Character Analysis: Rory Peters from Final Destination 2
So, not sure if anyone cares, but 3 days ago I wrote a character analysis on Rory Peters after a YouTuber called him one-dimensional in a Final Destination death tier list. (I had to defend my shayla 👅✌️) I originally wrote it in Turkish, my native language, then fully translated to English so there might be some grammar issues. Decided to share it here, might share it on other platforms too. If you're interested about reading a full-fledged analysis about Rory, here it is:
I want to share what gives Rory depth.
He's mostly known for doing coke, sure, but to me he's a "Green flag trying to look like a Red flag". His Y2K-style fashion tells me he's trend-conscious and that makes him stand out among the other male characters.
He has a kind of dynamic with Kat- maybe not obvious at first, but it's there. Like when Kimberly gathers the group and Nora asks Kat for a valium, Rory jokes, "Send one my way too/Keep em coming" It feels a bit insecure- he wants one but masks it with humor. Or maybe that's just how he talks? Is that behavior on the surface only around her? I'll come back to this later.
Another moment showing his undefined dynamic with Kat: when she's driving, he jokingly whispers "Hope she’s next to die" referring to her- loud enough for others to hear. Kat responds via rearview mirror with a "Hehe sure babe" look. I love these moments; from that tiny scene we get so much character insight.
And at the apartment, after Kat proudly talks about her career, Rory says "Shut up and you'll live," even though he's usually fine with that kind of proud talk. (Remember the scene with his coke-head friends, he only tells them to be quiet to hear the news- before that, he proudly says, "Look babies, I was there too!") So maybe his issue is just with Kat- a kind of "teasing antagonism." Also, before saying "Hope she’s next," he says, "One of us is going to die in this car… Are the rest of us going to be okay sitting next to that person?" It clearly shows he wouldn't be ok- but instead of admitting it, he masks it as a hypothetical because he's insecure! IT'S AWESOME!
Edit: I looked into the original script (not the final version), and after Rory says "Shut up and you'll live," it says: "Kat's hands ball into fists. The hatred is mutual." (Btw in this version, Rory swears more, is rougher, but also more emotional. Keep that in mind) The script describes their dynamic as "hatred," but in an interview, the producer described it as "itchiness"- probably meaning tension or irritation. Rory says that line right after Kat mentions her successful career. Let's dig into it:
In the film Rory drives a Mustang; flashy and expensive, for young rebels and speed lovers. But in the script, he drives a Chevette; cheap, low-quality, and often joked about. Why am I pointing it out? Because maybe Rory resents Kat’s success. (They are 1 year apart in this script btw, Kat, 28, being older) Kat is described as “Corporate American” wearing a “Power Suit."
That term refers to someone professional, ambitious, money-driven. And a Power Suit isn't just a regular suit- it implies confidence, authority, and designer tailoring. Also, Kat drives an Expedition. An SUV; big, powerful, expensive...
Now, there's this one part in the script that made me smile- another example of their dynamic which I STILL COULDN'T FIND A NAME I LIKE to describe as:
The group is gathered at Thomas' home and Clear asks why they were on Route 180 in the first place.
Last July I dialed a wrong number and got a radio station by accident. They asked me what number means "good luck" in Jewish.
Eighteen. And it’s Hebrew.
Anyway, I guessed it right and won these (He holds up two Yankee tickets.)
Isn't this just adorable? Also, there's a moment where Rory slams his hand on the table out of frustration, and Kat flinches. I wish this version had made its way into the film. It's a good initial script, but has its flaws. Eg; Rory tells Kimberly "Throw my stuff so my mom won't be upset when I die" thing right after Nora dies, at Thomas' home. I think that line coming later in the movie (as it does in the final version) works better in terms of character development.
But again- this version of Rory is more aggressive and more emotional. The script says his tears well up when he talks about him dying. So maybe him accepting his fate earlier on and saying that line sooner does make sense in that context.
Also when Rory asks Kimberly to get rid of his stuff, she thinks it's a joke- even waits for the punchline.
Then a phone rings, Rory jumps in fear, scanning the room all paranoid.
And remember when he saw Carter being crushed by a sign on his way to a theater in Paris? He says he was so traumatized he hid under a shopping cart for 4 hours. My shayla 😭 They legit threw away this side of him and tried to make him cooler for the film by giving him a Mustang, by deleting the scene where he tears up and him saying he got so scared he hid under a shopping cart for 4 hours.
Oh and in the script, right before he dies he's about to do drugs behind a car, but when Thomas, a cop, calls out to him, he cringes at his name and walks off in fear while dragging a dead tree (maybe to hide behind it?). If he'd stayed put and done drugs where he was, he wouldn’t have died.
TOLD YOU HE'S INSECURE!!!
Here are some other things that hit me about Rory when reading the script:
While at Thomas' home, Nora leaves saying she has to plan the funeral. Eugene wants to leave too, so Rory hands him a phone and says "Be careful. Even if you don’t believe it, give this to Nora."
Because Rory knows the elevator is kaput. In the script, we only read him tooking it earlier.
So as I've already explained below: Rory cares about the people around him- even those he's just met. That line is also proof that he's one of the first to believe Kimberly's claim about death chasing them. In fact, it was said Rory was the most helpful to her after Thomas and Clear (Can’t recall where I heard it, maybe a producer interview?)
Final note about the script:
Kat and Rory die much closer together- and happily. In the film, Kat is annoyed and says something like "Can you work quieter?" before dying, so it's not exactly a happy death. But in the script, she's already safe and celebrating when she dies. And Rory too is happy; is satisfied and smiling while doing coke.
That's not something you see often in Final Destination; two characters dying that close together both in terms of the place of death, time of death and the mood they were in right before/while dying.
Trivia: Kat’s death in the script is described as "Head-Kebab." Damn it 😭
Rory is one of the first ones to take Kimberly and the whole death situation seriously. Eg; when he's hanging something to the storage room, even though no one asks what he's doing, he still feels like he has to explain it out loud: he clearly wants help without outright asking for it. (Kind of like what I mentioned earlier with the car scene.) But when help doesn't come, he goes through with it in an insecure way, and he takes the hook man shadow seriously- we can tell it bothered him.
Another moment: when Eugene freaks out and puts a gun to his head, Rory says, "Don't do it, chillax man" While his body language may seem exaggerated, you can really feel how he genuinely cares- not just himself, but Eugene and the others he's just met. When Eugene collapses, Rory rushes to help him calm down. And let's not forget: when Brian almost gets hit by a car, Rory saves him, saying, "You trying to get yourself killed, little boy?" That fits so well with my "Green flag trying to look like a Red flag" theory- or maybe the film wants us to sympathize with him before he dies.
Then there’s the car scene again where he says he wanted to see a theater in Paris. At first it felt off- didn't really match his character (Also does it mean a play or the movies?) But the situation was serious, so he let his guard down and had to talk about it.
There's a great contrast between how reluctantly he says "I had tickets to go..." and how excitedly he talks about doing coke and seeing a guy get crushed by a sign, though he was scared lol.
Same thing when Rory asks "Can you throw away my porno, drugs, and stuff when I die? I don't want to make my mom sad" He knows what he’s doing is wrong and cares about his loved ones. But like I said, maybe his insecurity makes him try to look like a red flag.
Still, I'm not sure how to interpret him doing coke right after asking Kimberly for that favor, but one thing is certain; conflicting desires and the choices made accordingly always add more depth to characters. And remember what I said earlier? To Kat, he says "Send it/Keep em coming" but to Kimberly, he asks nicely- maybe it's a sign of growth/development, coming to terms with his "Green flag" side. And I won't even get into, "Will it hurt when I die?" part in the same scene.
Now let's talk about the elevator scene- possibly filler but my favorite Rory scene. It adds nothing to the plot, just foreshadows the elevator danger and offers comic relief.
And in this scene, Rory doesn’t seem insecure at all. After all, who licks their hand and goes "Let me get that for you" to a stranger- for a thing that isn't even there? What exactly motivates them to do so?
Just to mess with him? Or he wanted to touch him? I've tried analyzing it but nah- nothing. But everything I've written proves that Rory does have actual depth- maybe even character development.
Though, this "confident/non-insecure" moment happens right after he does coke. (Honestly, is there even a single scene where the guy isn't on drugs? Blud was high the entire film)
I wonder if his use of coke/drugs might be about feeling more confident- getting high as a way to boost his self-esteem?
I don't know. This elevator scene messes with my head bro 😭
Edit: Remember when Rory takes off his shoe and asks "Is that dog shit?" Why does he do that? Because in the script, it happens around a large group- so maybe it's his insecurity again, trying to shift the blame or deflect attention after possibly feeling embarrassed.
Edit for Tumblr 3 days after posting this: I stumbled upon the novelization of Final Destination 2 (not sure if it's canon?) and decided to read the Rory scenes and honestly... WHAT THE ACTUAL FÜCK 💀🙏
-> Rory in the script: Sometimes rough, sometimes emotional, very insecure, caring towards his loved ones
-> Rory in the movie: Cool, Funny, Caring
-> Rory in the novel: H O R N Y C R A C K H E A D 😐
So firstly, Rory's surname isn't Peters here but "Cunningham" (Apparently it is a Scottish surname but when I first saw it I couldn't help but notice the "Cunning" part which kinda may fit him? Idk) He is not 27 years here, but 24.
"The air around him was thick with a heady mixture of marijuana smoke and burning joss sticks, and the rapid beat of his latest demo track thumped through the floormounted bass speakers, making the empty beer bottles strewn on top of the TV clatter. It was making him feel horny, for no particular reason.
But then, he was twenty-four. He always felt horny."
Now, the novel actually gives us the answer why Rory says "Is that dog shit dude?"
Because he was drunk and/or on drugs 😐 Wow... He saw something wedged under his shoe and asked that to that guy. Just wow 😐
And also apparently he just "imagined" that something was on that man's face (we read that Rory even thinks that the thing, a piece of turkey, is growing) due to being drunk and/or being on drugs as well.
Out of all the answers we could have gotten we got the most simple and obvious one. I mean yeah it explains it but idk- it just doesn't add anything interesting to him at all. That's why I even questioned that elevator scene in the first place. What's worth analyzing is there if Rory was not really concious of his decisions during the elevator scene? What depth would be there for such character? Damnit.
Well, at least he was nice. He was hit with a sudden hilarity and wanted to laugh but controlled himself because "it was rude to laugh at people when you were in an elevator. He had to be polite." OK. 😐
Anyways, when the quote on quote "coke-head kid, Rory" sits on the couch besides Kat when they first go to Thomas' home, Kat is quote on quote "disgusted" and tries to sit as far away from him as humanly possible. OK. 😐
Also in this version, Rory doesn't ask for a Valium compared to the movie and script versions, which, if you've read above, we had concluded he might have asked that because he was insecure and needed it.
Though, I think I kinda like this exchange:
"So, maybe if you shut the fuck up you'll live, huh?" Rory muttered under his breath.
"Yeah, like I'm going to take advice from you,” Kat retorted, giving him a disgusted look.
We read that Kat finds Rory disgusting and maybe the writers wrote these because they didn't want us to ship Kat with Rory because there is another girl whom they most probably wanted us to ship Rory with instead... I wish I was joking. Let's read a bit about this.
"Rory wriggled deeper into his seat, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of being sandwiched next to X. True, she was kind of weird, but she was really warm and she smelt so good. He wondered vaguely if she would make out with him if they survived all this "Death" stuff."
What name do y'all think belongs to the X spot?
IT'S NORA THE WIDOOOOW 😰😱
WTF!? RORY U MF HER KID JUST DIED HOW COULD YOU BRO 😭✌️
Rory is just too pervert and kinda creep in this novel. He legit wants to make out with her. He thinks she "smells good and is warm". So... Um... Rory was actually with lots of girls at his "Bachelor Pad" when he heard the news of Evan Lewis dying and one of the girls was even unzipping his pants and he thought this was some bitching party and "he was getting more than lucky tonight." Ayo 💀🖐
So even though he isn't married yet, he slept with lots of girls and possibly had relationships with some too. (I'm unfamiliar with this strange relationship concept but won't write my opinions to not to make it biased 😝)
But maybe he wants someone to actually love this time? Kimberly made him realize this? We read multiple times in this book that Rory's life has always been sorta bad and we also read he truly cares for his loved ones just like we analyzed from the screenplay. So woah- yes, that could be!!!
But nah- unfortunately no.
After Kat's Expedition crashed while they were on the road to find the pregnant Isabella, in the scenes that followed, Rory knows it's his time to die, so he dreams of a death that he is "somewhere surrounded by dozens of beautiful naked women, too blissed-out to notice that the cyanide his twelfth ex-wife had slipped into his double mocha decaff that morning was finally taking effect."
Man that was a long ahh sentence.
(Also, I'm sorry but as you've read his dream, this version of Rory screams actually being RED FLAG!!! 🚩🚩🚩)
Now, letting my personal thoughts aside for the sake of unbiased 😝 analyzing; this doesn't sound like a character who cares for his loved ones to me that we had concluded after analyzing the movie and the screenplay.
Why? Because this way he would clearly dump Kimberly too. He even called her "crazy bitch" in his mind when he saw her at TV. He's way rougher in the novel than he was in the script.
Yes he called her that in his mind for fun but like... What's left of a character if all of what he says should not be taken seriously because those were the sake of comic relief?
But well, that might be a contradiction oh right; to really care for the feelings of your loved ones but still you can't help yourself jumping from one girl to another, not seeing them like a genuine human being with hurt feelings just as real and painful as yours.
Can we conclude this? 😩✌️
I will admit though- I actually loved those 3-4 pages on which we dive into Rory's mind before and during his death. Those were really good to understand his mentality and life journey. I recommend you all to give those pages a read.
Now let's change the tone a bit and speak about what I liked:
-> I'm glad Rory saying he hid under a shopping cart for 4 hours and him tearing up while asking Kimberly for the favor are in this novel too. Oh god why did the movie said "begone th0t" to these 2 scenes 🥀
-> You guys remember the kerfuffle inside Thomas' home that made a canoe crush to the glass after Eugene's motorcycle ring fell to the floor?
After that, this happens:
"I should've seen that coming," Clear said dryly as she nonchalantly dusted herself off. Huddled on the sofa, Rory, Kat and Nora stared at her.
SO CUTE. As we saw in the movie but in this novel 3 of them are almost hugging 🥰
(Huddled apparently means something like things getting closer to each other so...)
Kat now isn't very disgusted by him huh 🤭
Now let me very quickly list the things I didn't like that much and try to analyze some of them:
-> So, Rory wanted to make out with Kimberly, and later, Kimberly thinks Rory doesn't look that bad actually, it would be even good if he took a shower...
GOD PLS NO WTF GOD NO NOT THEM OMG NOT THEEEM 😭😭😭
(Text: "She turned to look at him properly, watching as he stood and twitched and sniffed, his unwashed hair hanging down in greasy ringlets around his face. He actually wasn't that bad looking, she thought, if only he would get a haircut and a shave, and maybe take a shower every once in a while.")
And also, Kat actually finds the guy who came to save him cute!!! 😱
WHOEVER WROTE THIS NOVEL HATED RORY X KAT YALL AND DIDNT WANT US TO SHIP THEM I JUST KNOW IT 😩
BUT NAH- RORY X KAT FOREVER!!! RAWWWRRRHHHH-
-> Do you remember Kimberly saying "If I call you and say "subway, get to a high rise fast." while they were at Thomas' home?
Upon this, Rory looks at her with a confusion on his face. So Kimberly, while rolling her eyes, explains him what she means. Then she thinks in her mind:
"She hoped that Thomas would have some luck in finding the white van soon, because if she ended up in a padded cell with this Rory guy, she might as well just shoot herself right now and be done with it."
the AUDACITY of Kimberly thinking like this when her friends who died in the car crash were not so different than Rory 🥀
In fact she even admits this:
"She was dimly aware of Rory hanging on the periphery of her vision, but was too focused on what was going on in front of her to pay him much attention. As it was, most of what he'd said to her up 'til this point consisted of callous jokes at someone else's expense or drugrelated humor. In a way, he reminded her of a far grungier, more burned-out version of Dano."
So I too realized in the novel, he just jokes a lot. And Kimberly doesn't care about him that much even tho he was one of the first to believe her and 'helped her' (I think it was mostly because he was afraid of dying and so he probably thought there is nothing to lose if I believe her and help her)
-> In this novel version, Rory doesn't give Eugene the phone so he could give it Nora. He just says "Be careful dude"
Thomas does that instead.
Though, this was his apartment after all so he possibly knew the elevator is kaput so it kinda makes sense he would be the one to do that.
But how in the world could a cop know this, and still let a woman, who he knows is about to meet her maker, go there even though they legit worked hard to escape death just minutes before???
Well, we read that he was a rookie cop or something but anyways, this isn't about him 💔
-> In this novel, Rory says this:
"...I mean, someone in this car is about to get whacked; do the rest of you really feel like sitting next to him? Or her?"
As you can see, he says "rest of you", meanwhile in the movie and the screenplay he said "rest of us".
This tells me yes he still doesn't like to sit next to a dead body but now he provides it to them more clearly. It sounds less insecure of him actually. Well I guess I like this kinda.
-> Above, I was wondering why Rory would decide to do coke right after asking Kimberly for the favor of throwing his drugs and stuff.
We have an answer why here:
"If he was going to die soon, why not doing it?" Oh my f1cking god 😀
-> Rory wanted to be Rock Star ever since he was a kid; a guitarist. One of the guys at his Bachelor Pad was said to be his bass player.
As I understood, he was in a band but the band wasn't really successful.
There is one crucial line here though which almost made me shed a tear.
So apparently, he wanted to be a famous musician like Kurt Cobain. It says:
"Nothing was going to stop him.
Nothing, it turned out, but himself."
This line opened my eyes on Rory's personality and his decisions made in this novel. His addiction... was a problem. I should have understood that already by the book saying time to time that his life has never been fine. He also described his life as fucked up and never going right. He had said he truly loved his loved ones but he doesn't like who he is. Also, read this, it comes right after Rory gives Kimberly his stuff:
"Rory took a deep breath and blew it back out through his teeth, relieved to have at least one worry taken off his shoulders."
He really was having a burnout his whole life...
I didn't really see it that way until now because he was like a comic relief indeed.
I feel like it came so suddenly but looking back... WE HAD THE WHOLE BUILD UP!
And I'm angry at myself because I actually have a friend (shout out to Blake, if he ever reads this) who was struggling with addiction and after rehab, he came clean. Drugs and addiction are something Blake always opens up whenever we have a convo, I see it now very well that it really is hard to let go of truly, it makes its way into your life but there's this...
... Wasn't Rory's actions/scenes supposed to be for comic relief, as Kimberly also says something similar to it (I had written about this above) but now with this line it all turned upside down? Ah damn it...
-> Rory's drug habit is described as "expensive" on one of the pages I recommended you all to read.
Guess it checks out why our hb was a Chevette driver. Though, I guess he was driving the Mustang in the book...
(I feel stupid not having guessed that obviously drugs would be expensive... I'm innocent af 🤣😐)
I love how while at Thomas' home, Rory goes to the closet and many stuff fall towards him, he actually screams and cries for help when he falls.
"In his mind's eye he could see his throat being sliced open by the blades on the hockey skates, his eyes being gouged out by the soccer cleats, his skull crushed like a ripe melon by the bowling ball."
He keeps his eyes out for these things huh.
Then he falls and makes other things fall with him.
"Kimberly stared at him accusingly, and rolled her eyes as she saw the mess he'd made.
"Sorry," Rory said lamely."
Bro Kimberly had a beef with Rory 😭✌️
So anyways, it's just very vulnerable to me. In fact, Kimberly also describes Rory looking vulnerable later on, I think she had sensed it through his eyes...
His true nature is vulnerable and insecure, he is loving and caring but drugs destroyed his life. He acts cool and jokes around, tries to look like a red flag, probably lives with his unsuccessful band at the Bachelor Pad and being broke with so many problems and regrets...
He is real and he is relatable. Many people today are like that, just the thing that altered their true self may not always be drugs.
To whoever reading this; Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones, or even a stranger you think needs it ♡
