Let’s be real for a second: We are officially entering Benoit Blanc season.
With Rian Johnson’s third mystery, Wake Up Dead Man, hitting theaters for Thanksgiving and crashing onto Netflix this December, our favorite gentleman detective is back. And thank God, because I think we all need a bit of Daniel Craig’s ridiculous Southern drawl and that unparalleled "gentle observer" energy in our lives right now.
But let’s have a heart-to-heart: these movies are a lot. They are dense, fast, and packed with so many red herrings that my brain usually feels like it’s been through a blender by the second act. Rian Johnson doesn't just write mysteries; he writes puzzles designed to make us feel like we’ve missed everything while the truth is staring us right in the face.
Before we dive into the new case, are you feeling a little rusty? Do you remember exactly how the Glass Onion shattered, or who really held the knife in the Thrombey estate? Don't worry, I’ve got you.
Grab a drink, get cozy, and let’s obsess over the story so far. (Major spoilers ahead, obviously!)
Part 1: The Thrombey Affair (Knives Out)
My Personal Rating: 10/10 — A perfect, cozy-yet-lethal masterpiece.
This is where my obsession started. It’s a modern love letter to Agatha Christie, but with a sharp, cynical edge that dissects class and privilege. We’ve got Harlan Thrombey, a legendary mystery writer, found dead the morning after his 85th birthday. It looks like a textbook suicide... until Benoit Blanc floats into town, hired by an anonymous patron who knew something was rotten in the state of Massachusetts.
The "Vipers" (A.K.A. The Family) Watching this family interact makes my own holiday dinners look like a spa retreat. They didn't love Harlan; they loved his bank account. They were "self-made" only in their own minds, living off the literal blood and ink of their patriarch.
Walt: The youngest son who managed the publishing company. He wasn't just losing a job; he was losing the only thing that gave him a shred of authority.
Richard: The son-in-law who projected "traditional values" while cheating on his wife and hiding Harlan’s letters. He’s the personification of "do you know who I am?" energy.
Joni: The "lifestyle guru" who was double-dipping on tuition checks. She preached mindfulness while being the most mindlessly greedy person in the room.
And then there’s Marta (Ana de Armas). My heart honestly breaks for her every time I rewatch this. She was the only one who actually cared for Harlan as a human being, not a paycheck. Plus, she has that wild quirk where she physically vomits if she tells a lie—the ultimate "honest witness" trope that Johnson uses to play with our expectations.
The Heartbreak of the Twist We’re led to believe Marta accidentally switched the vials, giving Harlan a lethal dose of morphine. Harlan, in a final act of pure love (and novelist-level drama), creates a complex alibi and slits his own throat to protect her.
But the real "doughnut hole"? It was Ransom (Chris Evans). That sweater-wearing, trust-fund brat knew about the will change and switched the meds to frame Marta. The tragic irony? Marta is such an expert nurse that she identified the correct medication subconsciously by its viscosity. She actually gave him the right dose. Harlan died believing he was saving her from a mistake she never made. It’s a level of emotional cruelty that still makes me want to scream at the screen.
The Final Shot: The family is out on the lawn, realization sinking in that they are penniless, while Marta stands on the balcony with that "My House" mug. It’s not just a victory; it’s a total shift in power. Iconic.
Part 2: The Greek Getaway (Glass Onion)
My Personal Rating: 8.5/10 — Flashy, loud, and incredibly satisfying.
For the sequel, we traded the "warm knits" aesthetic for the blinding, high-tech sterility of the Greek sun. This time, Blanc is a "guest" of tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton). This movie is a savage satire of "disruptors" and the cult of the genius billionaire, and honestly, it hits a little too close to home in the era of failing social media moguls.
The Setup Miles invites his "friends"—a governor compromising her ethics (Claire), a scientist being silenced (Lionel), a cancelled fashion icon (Birdie), and a men's rights streamer (Duke)—to his private island for a murder mystery party. But the real tension? Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe).
The Sisterly Revenge Here is where the movie gets its soul. Andi was the true genius behind their empire, but Miles stole it. When "Andi" shows up, it’s actually her twin sister, Helen, working undercover with Blanc. We find out Andi was murdered before the trip even started. Watching Helen navigate that den of vipers while pretending to be her dead sister adds a layer of grief and high-stakes tension that the first movie didn't have.
The "Dumbest Guy in the Room" The brilliance of Glass Onion is that the mystery isn't actually that complex—because the villain is an idiot. Miles Bron isn't a genius; he’s a "vapid, power-hungry man-child" (Blanc’s words, basically).
He killed Duke by slipping him pineapple juice, knowing he had a deathly allergy, just to stop a blackmail attempt.
He killed the real Andi because she found the napkin that proved his fraud.
He tried to kill Helen in the dark, relying on sheer luck rather than a master plan.
The Payoff The ending is pure chaos. When Miles burns the napkin—the only physical evidence—he thinks he’s won because his "friends" are too cowardly to testify. But Helen doesn't play by his rules. She destroys his glass empire, lights a bonfire of his vanities, and uses his own dangerous "Klear" fuel to blow the place sky-high.
But the real kicker? Burning the Mona Lisa. Miles wanted to be remembered in the same breath as the world's most famous painting. And he got his wish: he’ll be remembered forever as the man who destroyed it. It’s the ultimate "be careful what you wish for" moment.
Are You Ready for Wake Up Dead Man?
I am vibrating with excitement for this third chapter. The title—Wake Up Dead Man—suggests something much darker, maybe even a bit more macabre or gothic than the neon lights of Greece. Rumors are swirling about a star-studded cast including Josh O'Connor, Cailee Spaeny, and even Glenn Close.
Will we see a villain who is actually smart enough to challenge Blanc's "doughnut" theories? Or will we see Blanc himself pushed to a moral breaking point? Whatever happens, I’ll be there opening night, probably wearing a linen suit and over-analyzing every single prop in the background.
Keep your eyes peeled, fellow sleuths—because with Benoit Blanc, the truth is never just a straight line; it’s a circle with a hole in the middle.
What’s your favorite Blanc moment so far? Is it the "Doughnut" speech or the "Klear" explosion? Let’s scream about it in the comments.
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