Rose Cameo from Smile 2 makes the original film’s ending even darker

Warning: contains SPOILERS for Smile 2!Smile 2 features a cameo from Rose Cotter, Sosie Bacon’s character from the first film, and changes the original film’s ending in the process. Due to the nature of the Smiling Curse and its rules, the Smile the sequel turned its focus to an entirely new character rather than making Joel the main character. Through a chain of events that occur over the following days SmileAt the end of, Skye Riley becomes the latest target of the curse, and the story of Naomi Scott’s pop star character is largely disconnected from the franchise’s original protagonist.

While the majority Smile 2 has almost nothing to do with the original film and its characters, the first sequel is the complete opposite. The sequence begins by showing the days after Joel received the curse and his attempts to pass it on to criminals so he could live. His plan goes wrong, leading to Joel’s death in Smile 2 and Lewis being cursed next. Although Kyle Gallner is the only original Smile star returns for the sequel, the film has a small cameo from Rose that proves to be a harsh reminder.

Smile 2 shows Rose’s body burning completely

The original film offered a unique look at his death

During Joel’s opening scene in the sequel Smile 2 has a quick cameo by Rose, showing Joel seeing a burning body as he approaches the criminal’s house. The burning figure stands off the road and is a figment of his Smiling Curse imagination. Although Sosie Bacon didn’t return to film anything for the sequel and the victim is completely engulfed in flames to the point of being unrecognizable, this is a clear callback to Rose’s death. The film showed her dousing herself with gasoline and lighting a match, with her body beginning to burn at the end.

The importance of Rose’s appearance in Smile 2 is that this is the first time the franchise has fully shown what it was like for Joel to watch her die. The original film only showed a glimpse of Rose’s death through the reflection of Joel’s eye, with the screen fading to black before it got too bad. The Smile Curse uses Rose’s burning body form to insult Joel as he goes to kill someone to keep himself safe from the entity, offering viewers and Joel a reminder of what happened at the conclusion of the original film.

Smile 2 showing Rose’s death is a harsh reminder of Smile’s end

The full extent of his death is even grimmer

Since the original Smile spared the audience from watching Rose’s death and obscured what she showed by using Joel’s eye, the full effects of her fate were not realized until this Smile 2 moment. The first installment is now darker in retrospect because the audience now knows what it’s like to see the whole act of Rose’s body burning. It is also a stark reminder that the sequel is only happening because Rose’s plan failed and she was killed by the entity. Rose had to die for the franchise to survive and for this acclaimed sequel to be made.

Also, seeing Rose now as a tool for Smile Curse’s tricks is dark. She is no longer a character fighting for her autonomy, as she was consumed and defeated by the entity, which allows the curse to develop from the traumatic events. Rose now appears in Smile 2 as part of Joel’s trauma, which the entity feeds on, rather than his former romantic partner, he tried to help save. And since her story is now resolved for good, Rose’s burning body being the last thing audiences see of her in the franchise is a grim outcome.