Warning: Spoilers for Ghosted.
Ghosted sees Cole (Chris Evans) become entangled in a deadly globetrotting adventure with CIA agent Sadie (Ana de Armas), and the romantic ending might be typical but there’s more to it than that. The 2023 movie is AppleTV+’s new big-budget, star-studded action movie, which has become the go-to formula for streaming services. The cast of Ghosted stars Chris Evans as Cole, who quickly becomes infatuated with a woman he spent one night with. But after she ghosts him, he travels across the world to find her using an inhaler tracker app. That’s when he realizes he’s in for more than he bargained for, getting tied up and almost tortured by arms dealers.
After becoming embroiled in a chess match with arms dealers over the Aztec, a government-created weapon that almost has the power of an atomic bomb, Ghosted erupts into an epic shootout in a classy revolving restaurant in the sky. Though the movie has been critically bashed with a “rotten” 32% on Rotten Tomatoes, the ending is still full of exciting set pieces, Mortal Kombat fatality-level deaths, and everything is perfectly wrapped up with no loose ends. However, while the film is free of any kind of ambiguity, there are still some questions revolving around Ghosted’s ending that need answering.
What Happens To Cole & Sadie In Ghosted’s Ending
After some awkward flirting, Cole and Sadie immediately get off to a bad start, foreshadowing the love/hate relationship they develop while in the field. However, the two characters ultimately change for the better after meeting each other. Sadie helps Cole become open-minded, as he had never traveled outside the U.S. before and was always scared to take chances. And after spending time with Sadie for three months, he’s less fazed by her career and even makes the leap to writing his book. Cole also helps Sadie become more open and learn that it’s OK to have feelings and be more emotional. While her work will undoubtedly be a problem for their relationship from time to time, their future ultimately looks positive, and they might even find themselves on another deadly adventure together.
Why Sadie Is Called “The Taxman”
It isn’t outright mentioned why Sadie is called the Taxman, but it’s easy to see why the CIA and the arms dealers reached that connection, and it isn’t just a cool name for an expert assassin. Sadie is a ruthless CIA agent who is sent out on fieldwork, just like tax collectors. Though that fieldwork is very different, both Sadie and the “taxman” come to collect with ruthless determination, and not following their orders comes with some major consequences. There’s no emotion in what either of them does, and Sadie takes people’s lives without any hesitation.
But the nickname also creates a great veil to hide Sadie’s true identity. Ghosted switches one action trope on its head, as Evans plays a damsel in distress, which would usually be played by the female lead, and the film often plays on that. Throughout the whole movie, the arms dealers believe that Cole is the Taxman because he’s a physically fit male. They never once suspect that Sadie is the real Taxman because she’s a woman. Not only do they not suspect a thing, but they didn’t even believe her when she flat-out tells them she is the Taxman.
How Sadie Unlocked Aztec’s Case
Aztec is a biochemical weapon that can wipe out the entire Eastern seaboard within seconds. The problem that Leveque (Adrien Brody) and other arms dealers have is that the Aztec is locked in a briefcase and the only person who knew the passcode was Elena, who was killed by Sadie. However, given that Cole is an expert botanist, after seeing a photograph of Elena’s home, he spots the one plant in the apartment, an amaranth. Cole reveals that the plant has a connection to Aztec people, as it was used in sacred rituals. Because of the link, Cole and Sadie figure out that the passcode is the plant’s genetic DNA.
This reveal also retroactively makes the opening scene where Sadie and Cole meet for the first time better. The movie has been criticized for its dialogue and plot, and many have pointed out that it feels like artificial intelligence wrote it, but the plant reveal is foreshadowed at the very beginning. Sadie meets Cole at a market because she’s looking for a plant after being jealous of Elena’s amaranth, which she saw when she killed Elena. Elena was given the plant by the scientist who created the Aztec. And that plant just happened to be the very key to everything that happens in the movie.
What Happens To Leveque’s Crew After Ghosted’s Ending
While Ghosted didn’t totally make up for The Gray Man as expected, the film has an explosive ending with almost no survivors. Leveque sends his expendable henchmen out to retrieve the Aztec’s passcode by any means necessary. Leveque’s crew is seemingly no more, as every one of them seals their fate when they go up against Sadie. Not only is Leveque murdered when a sculpture flattens him, but his right-hand man, Wagner, is brutally killed when he falls into the cogs of the revolving restaurant’s mechanism. It doesn’t seem as if any of Leveque’s crew is left, but someone has to be handed down all of his artillery and private jets.
The Real Meaning Of Ghosted’s Ending Explained
Cole’s intentions have raised criticism given that his trip to London was extremely toxic and creepy behavior, which is even mentioned in the movie itself. However, underneath the surface of the explosive action and bombastic car chases is a real love story between Cole and Sadie, even if it doesn’t get off to the best start. While it’s an easy-to-watch rom-com, the two characters overcome certain personal flaws thanks to each other. Ghosted illustrates that very different people can love each other for who they are, even if certain characteristics or even their careers are less than desirable.
How The Ghosted Ending Sets Up A Sequel
Though Ana de Armas might retire from action movies after Ballerina, the John Wick spin-off movie that’s scheduled for release next year, based on the final scene, a Ghosted sequel is more than possible. The movie ends with Sadie revealing an unknown arms dealer locked in the trunk of her car. While that could have simply been a throwaway gag, given Cole’s now cavalier attitude to Sadie’s profession, it could be setting up the premise of Ghosted 2 with Cole somehow being pulled back into the action after becoming an accomplice. Considering the movie’s negative reception, a sequel is uncertain, but it could be greenlit if it gets enough views on AppleTV+.
