We see this idea pop up throughout the film as the tethered begin holding hands in Santa Cruz and eventually (what seems like) the entire country. For those of you who didn't grow up in the 1980s, Hands Across America was a charity event where people would hold hands… across America.

What is the point of the tethered?

The Tethered are tied to their above-ground counterparts and live in underground tunnels, forced to mimic their counterparts' lives. The twist in the film challenges the idea of good versus bad and invites audiences to reflect on the arbitrary details behind classism.

How does Jason know his mom is tethered?

But there's one more subtle twist at the end of the movie that complicates it further. Jason looks at Adelaide in the car—who we now know is a Tethered—and some sort of acknowledgement passes between them. This seems like an indication that Jason seemed to realize that his mother was actually one of the Tethered.

What do the tethered want?

As for why they escaped, Adelaide and the Tethered doppelgängers want the Untethering, which involves killing their aboveground counterparts and possibly taking their places. But first, they want to make a statement by doing an imitation of a little-remembered charity campaign from the 1980s. Why Hands Across America?

Why do the tethered wear one glove?

Another question viewers might have had: Why were each of the Tethered wearing a single, leather half glove? Barrett approached this design element from a very practical standpoint. Her team learned early on that it's easy to cut yourself when handling large shears, which the Tethered use as their primary weapon.

Us Ending Explained: The Tethered, Hands Across America, and Jeremiah 11:11

Does Adelaide know she is a tethered?

But Adelaide doesn't seem to know that she's the kidnapper who originally grew up Tethered — that is, until the final moments of Red's life. In the film's climax, Adelaide has fatally wounded Red; Red uses her final moments to do something unexpected: She whistles.

Who created the tethered?

The Tethered were made by humans and were originally meant to control their surface-counterparts. However it failed and the Tethered were abandoned. For generations, the Tethered copied their surface-counterparts; whatever they did, they did as well, except in more horrific and strange ways.

Why can't the tethered speak?

Further more, the other Tethered don't speak because apparently no one has ever actually taught them before Red came around. They're like adult babies, only able to make noises for attention and emotional expression. Maybe they do communicate in their own language.

What does Red whisper to Adelaide?

“How you could have taken me with you,” Red wistfully states to the Adelaide that has taken over her life. All that you have, all that you are, all that you've become — you took from me. Careful planning and preparation have lead to this day and this very moment where she faces the villain of her heroic tale.

Why did the government created the tethered?

It's a grim existence for these maladjusted creatures. Red eventually explains to Adelaide that the Tethered are the results of a failed cloning project that was run by the government to infiltrate and control the American people.

Why is Red's voice messed up in Us?

While Red's (Adelaide's) voice in Us is a result of strangulation, Lupita Nyong'o based the character's voice on a neurological condition called Spasmodic Dysphonia, citing environmental attorney (and notable SD sufferer) Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

What do the scissors represent in Us?

"There's a duality to scissors, both literally and physically," Peele said. "They're a whole made up of two parts, but also they lie in this territory between the mundane and the absolutely terrifying." This idea of having two sides or a fight within yourself seems to be the overt focus of the movie.

How do we know Adelaide was red?

Us Movie Ending Explained • The Final Scene

Adelaide was really Red all along. She shares a glance with her son with him seemingly understanding who his mother actually is. After all, he saw the brutal, tether-like behavior she displayed underground. But he doesn't say anything.

Are the tethered stronger?

From this, their Tethered's Abraham, Io and Nix, and Umbrae share the same skills as them. Despite copying them, the Tethered are somewhat stronger and faster than their original counterparts, as well as being much more durable to damage, though they can be overpowered.

Why are people afraid of the tethered?

They are “The Tethered”. Representing humanity's darker selves, they tap into the duality of human nature. The Tethered are such a scintillating metaphor because they point to how we define humans and the boundaries of humanity. They cause sheer anxiety as they force one to confront one's own other.

Why do the tethers have scissors?

The use of scissors as a weapon in the Tethered attack seems a direct reference to these paper dolls, Hands Across America, and the way scissors can quickly separate two connected things.

Can the tethered be killed?

In the process, some Tethered are killed but in the final shot of Us, it's revealed that many survived the night and joined hands to create a human chain that runs for quite some distance - perhaps even from coast to coast.

Why does Dahlia cut her face in Us?

She appears to be examining Adelaide's facial structure, before returning to Kitty's vanity and digging into her face with her scissors, leaving a deep cut in her cheek, all with a smile on her face. This is intended to mirror Kitty Tyler's implied facial surgery.

Who is the villain in Us?

Red, originally Adelaide Thomas, is the main antagonist of the 2019 psychological horror film Us. She is initially presumed to be a Tethered, a doppelganger of protagonist Adelaide Thomas Wilson, created by the United States government.

Who is the real tethered in Us?

We find that as Red is the only one to speak, she has control over the Tethered. The twist at the end of the film is that this is because Red is not actually a Tethered and is a the real Adelaide, having been kidnapped and switched by the real Red as a child while visiting a fair ground.

Why is Pluto's face burned in Us?

Pluto's personality is a twisted version of Jason's, as he appears to act like a dog for some of the movie, growling and sitting like one. He is also interested in fire like Jason, as it is theorized that he got the burns on his face by copying Jason's fire trick, but it is changed so he just puts the fire to his face.

Why does Jason wear a mask in Us?

This holds some water because Jason is constantly playing with a trick lighter, but can't seem to get it to work, implying he is a bit of a pyro and could have started a fire accidentally. Pluto wears a mask to cover up the burns of the accident. This would explain why Jason is often wearing a mask throughout the film.

Is there a monster in tethered?

In the film set miles from civilization, a blind teenager and the hunter he befriends are tormented by a mysterious creature lurking in the woods.

Do the tethered have souls?

Red explains that the duplicates, known as the Tethered, are soulless copies of people above. They were created in the underground lab in an attempt to control their surface counterparts, and when the experiment failed, they were abandoned.

Is Red the original in Us?

So the Tethered woman we've called Red this whole film is actually the real Adelaide. As the family drives away from Santa Cruz—with Red dead—Adelaide shares a look with her son Jason, who seems to know her dark secret.