Warning! This article contains major spoilers for The Menu.
Content Warning: This article deals with the topic of suicide.
In The Menu, Margot Mills and Tyler Ledfort, despite being depicted as opposites, are actually more similar than you would think. Admittedly, the two characters could not be more different personality-wise, as it is evident from the very beginning of The Menu, and in terms of their background. However, there are some similarities that make the two of them stand out against all of the characters in The Menu. Similarly, their shared similarities tie Margot and Tyler together over the course of the film, other than being each other's date for the exclusive dinner experience in Chef Julian Slovik's restaurant.
Set in an exclusive restaurant on a private island, The Menu sees 12 guests board for Hawthorne at the beginning of the film. The Menu's ensemble cast is made up of high-profile guests, most of whom are either celebrities, like the movie star George, or affirmed personalities in their field, such as the famous food critic Lillian Bloom. The Menu takes a dark turn as it is revealed that the guests are all there for a reason: not only they will all die by the end of the night but Chef Slovik chose all of them for a particular reason, all representing reasons why he has grown to dislike his craft.
Margot & Tyler Are Not Like The Other Guests In The Menu
Unlike the rest of the characters in The Menu, however, Margot and Tyler are not there for any particular reason. While there is a reason why Chef wants to kill everyone in The Menu, such as wealthy regular clients Richard and Anne Leibrandt who do not remember any dish they have eaten in the restaurant, that is not the case with Margot and Tyler, neither of whom has any sort of personal connection with Julian. While Margot was not meant to be there in the first place, Tyler is different too as he booked the dinner knowing it would result in everybody's death from the very beginning.
Both separate from the world of celebrities and wealth that characterizes the rest of the customers, neither Margot nor Tyler really fit it with the rest of the guests, no matter how Tyler may want to convince himself otherwise. While it is true that Tyler went to the restaurant and was, therefore, able to afford this dinner, he is not truly part of the world of the other guests, a world made up of people that are movie stars or able to afford this type of restaurant multiple times. Margot is not part of this rich world but, on the contrary, belongs to the world of service providers.
Why Margot & Tyler's Fates Are Different Compared To The Other Guests
Margot and Tyler also both experience a different fate compared to all the other guests. As mentioned, Tyler knew he would die from the very beginning. However, he does not die with the rest of the guests and kitchen staff. Instead, Tyler kills himself after Chef whispers something in his ear, before the end of The Menu when almost every other character dies. Similarly, Margot's ending is very different from any other guest: when everybody else dies, Margot is the only one who is allowed to leave Hawthorne and survive The Menu, confirming once again that she does not belong to their world.
In fact, their similarities are reinforced throughout the film as Chef singles out both Margot and Tyler multiple times in The Menu. For example, both of them create disruption in the planned dinner: on one hand, Margot is invited to the kitchen to talk to Julian as the chef immediately realized she is not one of his usual wealthy customers. On the other hand, the menu is changed as Julian forces Tyler to cook something for all the guests. While there is a striking difference between the two, Margot and Tyler's similarities in The Menu add an interesting dimension to each of their characters.