Rachel plays a pivotal part inTrap’s big twist, and while I liked what M. Night Shyamalan revealed, I really thought that a different twist was coming instead. Guessing what the big twist of anyM. Night Shyamalan movieis half the fun of any first viewing of them. And whenTrap’s marketing “spoiled” the reveal that Cooper was the Butcher killer, it was clear that the director had other surprises in store.Trap’s endingultimately gave the fun twist thatCooper’s wife, Rachel, was the one who planted evidence that he’d be at the Lady Raven concert.
Making Alison Pill’s character a pivotal part in howTrapends was an intelligent move by M. Night Shyamalan, giving the character a much bigger role than she otherwise had. That is why I suspected she would be part of whatever big twist he had planned. Rachel’s role previously was too small to justify Pill’s part inTrap’s cast, soit worked well for the movie to make Cooper’s wife his enemyfor the final sequence. I bought into the direction thatTrapwent, but a large part of me thought Shyamalan was setting up a different Rachel twist.
I Thought Rachel Was Going To Be Involved In Cooper’s Killing In Trap
She Could’ve Been A Killer Too
Right beforeTraprevealedRachel knew Cooper was the Butcherand her role in his capture,I was convinced that M. Night Shyamalan was going to reveal that she was also involved in the killings. The movie lingers on her in the kitchen at night in a pretty ominous way before revealing to her and audiences that Cooper was sitting at the kitchen table. She is surprised to see him and the interaction shifts to her explaining the role she played in the FBI discovering that he was the Butcher and how she found it out.
Alison Pill previously played a villain in Them
But, I expected that Shyamalan’s big twist would be that Rachel was also part of Cooper’s killings, not that she was the one responsible for him getting outed. I thought there would be an added layer to her previous scenes where she was faking being scared of Cooper because Lady Raven and the kids were around. Rachel is not nearly as scared of Cooper as others are when his Butcher identity is revealed, and while that’s shown to be because she already figured it out,it seemed plausible that Rachel could have been a partner in these crimes.
Rachel Also Being The Butcher Killer Would’ve Been A Fun Twist For Trap
It’s Better For Audiences
Rachel being the Butcher killer along with Cooper would have been the type of twist that could have satisfied more audiences. The big twist being that she was the reason Cooper got caught is not among the greatest twists that M. Night Shyamalan has ever pulled off, makingTrap’s ending disappointing. There is potential for more fun with the reveal that Rachel was also a serial killer and a part of the Butcher killer’s identity. It immediatelychanges how we look at Rachel and Cooper’s relationshipand makes viewers recontextualize the interactions they had before.
Furthermore, Rachel working with Cooper to be the Butcher is a twist that would be specifically great for audiences. Cooper would already know about her true role and knowledge about the Butcher. This would leave Shyamalan to make the grand reveal that Rachel was the killer a chance to bring viewers fully up to speed with a valuable piece of information that was previously a secret.It’s a type of reveal that could leave audiences in shockas Cooper and Rachel drop any facades and completely accept their partner for who they really are.
Rachel Being A Killer Could’ve Made Trap’s Ending Even Better
The Same Ending Story Still Works
It might seem as thoughTraprevealing that Rachel was also the Butcher would have brought about a completely different ending, but most of the main story could’ve still worked and been improved. M. Night Shyamalan’s movie spends its final act as Rachel outsmarts Cooper and drugs him before the FBI come back to get him. They are a husband and wife at odds, with Rachel specifically put in a position where she wants her serial killer husband arrested and taken away from the family. This leads to the FBI’s return, Cooper’s arrest, and the tease he’ll break free.
This could have worked in a world where Rachel and Cooper were working together instead.Trap’s ending could have shown the couple put together a complicated plan for Cooper’s arrestso that the FBI would not discover Rachel’s involvement as the Butcher. They could have planned for him to get caught, steal the spoke from the bicycle, and use it to unlock his handcuffs. This would erase any suspicion of Rachel or the kids and allow them to help Cooper escape from the FBI, still leaving room for aTrapsequel in the future.
