Glass Onion‘s title refers to the bar the characters meet in the film, but Derol represents the true meaning of the film’s title. For Knives Out, the first murder mystery film from Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig, the title was a bit more cut and dry. There was a murder and attempted murder with knives. But it wasn’t necessarily as clear for Glass Onion, even though it should be.
There are many songs in Glass Onion, and just like the Beatles song that plays over the film’s credits, the title refers to something that seems incredibly complex but is very clear. The Beatles wrote the song as a joke about people who read too much into their lyrics. Rian Johnson uses it the same way for Edward Norton’s Miles Bron, who seems extremely clever but turns out he’s just dumb. This could be applied to most of Glass Onion‘s plot, but no character represents it more than Derol.
No, There’s No Real Purpose To Derol In Glass Onion
Derol symbolizes the title’s meaning more than any other character, even more so than Miles, as there’s no real purpose to him. As soon as he shows up on the island proclaiming he’s not a part of the Glass Onion gang’s murder mystery, it seems like he must be connected in some way. The best part is, nope, he’s just chilling around the resort, as he said. As if it wasn’t clear by this stage, when Janelle Monae’s Helen sits with him in the third act, it’s evident that he is just there as a joke and a good one.
Noah Segan, who plays Derol, previously appeared in Knives Out as Trooper Wagner. This is another great detail. For those that spotted it, it is just another indication that his presence must be significant. The fact he has no impact on any of the events in the film and could not have been there entirely just makes the title of Glass Onion all the greater.
How Derol Continues A Knives Out Character Trend
As well as appearing in Knives Out, Segan’s Derol continues a character trend from that film. A few characters in Knives Out don’t necessarily tie directly into the murder plot of the film but are used to misdirect the audience, much like Derol. Jaeden Martell’s Jacob and Riki Lindhome’s Donna don’t affect much of the plot or story. The difference with them is they’re there to show the dysfunctional family aspect of the Thrombeys, whereas Derol doesn’t have any relation to the plot or characters and is just there to add to the film’s meaning and title.
Therefore, even though Derol doesn’t do anything in Glass Onion, he represents the title’s true meaning. Derol shows that while there are similarities between the characters in Knives Out and Glass Onion, Rian Johnson will do something different and unique for all his murder mystery films. Knives Out 3 is coming, and if Glass Onion‘s Derol shows anything, Johnson will have many more surprises up his sleeve.
