Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic musical, Oklahoma, was a major influence in Charlie Kaufman's latest film, I'm Thinking Of Ending Things. His first film since 2015's AnomalisaI'm Thinking Of Ending Things is a surreal descent into the mind of its strange protagonist, Jake, as he and his new girlfriend make an unsettling visit to his parents house for dinner. As the movie unfolds, it becomes more and more untethered from reality until the final scene in the high school auditorium, where Jake performs the Oklahoma song, "Lonely Room". I'm Thinking Of Ending Things might end more ambiguously than the book, but understanding the references to Oklahoma helps makes sense of the film's ending.

Oklahoma is currently experiencing a resurgence in pop culture, from its critically acclaimed 2019 Broadway revival to its repeated references in HBO's Watchmenbut the musical itself is fairly straightforward. Set in 1906 in the Oklahoma Territory, Oklahoma chronicles Laurey's rival courtships with the handsome cowhand Curly McClain and the mysterious, brooding Jud Fry. The 2019 Broadway revival reframed Oklahoma as a dark look at race and gender, and was the first major re-imagining of the golden age musical. HBO's Watchmen was set in Tulsa, and used Oklahoma as a cultural touchstone to reexamine the myth of Americana, contrasting the traditionally idyllic portrayal of Oklahoma in the musical with its much darker reality. The references to Oklahoma in I'm Thinking of Ending Things add another layer onto the already surreal film, and understanding the connection helps unpack the arc of its main character, Jake.

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I'm Thinking Of Ending Things weaves the musical throughout the movie. At first, it's obliquely, with "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning" playing in the background, or a high school performance of "Many A New Day". Later, the references are in the forefront, with the dream ballet and Jake's final performance of "Lonely Room". While the ending of I'm Thinking Of Ending Things is deliberately left unclear, the connection to Oklahoma helps explain what happens to Jake. I'm Thinking Of Ending Things is not a puzzle meant to be solved, but understanding the references to Oklahoma helps unpack the mysteries in the film.

Understanding The Dream Ballet

Oklahoma's dream ballet is one of the most famous dance sequences in musical theater, and its unsettling inclusion in the Netflix original movie I'm Thinking Of Ending Things adds another layer to the film. During the dream ballet in Oklahoma, Laurey fantasizes about a life where she marries Curly, but the dream turns into a nightmare when Jud, who has been lusting after her for the entire musical, appears. In Oklahoma, the purpose of the dream ballet is to explore Laurey's conflicted feelings as she chooses between the men courting her, and shows the moment she decides to marry the charismatic cowhand, Curly.

Charlie Kaufman references the dream ballet with an extended dance sequence at the end of I'm Thinking Of Ending Things, where copies of Jake and the Younger Woman appear and dance together. Much like the dream ballet in Oklahoma, the younger version of Jake, representing Curly, is confronted by Jud, represented by a dancer dressed as the janitor who is revealed to be the "real" Jake. In Kaufman's dream ballet, Jud murders Curly and leaves him dead on the floor, mirroring Jake's realization that the fantasy-Jake, or the delusion he has built for himself, is a lie. Knowing the context of Oklahoma helps interpret the scene, and how it represents Jake's realization that he will never be Curly in this story, or any story. In every version, he's Jud.

Curly vs. Jud: Who Is The Real Jake?

Charlie Kaufman repeatedly associates young Jake, played by Jesse Plemons, with Curly: Oklahoma's handsome leading man. As part of Jake's delusion, he believes that he is hero in his life, and casts himself as the cowboy in his fantasy world. When Kaufman depicts the janitor-killing young Jake in the dream ballet, the scene symbolizes Jake's battle within himself. Jake-as-Jud murdering Jake-as-Curly represents the final moments where his reality must reckon with the fantasy, and is an inversion of the true end of Oklahoma, where Jud is the one who is killed. While Jake might think of himself as Curly when he woos the Young Woman, in reality he's Jud sitting alone in his room, regretfully wishing for a better life. Jud's victory in the dream ballet ultimately symbolizes the end of Jake's character arc, and his final realization that his fantasy is just that: a fantasy.

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Lonely Room: Jake's Final Song, Explained

Jud's character in Oklahoma is a challenge in every production, as the musical struggles with his inherent creepiness and dark character. His solo song "Lonely Room" was cut from the Oklahoma film, but is performed by Jesse Plemons in the final scene of I'm Thinking Of Ending Things. "Lonely Room" appears in the original musical after the song "Pore Jud Is Dead", a duet between Curly and Jud where Curly tries to convince Jud to kill himself. "Lonely Room" is where Jud accepts his isolation and misery, and decides to cast his dignity aside and convince Laurey to be his wife. The song is incredibly dark, and using it in I'm Thinking Of Ending Things makes the movie even more grim.

Ending I'm Thinking Of Ending Things with "Lonely Room" underscores Jake's realization about the inherent misery of his life, and the moment when his delusion shatters. With Jake's final transformation into Jud Fry, the janitor is replaced with Jesse Plemons and makes it clear that the janitor was the real Jake all along. While the ending of I'm Thinking Of Ending Things is deliberately ambiguous, Kaufman's choice to compare Jake and Jud—who dies at the end of Oklahoma—confirms Jake's tragic end. It completes his brutal realization that the delusion he built for himself is a lie, and forces him to finally face who he is. When the song ends, the camera lingers on the snow-covered truck where Jake was last shown, strongly implying his death.

I'm Thinking Of Ending Things is a strange, surreal journey into Jake's mind as he attempts to preserve his fantasy life, and faces the realization that he can't anymore. The movie's repeated references to Oklahoma's central conflict between Curly and Jud mirror Jake's internal struggle between his elaborate fantasy life and difficult reality. While I'm Thinking Of Ending Things is packed with many other references, understanding the connection to Oklahoma strengthens the central themes about delusion and reality that Jake is ultimately struggling with. Tragically, just like Jud Fry, I'm Thinking Of Ending Things ends with Jake's lifetime of loneliness and desperation finally coming to a close.

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