Warning! This article contains major spoilers for Beetlejuice 2!Tim Burton’s original 1988 movie left some key questions unanswered ahead of Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceAnd one of the biggest mysteries centered around the backstory of the Deetz family members, namely the fate of Lydia’s mother. with Beetlejuice 2The cast brings Winona Ryder as Lydia Detz and Catherine O’Hara as Delia Detz, the chances are much greater for the burning questions to finally get satisfactory answers. Not only is Beetlejuice 2s story centered around the Deetz women and their relationships, however The sequel also focuses heavily on Lydia’s struggles with motherhood while raising her teenage daughter Astrid (Jena Ortega).
As the original Deetz family members, Lydia’s daughter Astrid, and her fiance Rory arrive in Winter River for the funeral of Lydia’s father Charles Deetz, the group confronts many of their familial resentments and conflicts from over the years. At one point Beetlejuice 2Lydia expresses her frustrations about Astrid”haters“She, with her stepmother Delia responding that Lydia similarly did not treat her well when she was a teenager in Beetlejuice. During this conversation, Lydia and Delia finally discover the fate of Lydia’s biological motherWhich was never once mentioned in Tim Burton’s 1988 Beetlejuice Movie.
Beetlejuice 2 confirms that Lydia’s mother is still alive
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice debunks theories that Lydia’s mother died
When the Deetz family moved into the Winter River house in the 1988 horror comedy, the unit consisted of teenager Lydia, her father Charles, and her stepmother Delia. Lydia clearly did not get along well with Delia during her youth, and made sure to fix Adam and Barbara Maitland by Clarifying that Ohara’s character was her “Stepmother“, not her mother. Despite Lydia ensuring that this distinction was made, Winona Ryder’s character never revealed what happened to her biological mother.
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actually, Lydia’s mother is never directly mentioned or explained in BeetlejuiceLeaving her parents’ background and family situation a mystery. Did her mother die, leaving Charles to raise Lydia alongside Delia? Is Lydia’s mother out of the picture, with a strained relationship that includes few, if any, visits with her daughter? Or, is Lydia’s mother still alive and involved from afar, with Charles having primary custody as they move from New York City to Winter River?
It has long been thought that her absence, lack of reminders, and Lydia’s interest in death and the macabre meant she was dead.
These were some of the options to potentially explain the mystery over the past 36 years, however Beetlejuice 2 Finally gives an answer. While the revelation is rather vague, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Confirmed that Lydia’s mother is still alive. It was long thought that her absence, no memories, and Lydia’s interest in death and the macabre meant that she was dead, but it turns out that she was alive all along.
“The same-same-but-different approach is felt throughout Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — and it’s welcome. It proves that you can fill a movie like this with callbacks to the original and still make it feel like its own, unified experience. And it It is no small thing for a legacy sequel to have a filmmaker at the helm who is actively revisiting their legacy. – Alex Harrison – Screen Rant’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Review
When Lydia and Delia talk about their strained dynamic in the original movie, Delia’s words seem to imply that Lydia’s mother is no longer alive, so Lydia makes sure to correct her that her mother is not dead. However, the implication is still that Lydia is estranged from her mother in Beetlejuice 2.
Beetlejuice 2 does not reveal why Lydia did not live with her mother as a teenager
The reason for Lydia and her mother’s separation is not revealed
It is now officially confirmed that Lydia’s mother is living in Beetlejuice 2But the sequel still does not fill in some related questions of the original movie. Tim Burton’s 2024 horror comedy does not directly address Lydia’s relationship with her mother, only that Lydia resented Delia when she was a teenager, seemingly for replacing her mother.
therefore, Trying to understand why Lydia didn’t live with her mother as a teenager still requires a lot of speculation And read between the lines. While Lydia and Astrid mend their relationship and fulfill Richard’s wish for them to become closer again Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceAfter all, this change does not have any direct impact on Lydia’s relationship with her own mother.
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) Key facts breakdown |
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Budget |
$100 million |
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Box Office (First Week) |
$162 million |
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Rotten Tomatoes critics score |
77% |
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Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
82% |
Considering both Delia and Charles die in the sequel, Lydia’s mother is the only living parent she has leftWhich may lead Ryder’s character to attempt to repair their relationship. If Tim Burton ever decides to make Beetlejuice 3Lydia’s mother can finally be introduced and their estranged relationship over the last three decades can be discussed in more depth.
Why confirming the fate of Lydia’s mother was so important in Beetlejuice 2
Lydia’s mother could not be ignored this time
In addition to being a major unanswered question from the original movie, it was imperative to address Lydia’s mother in Beetlejuice 2 Due to the fact that Much of the plot hinges on Lydia’s personal struggles with motherhood.
It’s hard to do justice to Lydia and Astrid exploring their relationship without also understanding the context of Lydia’s dynamic with her own mother, though Beetlejuice 2 Largely uses her changing relationship with Delia to address this multigenerational conflict. In order to properly understand the dynamics of the Deetz family, it is important to have a little understanding of Lydia’s background with her mother.