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So, perhaps the author is correct about the film's ending, but that's not the way I interpreted it when I first saw it. Rather, it seemed to me that the scient

So, perhaps the author is correct about the film's ending, but that's not the way I interpreted it when I first saw it. Rather, it seemed to me that the scientist from the future was there to insure that the disease did, in fact, spread, even if Bruce Willis' character stopped the original source from getting on the plane. She was either a carrier (a Typhoid Mary of sorts), or else had her own vial. I thought it suggested that some of the scientists in the future were in favor of the status quo, and wanted to sabotage the plans of the majority of the scientists to alter the past. But, perhaps my interpretation was overly cynical.

dudul 8y ago
I'm glad I read this article because I never understood the ending that way. I'm probably kind of dumb, but for me, the scientist at the end, on the plane, was just there as part of the normal timeline. I never imagined that she travelled from the future, I thought it was just her character before the epidemic :)
- jghn 8y ago
  This is so interesting as I'd always interpreted "insurance" as her being there to stop the plague. I never considered either of your views nor the one in the article. Now that I see there are so many possible interpretations it really gives some fuel for thought.
  - jasonlotito 8y ago
    She can't stop the plague. They can't change that. It's well established. She can't help the plague. It doesn't need help. This is also well established. However, the whole point of sending Cole back was to find out where they could get a clean version of the specimen. The earliest version of it. He succeeded. She's the "insurance" on this whole thing. She can get a sample of the virus so they can create a cure.
    - dudul 8y ago
      I think this is the most plausible meaning yes. My reading was pretty naive. As for the "I work in insurance" part, I always thought it was her job before the plague, and maybe it meant that the caste of "scientists" who were ruling in the future were actually mostly con-people, self-proclaimed "scientists" who took advantage of the collapse to take control. It doesn't really make sense in a way, they invented time travel after all. In my defense, I saw this movie when I was pretty young so most likely missed a lot of subtleties.
- jlawson 8y ago
  Cole's time was 2035; the plane scene was 1995. If it was just her before the epidemic she'd appear in her 20's. She must have been a time traveler.
- rossdavidh 8y ago
  Actually I do recall wondering about that possibility, but she didn't seem young enough. But perhaps it was intended to be ambiguous. Judging from this discussion, if that was the objective they nailed it.

dudul 8y ago

I'm glad I read this article because I never understood the ending that way. I'm probably kind of dumb, but for me, the scientist at the end, on the plane, was just there as part of the normal timeline. I never imagined that she travelled from the future, I thought it was just her character before the epidemic :)

jghn 8y ago
This is so interesting as I'd always interpreted "insurance" as her being there to stop the plague. I never considered either of your views nor the one in the article. Now that I see there are so many possible interpretations it really gives some fuel for thought.
- jasonlotito 8y ago
  She can't stop the plague. They can't change that. It's well established. She can't help the plague. It doesn't need help. This is also well established. However, the whole point of sending Cole back was to find out where they could get a clean version of the specimen. The earliest version of it. He succeeded. She's the "insurance" on this whole thing. She can get a sample of the virus so they can create a cure.
  - dudul 8y ago
    I think this is the most plausible meaning yes. My reading was pretty naive. As for the "I work in insurance" part, I always thought it was her job before the plague, and maybe it meant that the caste of "scientists" who were ruling in the future were actually mostly con-people, self-proclaimed "scientists" who took advantage of the collapse to take control. It doesn't really make sense in a way, they invented time travel after all. In my defense, I saw this movie when I was pretty young so most likely missed a lot of subtleties.
jlawson 8y ago
Cole's time was 2035; the plane scene was 1995. If it was just her before the epidemic she'd appear in her 20's. She must have been a time traveler.
rossdavidh 8y ago
Actually I do recall wondering about that possibility, but she didn't seem young enough. But perhaps it was intended to be ambiguous. Judging from this discussion, if that was the objective they nailed it.