THIS ENTIRE ARTICLE DISCUSSES THE ENDING TO TEEN BEACH 2! SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT!
We, as a global unit, need to break down that whack-a-doo ending to Teen Beach 2, the highly anticipated sequel to Teen Beach Movie that just premiered on Disney Channel. First, let’s comprehend what actually happened.
Tanner and Lela need to get back into their movie world as soon as possible, since all their friends/costars are disappearing. The problem is Butchy disappeared, but the magical necklace that has been letting them be able to cross worlds. Mack and Brady remember that they can use the surfboard with the magical emblem from the first film, but alas, there are no waves. The plan then becomes to remove the emblem from the original surfboard and place it on a special surfboard, one with a motor that was being made for Mack as a surprise from Brady, so they could surf no matter the amount of waves present.
They glue the emblem on the surfboard, good to go, but as they are about to embark, Mack has an epiphany. Since Brady and Mack met through the film, doesn’t it mean that if Lela and Tanner don’t actually cross back into their world, that they never met in the first place?! OH, THE TB2 HUMANITY! Brady says “How could I forget you,” reaches way too far to touch Mack’s face, and we move on. They say their goodbyes, but Mack pulls Lela aside and tells her to make her OWN life story, not just follow the script of the movie. Be how she wants to be, not always some damsel in distress, waiting for Tanner to save the day. Mack waits on the beach as the other three head to the water to get the surfboard working.
After some technical troubles, Lela and Tanner surf into the moonlight, hopefully into their world. Mack stands on the beach as Brady…runs past? Wait, hold up…huh?! Brady dries off, talks to a friend, then heads to the Save the Beach Dance further down the shore. Confusing, since this dance already happened earlier in the film. Brady and his friend grab to tickets, then run into Mack, where THEY INTRODUCE THEMSELVES TO EACH OTHER. My head hurts.
They talk about how it was Mack’s idea to have a 50s beach movie theme for the dance (earlier in the film, Brady’s exact same idea was shot down by Mack) and about the movie their chosen “Lela: Queen on the Beach” (clearly, Lela took control of her movie life and made it her own!). They then go through the exact same scenario of how they met originally, just with flipped roles.
An impromptu musical number occurs, they dance together, and it seems like a friendship is just STARTING. Lela then winks at Mack from the movie, which is confusing to Mack, but who cares, since the movie is over.
Um…where to begin?! Apparently, Mack’s suggestion to Lela of making the movie her own ruined everything. While they got back to the movie, life as they know it did a 180 degree flip. Everything we’ve watched the past two films just hit the reset button, as Mack and Brady are just starting their friendship/romance over. The weirdest part is that Lela wink. Mack doesn’t know what is happening, since their interactions never happened in this post-surfing-back-to-the-movie world. They never even originally went into Wet Side Story to begin with. Teen Beach Movie is now yielded irrelevant!
This ending stressed me out to no end for many reasons. First off, are kids going to understand what just happened?! Inception doesn’t air on Disney Channel for a reason. Also, we aren’t used to ambiguous and “un-happy” endings for DCOMs. We know how it is going to end every time, and every time the outcome is what we want to happen. This is just so much to digest. Also Brady’s comment of “How could I forget you,” is fake foreshadowing. You expect them to be confused at the beginning, then remember what happened and EVERYONE IS PERFECT! We get the opposite, where he absolutely doesn’t know who she is or her relevance into their previous lives in the pre-“Queen of the Beach” universe. This is all too much to understand.
Teen Beach 3 needs to happen now. It is a must. If it doesn’t occur, I will be livid. The obvious plot is that Lela, Tanner and the crew return BACK to our world to make Mack and Brady remember all the happened in the past universe. Something along the lines of: The ending of the movie was the only time they hung out, they maybe say hi to each other in the school hallways, but that’s it. The Wet Side Story cast returns, brings Mack and Brady back together and helps to explain what has happened in their lives. It’s the needed next step for me to be happy and be able to sleep without worrying about Mack and Brady’s lives.
What did you all think about this ending? Am I overthinking it or are y’all as stressed as me? ‘CAUSE I BEST BE STRESSED!
(P.S. At least the finale song was great.)