Leave the World Behind viewers spot major Friends plot hole
NetflixThere have been plenty of details to pore over in the new Netflix movie Leave the World Behind, including a rather unusual Friends plot hole – but Sam Esmail has revealed that there’s more to this than meets the eye.
Based on the 2020 novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam, Leave the World Behind has quickly shot up to the top spot on the Netflix chart. The apocalyptic drama stars Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, and Myha’la as two families who fight for survival amid an inexplicable blackout.
With a mysterious cyberattack, a looming disaster, and the unexpected arrival of some symbolic deer, there’s a lot to unpack in the Mr. Robot creator’s latest flick. As per the official synopsis: “The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world.”
Following the film’s Netflix release last week, one detail that has been highlighted is a Friends plot hole, something Esmail himself has opened up about.
Leave the World Behind viewers spot major Friends plot hole
In Leave the World Behind, Rose Sandford (Farrah Mackenzie), the daughter of Roberts’ Amanda and Hawke’s Clay, is a big fan of Friends – which would be fine, had it not been for the fact that Roberts made a celebrity cameo in the long-running sitcom as Susie Moss.
Why didn’t Rose notice the carbon copy of her mom in the show? A number of viewers had the same question, with one writing on X/Twitter: “The kid watching Friends on her tablet in Leave the World Behind is going to have her mind blown when Julia Roberts shows up.”
X/@MainstreamMatt“Leave the world behind plot twist… the daughter watches the Friends episode with Julia Roberts,” quipped another, while a third added: “The Friends-obsessed girl in Leave the World Behind had absolutely nothing to say about her mom showing up in an episode. Not. One. Word.”
As much as this might not make sense, in Esmail’s world, it’s intentional. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he said: “The universe I create for these movies is slightly off from our reality. They have to be, obviously. They’re being performed by actors that are in our world.
“So my meta, convoluted explanation is that when Rose is watching Friends and she sees Julia on it, she sees a passing resemblance to her mother, but obviously shrugs it off because it’s not her mom.”
NetflixElaborating further on Rose’s obsession with watching Friends when the world around her is crumbling, the filmmaker told Tudum: “To me, it represented pure escapism. In moments of crisis when we’ve lost sight of our common humanity, when we feel isolated, we do want to escape to comfort. And for Rose, I thought her journey wouldn’t be complete until she watched the final episode of her favorite show.”
Leave the World Behind is available to stream on Netflix now, and you can check out more of our coverage below: