Helen Wilson (Ellen Burstyn) was able to find friends at the Pine Grove Senior Community, and the ending of Queen Bees had her also finding love and marrying Dan Simpson (James Caan). Helen had a tough time adjusting to life at Pine Grove, but she eventually befriended the other Queen Bees and created a new home in the community. Though there were some hiccups along the way, as Janet Poindexter (Jane Curtin) revealed that Dan had been hired to make Helen happy at Pine Grove, the romantic comedy currently streaming on Netflix has a heartfelt ending, which helped propel it to success.
Queen Bees‘ ending saw Helen forge new relationships and rekindle the one she had with her daughter. Queen Bees was also a Caan and Burstyn reunion, and Queen Bees also showed an older James Caan could still pull his comedic weight. The movie has a fairly straightforward ending, but it also tackles some tough questions and themes. The ending of Queen Bees shows Helen and Dan in a happy new marriage, but it needs a bit of an explanation.
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Why Helen Took Dan Back Despite His Betrayal In Queen Bees’ Ending
It’s an old trope, but it worked.
Towards the end of Queen Bees, it was revealed that Dan had been hired by Pine Grove’s facility manager Ken to make sure Helen was happy at the senior community. Helen’s daughter, Laura (Elizabeth Mitchell), had threatened to sabotage a land deal Pine Grove needed to expand if her mother wasn’t happy. Janet exposed Dan’s job to get back at Helen for taking over her friend group. Helen, understandably, felt betrayed by Dan, as she saw the situation as him trying to trick her into falling in love.
However, by the end of the movie, she had taken Dan back. One of the reasons for her decision is because she saw that Dan truly loved her when Janet forced Ken to speak about where Dan had gone, and he told them Dan had returned his salary. The biggest reason, though, was simply that Helen loved him. She had gone back to her house earlier, and as she explained to Laura, she felt that her late husband Charlie wanted her to move on and enjoy life. Dan made her happy during a big change in her life, and she wanted to be with him for the rest of it.
Janet’s Decision To Help Helen Find Dan Explained
Janet’s fear of being alone changed her ways.
Janet began as a very rude and unpleasant person in Queen Bees. As the leader of the Bees, she was mostly responsible for the group’s reputation of being mean around Pine Grove. In the end, she had decided to give up her coarse ways and try to be a nicer person. She explained the decision to Helen, saying that she felt bad for betraying Helen and that she didn’t want to be angry for the rest of her life. As Helen pointed out, that change wasn’t likely to happen overnight, but Janet seemed committed to changing herself.
Earlier in the movie, after her surprise birthday lunch with the other Bees, Janet felt empowered to confront her estranged son, whom she hadn’t spoken to in a long time, but she discovered that her son had told his neighbors that Janet was dead. Janet realized that she had driven her son away with her attitude and that she was driving everyone else she cared about away, too, including the Bees. Janet was afraid of death throughout the movie, which drove her dedication to exercise, but a long life is meaningless if she had no one to share it with.
Why Helen And Dan Decided To Stay At Pine Grove
Moving on is a key theme of the movie.
While Helen was explaining her decision to marry Dan to Laura, she said that they would be moving into an apartment in Pine Grove together. Helen was initially very reluctant to leave the house she had built with her late husband, Charlie, but her worries were assuaged when she visited the house one night. Their decision to sell the house and live together at Pine Grove spoke to the central theme of the movie, that Helen had to move on from the past in order to enjoy the rest of her life. Charlie was gone, but he would always be in her heart, and she could take him with her wherever she called home.
What Queen Bees’ Ending Really Means
There’s always more life left to live.
Queen Bees is a simple romantic comedy about people in the golden years of their lives, but its message covers much more complex themes. The movie is about letting go of the past and of loss, like Helen needed to do to move on. Helen was listless in her house, and the rest of her life suffered because of it. Moving to Pine Grove gave her a new purpose and a new lease on life. Because she was able to physically move, she also spiritually moved. She was able to make new relationships and finally address the years-long feud she had with her daughter and make amends.
The movie also shows that there is more life to enjoy, even when it seems like the best days have passed. Helen lived a full life, with a loving husband and a beautiful family, but she still had more life to experience in her later years. She didn’t need to shuffle through her house alone just because of her age,; she could still make new friends and find new love. Helen and Dan stayed at Pine Grove in Queen Bees because they had made a new life together there, and they were committed to enjoying it.
Queen Bees is a heartfelt romantic comedy about a group of seniors finding new love. What began as a high school drama set in a nursing home ended as a heartfelt tale about letting go of the past and looking forward to the future. Helen and Dan were able to find and choose each other even after their long lives, and their love for each other promises to make the rest of their days sweet.
