Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Saw X.My goodness, that Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) sure does like to murder, doesn’t he? Across all of the Saw films, he stacks up a body count that would put most other modern horror villains to absolute shame. This remains the case in Saw X, the tenth film in the series that actually takes place between the first and second movies. If you think that sounds convoluted, you haven’t been immersed in the chaos of this horror series that became more like a guessing game of trying to figure out what absurd way they would fold the story back in on itself next. This one is the most straightforward, for better and worse, as it plays out mostly linearly save for a few more restrained flashbacks. Of course, if you’ve found yourself here, you may have some questions about how this all comes together. Hell, there may even be some of you who haven’t even seen it and just want to know what exactly happened.
While Saw X was only released a few weeks ago in theaters — yet has made a solid haul at the global box office) — it is already available to purchase on digital now. (The modern world, eh?) You might be brave enough to watch it now that you can experience it from your own couch. Here’s everything that went down in Saw X‘s finale. A final warning, this piece is going to spoil the whole dang thing from start to finish!
What Is ‘Saw X’ About?
When we first meet everyone’s favorite murder man, he is in a bit of a rough spot. While there is a whole lot else to remember about his backstory, including that iconic backward hat scene, the most important detail for this one is that Kramer is dying of cancer. The only thing keeping our boy in okay spirits is imagining all the torture he could be carrying out if he didn’t have to go to doctor’s appointments and generally get his affairs in order. What is a guy to do? Well, he randomly runs into a fellow member of a cancer support group who he could’ve sworn was also in a bad way and going to die. Now, he seems to be happier and healthier than ever.
Desperate for answers himself, Kramer asks the man what saved him. He then learns that there is an underground medical group operating outside of Mexico City who are providing an experimental treatment that will give him his life back. They even have a website that lures Kramer in, proving he is as much a boomer as he is a brutal killer, and he forks over a chunk of change without much of a second thought. Obviously, this turns out to be a scam and he will then round up all who tricked him to play a series of games in his classic traps. This includes bombs in arms, brain surgery, and radiation as that Jigsaw sure is creative!
Jigsaw Gets Revenge in ‘Saw X’
To make a long story short, everyone dies despite doing what Kramer forces them to do. That is, except for Cecilia Pederson (Synnøve Macody Lund) who is the ringleader of the entire operation. She seems to turn the tables on Kramer and Amanda (Shawnee Smith) before trying to make her escape with the money from the grift. Jigsaw apparently foresaw this all happening and she triggers a trap that fills the observation room with a poisonous gas that will kill her. The only way she survives is by sticking her head out a small hole, killing her lover in the process who had come to rescue her. Prior to this, Kramer was being waterboarded with blood on a hellish seesaw but managed to endure it to protect a kid who got roped into this by Cecilia for some reason. After this gory baptism is complete, he, Amanda, and this kid walk out into a beautiful day. They leave Cecilia just hanging out there and all seem to be having a grand old time in a fitting punchline for the closing scene.
‘Saw X’ Is Really a Story About Family
So what does this all mean? Well, Kramer is still going to do a whole lot of killing in future films so this joyous tone is unlikely to last. Instead, we see that the events of this film essentially birth Jigsaw into the maniac that will carry out even more harebrained torture schemes. This knowledge makes the ending into a gag where the connections Kramer made and the ridiculous reaching the film does for sentimentality are not to be taken seriously in the slightest. The final shot makes it seem like there is a bright new horizon for all of them, but it is made ridiculous by all the gruesome deaths that preceded it as well as all that will come after it. It is a happy ending to such a preposterous degree that all one can do is laugh at it. After all the macabre killing we just witnessed, the way it closes on a cheery note renders this all comedic in the best way. How can you not smile about an old man finding a connection later in life? It really is an inspiring story when you look back on how it all came together.
While Kramer still has cancer, he has now got a couple of people with whom to spend his waning time on this Earth. Isn’t that what life is really all about? It isn’t the intricate traps you create, but the people you get to share them with in the end. Jigsaw was just a lonely guy who wanted a family to call his own who he could carry out his torture schemes with. Is that too much to ask? Sure, he subjects people to torture, but you try talking to your relatives over the holidays then tell me that can’t itself be torturous. While he remains on the edge of dying, he has now gotten a new lease on life that will free him up to carry out his final schemes. However, don’t think too hard about what happened to that kid he took with him and who we never see again in the franchise.
The Big Picture
- Saw X’s story is more straightforward, with linear progression and restrained flashbacks.
- In Saw X, Jigsaw, who is suffering from cancer and desperate for a cure, gets scammed online and he takes revenge on those who orchestrated it.
- Saw X explores the theme of family, showing Jigsaw’s desire for a connection. The film ends with a cheery note, despite the gruesome deaths, highlighting the irony and comedy in the story.
