Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Carry-On’ follows the story of Ethan Kopek, whose day turns upside down when he finds himself at the mercy of a mysterious villain. Ethan works at the LAX as a TSA agent. His job is a dead-end, not because it doesn’t have space for growth but because Ethan isn’t as invested in it as he should be. When his girlfriend, Nora, gets pregnant, he decides that it’s time for him to take the initiative and do better. He is given the opportunity to prove himself when he takes the place of his colleague and has to scan the baggage before clearing it for boarding. This is when he receives an earpiece, and the voice on it tells him to clear a bag despite its contents. When Ethan discovers what’s in the bag, he tries his best to stop it from being taken on the plane, but it rarely turns out as he expects them to. SPOILERS AHEAD
Who Hired the Traveler? What Was the Real Plan?
When Ethan is forced to clear a bag for boarding by the Traveler, Ethan assumes that this is a terrorist attack. However, the Traveler reveals that he does not work for a terrorist organization. Instead, he is a private contractor whose job is to do whatever is asked of him. In this case, he was told to get the bag on the plane and let the whole thing go down without a hitch. Ethan cannot comprehend why someone would kill a random group of hundreds of people. However, it turns out that the choice wasn’t so random.
While Ethan tries to find a way out of the Traveler’s hold, a news report plays in the background. It reveals that Congresswoman Grace Turner is footing a bill that requires the country to have a more robust military presence in other countries. That would be great news for private contractors who work in defense, as a greater military presence requires a greater arsenal of weapons. These contractors back Turner and help push her bill, but there is too much pushback against it, and it cannot be passed. That is until something terrible happens and everyone in Congress sees the importance of the bill, which stands to make a lot of money for private companies.
Now, when they think about doing something drastic, they come to the conclusion that they need a martyr. Someone important will have to die for everyone to set aside their differences and unanimously decide that the bill should be passed. The most logical candidate for this martyrdom turns out to be Grace Turner. However, she cannot simply be assassinated. That would invite too much scrutiny. It has to look like she was never the target but collateral in something else. Moreover, it must also look like a foreign enemy has perpetrated the attack, which would give more backing to the bill. This is where the idea of releasing Novichok on a plane comes to the fore. The choice of the poison would turn all suspicion towards the Russian. Moreover, Grace Turner’s death would do the trick. Once the bill is passed, the private companies will be able to make as much money as they want because the bill will open the way for it all.
Does Ethan Diffuse the Bomb? Is the Traveler Dead?
When the Traveler digs into Ethan’s history, he sees the pattern of a man who has given up. From his profile, Ethan appears to be someone who will do as he is asked, as he doesn’t have the courage to stand up for something. The Traveler believes that getting Ethan to do the job would be easier because the man would rather be done with it than try to do something about it. But he turns out to be terribly wrong. It seems that Ethan’s profile doesn’t do him justice at all, as he turns out to be the exact opposite of what the Traveler had hoped to find in him. Not only is Ethan ready to do what is right, but he is also a fast learner and quick on his feet, and it is this that saves the day.
Earlier in the day, when Ethan had Traveler at gunpoint, the villain activated the mechanism in the briefcase, which would release the Novichok and kill everyone. When Ethan relents, the Traveler refuses to defuse the bomb himself. Instead, to show that he is in complete control of Ethan, he makes the TSA agent defuse the bomb by telling him exactly what to do. This knowledge comes in handy at the end when the Traveler is already on the plane with the bomb. The LAPD detective Elena Cole’s first instinct is to stop the plane, but Ethan posits that this would only encourage the Traveler to release the gas and kill more people than the ones in the plane. The only way to catch him off guard is by making him think that his plan is working. What no one realizes is that Ethan already has a plan in motion.
Earlier, when he had the bag in his hands, Ethan switched it up with a slightly bigger bag, which he knew wouldn’t fit into the overhead compartment of the plane. He also had it checked beforehand so that when the time came, the Traveler would be forced to get it with the rest of the bags in the cargo hold. This puts a distance between the Traveler and the bag, giving Ethan the perfect opportunity to defuse it and save the day. At least, that’s what he planned to do. The plane is allowed to fly, but before it takes off, Ethan receives enough opportunity to enter the part where the bags are kept.
On finding the bag, Ethan switches it to manual and starts defusing it. At the same time, the Traveler is alerted, and he realizes exactly what is happening. He finds Ethan before the bomb is completely defused, and a fight ensues between them. The Traveler has a gun, but Ethan has the advantage of knowing his surroundings. After a bit of a struggle, Ethan pushes the Traveler inside a vacuum-sealed compartment. A moment later, he also throws the bomb inside the same compartment. In the struggle to free himself, the Traveler ends up breaking the bottle, which releases the gas that kills him on the spot. Because it is a completely sealed chamber, the gas doesn’t leak into the plane, and everyone is saved.
Does Ethan Apply to Police Academy Again? Does He Become a Cop?
An important part of Ethan’s arc is his desire to become a cop. This is what his father wanted, and this is what Ethan always wanted for himself. But the first time he applied, he was rejected, which dejected him so much that he never applied again. Nora encourages him not to give up and apply again, as she believes that he will be accepted this time. However, Ethan seems to have lost all hope, and instead of heeding his girlfriend’s advice, he pushes for a promotion to a job that he doesn’t even like to begin with. During his conversations with the Traveler, Ethan reveals that the reason he was rejected was because he failed the polygraph when he was asked whether he had ever seen a crime being committed. He had seen his father steal at one point, but he couldn’t admit to it, so he lied and failed the polygraph.
One of the reasons why Ethan doesn’t apply again is because he knows he will fail the polygraph again. But by the end of the film, a lot has changed. If previously, he was just another guy applying to become a cop, by the end of the film, he is a hero who saved the day by saving the lives of hundreds of people and stopping a terrorist and his deadly plot. Detective Elena is so impressed with him that she tells him to come see her when he has recuperated from his wounds following the confrontation with the Traveler. Clearly, she, too, has seen the potential in him, especially after watching him in action. She is ready to help Ethan because the force clearly needs cops like him. By now, Ethan has also processed a lot of stuff he had been keeping to himself. So, he meets Elena later, and she helps him with the process.
By the next year, things have changed a lot for Ethan. Now, he is a dad. He is back in the airport, but this time, he is not a TSA agent but a traveler who has to wait his turn as his bag is scanned and the process of security is completed by his ex-colleagues. It seems that he and Nora have finally decided to take that vacation to Tahiti, which they had talked about a lot during the previous holidays. But that’s not it. The last shot has Ethan throwing his LAPD badge in the tray for scanning. This confirms that he has now joined the police force and fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a cop.
Read More: Netflix’s Carry-On: What’s in the Bag?
