer counts down to minutes, then seconds. Can Mary really help him change for the better? With this final pass, she fails, or rather, Clark. Clark’s change was so close, but yet again, he throws it all away because of his inability to let others say what he needs to hear, not what he wants to hear. He becomes one with the manifestation of his life of self-sabotage, the Cap'n Clark's Ottoman Empire mascot. Mary has to give up on him. In the end, it’s either him or her who gets to live. This Hail Mary has failed yet again.
i’m really bad with putting my thoughts into words because i have a LOT LOT LOT to say about this movie and all my thoughts are jumbled,, theres messages and themes i really like especially with the dynamics between the characters and the kind of people they are.., and how the backrooms are a tool to develop them.. or to have them regress.. and not the main point of horror.. i’m also not a huge movie watcher so im worried that im just saying nonsense or really obvious things so im sorry 😞 ill probably post more of my thoughts and ideas i had in mind.. i talked about it in my channel a lot last night after watching it with friends but please be patient with me😞 i also want to say that i dont have as good of a grasp on mary’s story as i do with clark’s because clark’s is much more straightforward but i’m just a tiny bit left in the dark of having a solid understanding of mary’s unfortunately 😢
