I think time travel movies and science fiction thrillers are tricky. They use real-life scientific laws to weave fictional narratives that make you ask, “Is it really possible to travel through time like this?” Well, maybe, but the irritating part is, that most of these movies don’t want to discuss the complexities of time travel and just explain the stuff that’s on the surface to avoid exposing the loopholes in the logic, and Netflix’s Time Cut most likely falls into that category. [Spoiler Alert] While Time Cut’s ending is a straightforward one, I am sure many might be wondering how and when Quinn became the “Sweetly Slasher” and why he went on a three-day killing spree on 16th April 2003. So, without further ado, let’s explore.
Spoiler Alert
Why Did Adult Quinn Kill Summer?
So, first things first, Quinn was a boy genius at Sweetly High School who, being a nerd, was often bullied by his seniors. However, things went out of hand when some of his friends, including Brian Palmer and Ethan, threw Quinn into the river as a part of the high school’s bullying ritual. In that really embarrassing moment, Quinn saw his high school crush Summer Field laughing at him, and that really hurt him. I am sure he still took the matter lightly, and that was the reason why he wrote the most cheesy love letter to Summer, which she refused to accept because she wasn’t into boys and was in love with a girl in her class named Emmy Golden. But Quinn wasn’t the kind of guy who took rejection lightly. He decided to take revenge on everyone who’d humiliated him and rejected him in school. Some years later, an adult Quinn (played by BJ Verot) created a time travel machine, and instead of using it for the betterment of humanity, he used it to kill the girl in school who refused to become his girlfriend. Yikes! I am sure Quinn wasn’t aware of the real reason why Summer rejected his proposal, although I doubt that things would’ve gone differently even if he knew. Blinded by his pursuit for revenge, he never bothered to find out either. In the original reality, I believe, Summer never came out as a lesbian, and things between her and Emmy didn’t really work out. She might have led a “normal” life and married a guy because she was too afraid of what people would think about her sexual orientation. In the new reality, it was her sister, Lucy, who gave her the courage and convinced her to confess her feelings to Emmy in public.
When Did Adult Quinn Travel To 2003?
I guess an adult Quinn used the time travel machine on 18th April 2024, the same day on which Lucy visited the location where her sister Summer was killed. While her parents were standing near the memorial, Lucy saw a light flashing inside the barn, which was most likely adult Quinn using the machine to go back to 16th April, 2003, to begin his 3-day killing spree. And in his burning desire (he used the same words for his love letter too) for revenge, Quinn created a new reality in which a masked killer murdered these 4 teenagers, therefore erasing them from the future forever.
I think the reason why an adult Quinn decided to kill Summer and her friends after the river incident was because he wanted his young self to feel the humiliation and embarrassment that he had gone through, which would ultimately compel him to do great things in life, like creating something as groundbreaking as a time machine. But Lucy’s arrival in 2003 messed everything up. She not only saved Quinn from being bullied by his seniors but also changed his perspective towards life, which helped him become a better version of himself. Quinn’s keen interest in science and his fascination for the time machine did point towards the fact that he would create something like that in the future, and now that he doesn’t need to become a serial killer, he will certainly use his talent for something better.
How Did Lucy Change the Future?
As soon as Lucy ended up in 2003, she decided to solve the mystery of her sister’s death and catch the “Sweetly Slasher.” She tried to save Brian and Val, who were killed in the mall, but because of Lucy’s interference, a poor security guard got killed along with Brian and Val. Thankfully, Lucy was able to save adult Quinn’s third target, i.e., Emmy. The rescue mission gave Summer the opportunity to reconcile with her crush, and the two decided to make their relationship public. Adult Quinn’s fourth target was Summer herself, but Lucy wasn’t sure if she wanted to save her sister or not. She realized that if she saved Summer’s life, then her parents wouldn’t try to bring another child into the world, and Lucy would never be born. By the way, an adult Quinn had explained to his younger self that killing himself wouldn’t erase the adult one, which means Lucy would remain alive even if she saved Summer’s life. But yes, she didn’t know how time travel really works, nor did anyone else. I think, in the world of Time Cut, the presentation of time travel isn’t as punishing as it is in other movies and shows. Characters can go into the past and change the present as they please, but nobody gets erased from the timeline as a result of their actions.
In Time Cut’s ending, Lucy decided to put her selfishness aside and save what could be saved. With the help of young Quinn, Lucy not only saved Summer’s life but also took adult Quinn back to 2024, where she ultimately killed him with his own knife. So, Quinn is both a hero and the villain in the end, isn’t he? According to Lucy’s last line in Time Cut’s ending scene, her parents failed to recognize her, which means saving Summer’s life did change the future, and therefore her parents never conceived another child. In the new reality, Lucy didn’t exist and had no threads tied to anyone in 2024, which was the reason why she decided to come back to 2003, where she actually belonged. In 2003, Lucy applied for the NASA internship program (like she did in 2024) and apparently was selected for it. At this time, she didn’t have any overprotective parents around her and therefore could live her life the way she wanted. As far as Summer was concerned, Lucy told her that she hadn’t seen any husband around in the new reality. It means Summer didn’t end up marrying a guy, and most likely came out to her parents. In short, just like Lucy, Summer too decided to spend the rest of her life on her own terms, and she may even end up marrying Emmy in the future.
Will Quinn Become The “Sweetly Slasher” Again?
Well, I guess he won’t. Time Cut made us believe that the river incident and Summer rejecting Quinn’s proposal were a turning point in Quinn’s life that ultimately turned him into a villain. But in the new reality, both of these events never took place. Lucy stood up for Quinn and stopped Brian and Ethan from throwing Quinn into the river, while Quinn never gave his love letter to Summer because Lucy might have told him about what was going on between Summer and Emmy. I guess earlier, Quinn believed that Summer rejected him for Ethan, but that doesn’t seem to be the case in the new reality. Hence, it would be safe to assume that Quinn won’t turn into a slasher like before and would be more considerate towards others. And this may sound like a reach, but I think Lucy and Quinn make a great pair. The first time Lucy met Quinn, she was quite intrigued by his intelligence. So, you never know.
Wrapping up, I have tried to keep it as simple as I can, but I am sure many of you might still have a few questions in mind, so feel free to drop them in the comment box and I will be happy to discuss the film with you.
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