MovieChat Forums > The Big C (2010) Discussion > Question about ending

Question about ending

posted 11 years ago by jvanness90
16 replies | jump to latest

Can someone explain to me what the therapist was doing after Cathy died? Did the therapist ever really exist. I've seen another thread about this but I don't exactly see how all of this fits in.

[–] InsecureNeuroticControlFreak 11 years ago

The ending made me wonder if the therapist was either a figment of her imagination or another angel of some kind... There to guide her to her death. Notice the empty hourglass behind Cathy. THAT was a brilliant item to put in the scene.

Hail to the king, baby.

[–] janshell 11 years ago

Yeah I don't think the therapist ever existed! She kinda just appeared one episode and we went with it! I guess her purpose was to kind of be her checklist and go through everything in her life, close everything off before she moved on!

[–] FallenAngel2686 11 years ago

One other thing I noticed after this thought was brought up was that no one else ever interacted with her.

Copy and paste this into your signature if you cried during the series finale of Alias.

[–] EurydiceBarzane 11 years ago

I noticed that the hourglass was used in other scenes/episodes with the therapist, but this was the first time it was an obvious prop. It was usually the kind of background clutter/ephemera that isn't noticed. Brilliant finale to a wonderful series.

[–] PigeonTom 11 years ago

I took it that the therapist was an imagination just as the angel guy was. I also have a theory that the whole catwalk was all in her head - her "Venice".

[–] onlyinsouthca 11 years ago

I took the therapist as the grim reaper, transitioning Cathy all these months to her death, getting her emotionally ready for her journey.

[–] findyourwayinthedark 11 years ago

I agree. Only the grim reaper carries the hourglass of time. Nice twist to the tired cloak and scythe.

[–] bobtis 11 years ago

Totally agree did she appear to anyone else? I would have to go back and watch. I would call her and Angel getting her ready and to have closure with this life. Kathy had a hard time letting go.

[–] donnamartingraduate 11 years ago

Perhaps she was St. Peter? I should watch this season again, and watch for the hourglass...I've never noticed it.

"But you ain't got no legs Lt. Dan" ~Forrest Gump

[–] brockles-691-594703 11 years ago

You should totally re-watch the final 4. It was a pretty intense ending with all the ghosts any mysteries. I noticed a recurring theme of clocks, they are everywhere during the final 4. Keep an eye out for them, very clever people behind this show. I just wished that these little gems kept shining.

[–] mjwm44 11 years ago

We were made to think she was a therapist, from the bits in the previous episodes, but she wasn't really a therapist. That was her life review (possibly the whole series was) alleged to happen as one goes into the light.

[–] cryptic16 11 years ago

I agree that the therapist never existed. When we first saw KN, I thought, "Since when did Cathy start therapy?" It was a great twist.

[–] call-betelguese 11 years ago

So i don't think the therapist was a real person, for the obvious reason that Kathy was with her as she passed through the door. I wish they would have given Linney a wig, so she would look like Kathy from season one.

Some of the posters say the therapist was death, but then who was the scruffy guy she kept seeing. Wasn't he suppose to be death.

[–] callagal 11 years ago

For some reason this show popped into my head today, and I wondered if the last 4 episodes were actually some way of preparing Cathy for the afterlife, that they weren't reality at all, as evidenced by the dead doctor, Angel, the therapist.

Maybe she actually died in Mexico (or wherever they were scuba diving). One episode showed them working on her in the ambulance, but no hospital scenes or anything after that, the next scene was that she was at home. The last 4 episodes showed how her illness changed everyone around her.

Probably not correct, but just a thought I had.

[–] dasanimet 8 years ago

Wow, I never really thought about the therapist being not real till I saw this post. You are right, it's very possible she wasn't real. Good post.