Description: Getting ready for Benoit Blanc’s return in Wake Up Dead Man? Catch up on the entire saga with our detailed, deep-dive recap of Knives Out and Glass Onion. We unpack every clue, every twist, and every killer you might have missed.
The game is afoot once again. With Rian Johnson’s third Knives Out mystery, Wake Up Dead Man, hitting theaters for Thanksgiving and arriving on Netflix this December, the world’s greatest gentleman detective is back. Daniel Craig returns as the inimitable Benoit Blanc, ready to peel back the layers of a new deadly puzzle with his signature Southern drawl and unparalleled deductive reasoning.
But let’s be honest: these movies are dense. They are packed with rapid-fire dialogue, hidden visual clues, and red herrings designed to trick even the most attentive viewer. Before you dive into the new case, you might be a little rusty on the intricate details of the first two films. Who double-crossed who? How exactly did the Glass Onion shatter? And what were the fatal flaws that caught the killers?
Whether you’re a die-hard fan looking to analyze the themes or a casual viewer who just needs a refresher, here is the complete, spoiler-filled, deep-dive refresher on the Whodunit trilogy so far.
Part 1: The Thrombey Affair (Knives Out)
The saga begins with the original Knives Out, a modern masterpiece that revitalized the murder mystery genre. It centers on the untimely death of wealthy mystery writer Harlan Thrombey, the patriarch of a dysfunctional empire. Found dead the morning after his 85th birthday party, the case is initially ruled a textbook suicide—until the "respectful, quiet, passive observer of the truth," Benoit Blanc, swings into town.
Blanc has been hired by a mysterious, anonymous patron to investigate, and he quickly finds that the Thrombey family isn't grieving; they are calculating.
The Suspects: A Nest of Vipers
Blanc’s interviews reveal a family that, despite their immense generational wealth, is desperate, greedy, and morally bankrupt. Harlan wasn't just a father to them; he was their ATM.
Walt (Michael Shannon): Harlan’s youngest son, who managed the family publishing company. The conflict? Harlan was firing him. Walt was losing his identity and his control, desperate to keep the "legacy" (and the paycheck) alive.
Richard (Don Johnson): Harlan’s son-in-law, a man who projects an image of arrogant superiority but is hiding a dirty secret. He was having an affair, and Harlan had threatened to expose him to his wife, Linda, if he didn't come clean himself.
Joni (Toni Collette): Harlan’s daughter-in-law, a lifestyle guru with a failing brand. She was caught stealing money from Harlan by "double-dipping" into her daughter Meg’s tuition funds—taking checks for school but keeping the cash for her own lavish lifestyle.
Then there is Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), Harlan’s nurse and closest confidante. While the family treats her with a sickly-sweet, condescending kindness (none of them can even remember which South American country she is actually from), she was the only one who treated Harlan like a human being. Marta has a unique quirk that makes her the perfect witness but a terrible criminal: she has a regurgitative reaction to mistruths. Simply put, if she lies, she physically throws up.
The False Narrative: The "Good" Nurse's Mistake
Rian Johnson subverts the genre early by seemingly showing us the death in the first act. We see a flashback where, on the night of the party, Marta ostensibly makes a fatal error. During their nightly game of Go, she mixes up Harlan’s medications, giving him a lethal dose of morphine instead of his pain medication.
When she frantically searches her bag, the antidote (Naloxone) is missing. Harlan, realizing an ambulance wouldn't arrive in time to save him, accepts his fate. However, his primary concern isn't his life—it's Marta. He knows that if she is found responsible, she will go to jail, and her mother, who is undocumented, will be deported.
To save her, Harlan takes matters into his own hands. He gives Marta strict, novelist-level instructions on how to create a perfect alibi—climbing down trellises, wearing disguises, and being seen leaving—and then slits his own throat to stage a suicide. Marta, terrified and heartbroken, follows his instructions to the letter, managing to cover her tracks while painfully accompanying Blanc on his investigation.
The Reading of the Will: The Vultures Circle
The tension reaches a boiling point at the reading of the will. The family gathers, expecting to carve up the empire. Instead, the lawyer delivers a shock that silences the room: Harlan left everything—his fortune, his gothic mansion, his publishing rights—to Marta.
The family’s mask of kindness instantly shatters. They turn on her with vicious speed, threatening to expose her mother’s immigration status and calling her a "dirty schemer." In this moment of isolation, Marta is "rescued" by the black sheep of the family, Ransom (Chris Evans), Linda and Richard’s son. Ransom, the trust-fund playboy who had been cut out of the will before Harlan died, strikes a devil's bargain with Marta. He deduces she is responsible for the death and agrees to help her keep the secret in exchange for his cut of the inheritance.
The Twist: The Doughnut Hole
The pressure mounts when Marta receives a blackmail note containing a photocopy of the toxicology report. She rushes to the meeting spot, only to find Fran, the housekeeper, dying of a morphine overdose. Even though Fran seemingly accuses her, Marta’s conscience wins out. She calls an ambulance and decides to confess to the family, accepting that the "Slayer Rule" (a legal clause preventing a killer from inheriting) will strip her of the fortune but save her soul.
But just as she prepares to vomit out the truth to the family, Blanc interrupts. He has found the missing piece of the puzzle—the "doughnut hole within the doughnut's hole."
The Resolution: A Game of Go
In a classic parlor room reveal, Blanc exposes the true villain: Ransom.
The brilliance of the mystery lies in the fact that Harlan never actually had a lethal dose of morphine in his system. Ransom, having been told by Harlan that he was being cut out of the will, decided to secure his future by framing Marta for murder, ensuring the Slayer Rule would nullify the will.
Here is how his plan actually worked (and failed):
The Switch: Ransom broke into the medical bag and switched the liquid contents of the medication vials.
The Theft: He stole the emergency antidote so Marta couldn't save Harlan.
The Irony: Marta, being an excellent nurse, didn't look at the labels. She identified the correct medication subconsciously by the liquid's viscosity. Therefore, she actually gave Harlan the correct, safe medication. Harlan died for nothing, believing he was saving Marta from a mistake she never made.
Ransom was the one who hired Blanc anonymously, hoping the detective would uncover Marta's "crime." When the toxicology report threatened to prove Harlan died of a throat slit (and lacked morphine), Ransom killed Fran (the blackmailer) and burned down the medical examiner's office to destroy the evidence.
In the final confrontation, Ransom realizes he has lost the money but gleefully admits to the attempted murder of Fran, thinking he can beat the rap. But Marta tricks him into revealing that Fran is still alive (a lie that causes her to vomit on him). Enraged, Ransom grabs a knife from the collection to stab her—but it’s a fake stage prop.
The film ends with a powerful visual: Ransom being shoved into a police car while Marta stands on the balcony of the Thrombey estate, holding her mug that reads "My House, My Rules, My Coffee," looking down at the displaced family.
Part 2: The Greek Getaway (Glass Onion)
For the sequel, Glass Onion, Johnson adopts an anthology format. We leave the cozy knits and autumn leaves of Massachusetts for the blinding sun and high-tech sterility of a private Greek island owned by tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton).
The Setup: The Disruptors
Miles sends out complex puzzle boxes to his group of old friends, a crew self-proclaimed as "The Disruptors." They are invited to his island, the "Glass Onion," for a murder mystery party where they will solve the fictional murder of Miles himself. The guests represent a satire of modern influence:
Claire (Kathryn Hahn): A governor compromising her ethics and authorizing dangerous permits to secure funding for her campaign.
Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.): A brilliant scientist working for Miles, who is being pressured to rush a dangerous new hydrogen fuel, "Klear," to market.
Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson): A washed-up fashion designer and socialite who is one tweet away from being canceled. She is unaware (or willfully ignorant) that her "Sweetie Pants" sweatpants are made in actual sweatshops.
Duke (Dave Bautista): A men's rights streamer and gun nut who uses Twitch to peddle supplements, constantly accompanied by his girlfriend Whiskey.
And then there is Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe), Miles’ ex-business partner. She was the true genius behind their company, but Miles cut her out and ruined her reputation in a brutal lawsuit where all the "Disruptors" perjured themselves to protect Miles (and their own bank accounts). She shows up cold, silent, and furious.
Surprisingly, Benoit Blanc also arrives. Miles is confused—he never sent Blanc an invite.
The Actual Murder: Lights Out
Blanc quickly ruins Miles' carefully planned weekend by solving his "fake" murder mystery game before dinner is even finished. However, the fun stops when Duke drops dead immediately after drinking from Miles' glass. The group panics, assuming someone is trying to poison Miles and Duke was just collateral damage.
In the ensuing chaos, the lights go out, a pistol is fired, and "Andi" is found shot on the steps of the Glass Onion.
The Twist: The Twin Strategy
Here is where the narrative flips. We flash back to a week prior and learn a shocking truth: Andi is already dead. Her death was staged as a suicide back in the States, but her twin sister, Helen, refused to believe it.
The woman on the island isn't Andi; it is Helen, posing as her late sister. She hired Blanc to help her find Andi's killer. Together, they deduced that one of the Disruptors must have killed Andi to protect Miles, as Andi had recently found the "smoking gun"—a cocktail napkin with the original business plan proving she founded the company.
Blanc's role on the island isn't just to solve a murder; it's to facilitate Helen's investigation. He acts as a distraction while Helen tears the island apart looking for that napkin.
The Resolution: The Dumbest Guy in the Room
Blanc eventually gathers the suspects and reveals the mastermind. But unlike the complex, layered genius of Ransom in the first film, the villain here is disappointing in the most thematic way possible. It is simply Miles Bron.
Blanc’s "donut hole" speech this time focuses on how he expected a complex web of genius, but the truth was staring him in the face: Miles is an idiot.
Duke's Death: Duke didn't die from poison intended for Miles. He died because Miles slipped him pineapple juice, knowing Duke was deathly allergic. Duke had seen Miles leaving Andi’s house on the day of her murder and had just received a news alert about her death. He tried to blackmail Miles, so Miles killed him on the spot.
Andi's Death: Miles drove to Andi's house and poisoned her himself to stop her from releasing the evidence that would ruin him.
The Shooting: In the dark, Miles used Duke's stolen gun to shoot Helen (thinking she was Andi). Miraculously, the bullet was blocked by Andi’s journal in Helen's pocket.
The Explosive Ending: Legacy in Flames
Helen eventually finds the napkin—the proof of Andi's genius—hidden in Miles’ office. But in a move of pure arrogance, Miles simply burns it with a lighter. He destroys the only evidence. He smugly realizes he has won because his "friends," terrified of losing his financial backing, refuse to testify against him despite knowing he is a murderer.
Realizing the legal system cannot touch a man with Miles' money, Helen resorts to a different kind of justice. She begins smashing Miles’ glass sculptures, channeling her rage into destruction. She lights a bonfire in the center of the room and throws a shard of "Klear" (Miles' unstable, hydrogen-based fuel) into the flames.
The result is a massive explosion that obliterates the Glass Onion. But the true dagger to the heart comes when the fire incinerates the Mona Lisa, which Miles had foolishly rented from the Louvre during the pandemic shutdown.
Miles wanted to be remembered in the same breath as the Mona Lisa. Now, he will be: as the man whose vanity and dangerous fuel destroyed the world's most famous painting. His reputation is nuked. Realizing the ship is sinking, the "Disruptors" finally turn on him, agreeing to testify. The film ends with Miles screaming in the ruins of his ego, while Helen sits on the beach, having finally avenged her sister.
Ready for Wake Up Dead Man?
Now you are fully caught up. We’ve seen Blanc tackle a classic, gothic family inheritance drama and a glossy, high-tech island thriller. We've seen him dismantle the lies of the old money aristocracy and the new money tech-bros.
In Wake Up Dead Man, the title suggests a darker, perhaps more supernatural or grim tone. Will the stakes be even more personal? Will Blanc finally meet a villain who can outsmart him?
Grab your popcorn and keep your eyes peeled—because with Benoit Blanc, the truth is never what it seems, and the most dangerous clues are often hiding in plain sight.
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