Diksha Sundriyal
Apple TV+’s ‘The Lost Bus’ follows the harrowing true story of a bus driver and a schoolteacher who were responsible for saving 22 children during the 2018 Camp Fire in California. Matthew McConaughey plays the lead role of Kevin McKay, a down-on-his-luck bus driver, who is trying to balance the challenges of his personal life with those of his chaotic professional life. His driving through the burning streets of the town he has grown up in, with more than two dozen children and one school teacher, Mary Ludwig, on board, becomes the focus of the story. The film also gives us an insight into his struggles in the introductory scene. A rather heartbreaking thing happens right at the beginning, which sets the tone for the rest of the film. SPOILERS AHEAD.
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Elvis the Dog Meets a Heartbreaking End
The day before the fire starts consuming the town, and Kevin is tasked with saving the lives of 22 children, he goes through a loss that resonates deeply with him. While driving back home from work, he gets a call from the vet, who reveals that his dog, Elvis, will not be able to live much longer. He has cancer, and while all efforts have been made to treat him, there is nothing that can be done now. The illness has spread throughout his body, and the only humane thing to do now would be to let him pass on peacefully. When Kevin reaches his home, the first thing he sees is his dog sitting on the porch. He carries the pet in his arms, takes it inside, and puts it on the couch where it can rest comfortably.
This act shows that Kevin deeply cares for Elvis, and while he knows that euthanising is the only option left now, it doesn’t do anything to dull the pain he feels about losing his dog. He brought Elvis home as a puppy, and for years, the dog has been by his side through thick and thin. Kevin is also going through a rough patch at the moment, as he is trying to make ends meet with his job as a bus driver. His relationship with his son, Shaun, has also suffered, because the boy doesn’t like the fact that he had to leave his friends, his school, and his life behind to move to Paradise because of his father.
Meanwhile, Kevin’s mother is also unwell, which is the primary reason why he moved back home. At the same time, he is also grieving his father, who died a few months back, and with whom he never made peace. With all of this weighing heavily on him, losing his dog feels like another punch in the gut. Still, he knows that he cannot let Elvis live with the pain of cancer. So that evening, he shows up at the vet, where he holds his dog in his arms, while the vet injects the dog, making him pass away in his sleep peacefully. What makes this scene even more poignant is that the incident with the dog actually happened in real life, as the real Kevin McKay also lost his dog the day before he saved the lives of 22 children.
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