Explaining Andi Twist in a Glass Onion
Glass Onion: Wilderness Action Mystery is full of twists and turns, none more so than Janelle Monáe's character Andi.
Warning! This article contains spoilers for Glass Onion.
The Glass Onion: Mysteries of Wilderness has some big twists, one of which involves Janelle Monáe's character, Andi Brand, who is central to the film's overall plot. 'The Glass Onion' follows up its predecessor in many ways, with Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc thrust into yet another murder mystery amidst an eccentric cast of characters . Like the mystery of the first Knives Out, the Glass Onion's twists and turns kept viewers guessing, though a surprise reveal in the sequel changed the outlook for the entire movie.
Right in the middle of Glass Onion, it is revealed that Andy is actually Helen, Andy's twin sister, who was actually found dead a few days earlier. This twist makes the first half of the film completely different, and repeat viewings may make it clear that it's Helen who's always been thought to be Andy. The reason for the twist is to keep the audience guessing about the cast, characters and plot of Glass Onion. At first, one might assume that Benoit Blanc's role in the sequel is to unmask Duke Cody's murderer. However, the film's big twist changes everything when Andy's death is revealed after the fact and Helen is included so that she can help Blanc find Andy's killer.
Why Miles Killed Andi & What His Alpha Plan Was
Ultimately, Benoit Blanc and Helen Brand deduce that Miles Brown was responsible for the deaths of Andy and later Duke. However, it was Miles' murder of Andy that kicked off the Glass Onion story and motivated him to kill Duke, raising questions about why he killed his former business partner. Given Andy and Miles' past partnership, the basis for her murder came. Andi and Miles co-founded Alpha Industries, before Miles kicked Andi out of the company after the latter refused to grant the former's request to release Klear, a volatile hydrogen-based alternative fuel.
Miles (played subtly by former Hulk actor Edward Norton) does this by forging a napkin on which Andy has previously written her idea for the founding of Alpha Industries, and forcing his and Andy's Friends used his wealth to advance their respective careers to discredit her. However, Andy later finds the original napkin with her own words and thoughts on it, and uses it to threaten Miles and the others. Miles then murders Andy so she won't leak the information and regains ownership of the company. Miles did this because he intended to get richer by using Klear, even though the substance has not been proven safe for home use.
Clues To Glass Onion's Helen-Is-Andi Twist
The biggest twist in the Knives Out sequel actually has many clues throughout the first half of the film, hidden in plain sight, alluding to the true meaning of the title The Glass Onion. The first establishes the extent to which Andi and Miles cannot get along after their fallout. When Andy shows up at the resort, it's actually a clue that it's really Helen, because she wouldn't be there if Andy were alive. Additionally, Helen poses as Andy and does not speak to anyone during the boat ride to Miles Island, which is later revealed to be on the advice of Benoit Blanc.
In the first half of Glass Onion, "Andi" doesn't actually say much, except for her outbursts to the other characters. This is another clue, as the film later reveals that Helen was inadvertently drunk at the time. It's also implied that before the reveal, "Andy" stumbled down the road due to drunkenness when she returned to her room. Also, in the scene before explaining the big glass onion twist, she has an unheard conversation with Blanc. It's also a hint, as this dialogue is later revealed due to the film's non-linear narrative.
Why Helen Had To Be The One To Take Down Miles
At the end of The Glass Onion, Helen ends up knocking out Miles after Blank reveals his murder, for both thematic and logical reasons. In the case of the latter, Myers had all of Blank's evidence burned, literally and figuratively, meaning he couldn't be prosecuted. Because of this, Blank gave Helen a sample of Klear, which she used to blast glass onions and ruin Miles' reputation. This also applies on a thematic level, as Helen finally avenges her sister's death.
Helen not only fires Miles for murdering her sister, but also avenges Andy's firing from the company. In one fell swoop, Helen exposes Miles' treachery, destroys the titular Glass Onion, reveals Claire's extreme danger, and destroys the Mona Lisa that Miles borrowed from the Louvre during COVID. All of which ruined his reputation, which brought justice for Andy's wrongful kicking out of Alpha Industries.
Andi's Twin Sister Reveal Is Glass Onion's Best Twist
Of a movie full of twists and turns, the one about Andy and Helen just so happens to be the Glass Onion's best. The main reason for this is that it sets the sequel apart from other murder mysteries, and the first Into the Wild did a very good job as well. While many of the twists and turns involving the Duke murders are well foreshadowed and a testament to how tight the Glass Onion script can be, they all still fall under the umbrella of murder mystery tropes. However, with Andy becoming Helen's turn, the film stands out through writer-director Rian Johnson's best trait: subversion.
Andy is revealed when Helen pulls the rug from under the feet of the audience and the characters in the film. In this way, the twist also greatly reframes the first half of Glass Onion and tells a wonderfully non-linear story. This makes the film even better on re-watching so viewers can deduce the big twist clues for themselves. All of this is a testament to why the Knockout series has been so successful, and Glass Onion: Knockout Mystery continues that, hopefully not stopping with the next installment of Knockout 3.
