Nicolas Winding Refn’s series Too Old to Die Young is one of the strangest things currently available on streaming services. Not only does the director consider it to be a 13-hour movie, but its artistic and auteur-driven execution of an otherwise straightforward tale of revenge in an unforgiving criminal underworld leaves many of its plotlines unresolved.
The ending to Martin Jones’ (Miles Teller) story – and those of the adjacent characters – left a lot of viewers either confused or annoyed because of how little is explained or how lacking the whole experience felt.
Who Was The Woman In The Desert?
The only way that the Crockett Brothers (pornographers with a sick preference for illegal content) could be worse is if they had a kidnapped girl stashed in a coffin in the desert – which is quite literally what they have.
The girl’s identity is never revealed nor is the reason why the Crocketts even have her in the first place. All that’s known is that they were holding her hostage in the hopes of scoring a hefty ransom from someone big. Whatever the answer to these questions may be, it’s certainly depraved and not one bit satisfying.
What Was Up With The LA Sherriff’s Department?
The mere existence of the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department in Too Old to Die Young’s gritty gangland tale is an anomaly because of its eccentric detectives.
Not only do their hijinks feel like they belong in another genre and series, but their general silliness is never explained or at least justified. Unlike some of the show’s stranger elements that could be chalked up to surrealism and black humor, these detectives are cartoonish if otherwise harmless outliers that only add to the confusion.
Will The Cartel Answer For Its Crimes in L.A.?
Though they’re mostly separated from what happens in Los Angeles, the cartel’s few visits to the city left a massive impression. Not only does Jesus start the series by assassinating a police officer in public, but his men later kill Janey and kidnap Martin (also a cop) in broad daylight.
While crime may be rampant in the city, the brazen deaths of police officers at the hands of the cartel isn’t something that won’t go unchecked. Doing so could start a war between the Los Angeles police and the cartels, which may be shown in a hypothetical season two.
What Happened To Miguel’s Cartel?
After reconciling with his cousin Jesus, Miguel takes full control of his father’s drug cartel and prepares for war. Miguel is never seen after he declares war on the police and gives Jesus permission to marry Yaritza.
It’s safe to guess that Miguel is waging the war that he’s been waiting for while dominating the illegal drug trade in Mexico, but the specifics are still up for debate. Since Don Ricardo felt he was unprepared for leadership, it would be interesting to see how Miguel is faring now that he has everything he feels his father denied him.
Will Alfonso Retaliate?
For all his posturing and overcompensation, Alfonso became subservient to Jesus and Yaritza when he was not just held at gunpoint but verbally humiliated as well. He may be loyal now, but it’s not impossible for him to strike back.
Revenge is a major theme in Too Old to Die Young, regardless of whether brought about by a petty misunderstanding or motivated by a personal vendetta. Alfonso may be a small player compared to the other characters, but counting him out of the game may prove costly for those currently in power.
What Happened To Diana?
A social services worker and faith healer, Diana didn’t just use her connections to eliminate those she saw as unworthy, but she could also see into the future. The show never makes it clear if the supernatural is real, but Diana presents a convincing case.
The last time Diana is seen is after she gets her eyes healed, which is followed by her strange visions of a violent and fiery future. Her new recruit may have been killed, but her operation’s still active and her psychic abilities seem to be growing.
What Happened To Viggo?
Viggo spends his last minutes in Too Old to Die Young laying waste to a trailer park that was filled with obnoxious American stereotypes as a way of venting out following the death of his mother.
Now that his only purpose for living has passed and his new friend is missing (read: dead), Viggo’s life seems more aimless than ever. The retired FBI agent’s next step is a mystery that’s worth answering, should the series be continued.
Where Is The High Priestess Of Death?
Too Old to Die Young ends with Yaritza continuing her warpath against the cartels. Calling herself “The High Priestess of Death,” Yaritza frees as many sex slaves as she can while killing their cartel captors.
The series closes as Yaritza leaves the latest site of her massacre, hinting that she’s on her way to liberate more women and slaughter more of her husband’s soldiers. Her current whereabouts and mission status remain unknown, all but turning her into the ominous legend that she named herself after.
Will Jesus Discover Yaritza’s Secret?
Over the course of the series, the cartels realize that they’re being targeted by an unknown vigilante who frees their women while killing the men. Jesus demands that his soldiers put an end to this problem quickly.
Unbeknownst to the drug lord is the fact that his wife is the one causing all the problems, christening herself “The High Priestess of Death.” If Jesus finds out that the woman he loves is actively destroying his empire, a tense confrontation will surely follow with the only seemingly possible outcome being death for at least one of them.
Will Someone Avenge Martin & Janey?
As mentioned earlier, a core theme in Too Old to Die Young is revenge. Jesus finally avenged his mother by torturing and killing Martin, while also inflicting personal pain on him by killing his lover Janey.
The two victims, however, did not live a solitary life. Each of them has their own set of loved ones, notably Miles’ closest friend Viggo. It would only make sense for a continuation of this series to go full circle by setting some of these grieving people against Jesus, who will now be on the receiving end of a vengeance-fueled rage.
