Upamanyu Biswas
Netflix’s teen comedy film, ‘Incoming,‘ depicts four first-year students in high school attending their first-ever party, engulfing them in a raucous night of affairs. The film’s protagonist, Benj, is desperate to make a name at the party as it’s an opportunity to start afresh with new reputations and, hopefully, make a move on his crush, Bailey. Joining them in their exploits is the school’s chemistry teacher, Mitch Studebaker, who, rather than embrace his responsibilities, decides to shirk them for a single night as he tries to enjoy himself in the wake of some disappointment in his personal life. However, the film’s mid-credit scene suggests that the teacher did not have much luck with the school’s admin, even though he garnered plenty of followers and laughs among his students during the gathering. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Mitch Studebaker’s Party Antics Get Him in Trouble With the Principal
Although the house party organized by Danah’s brother, Kayvon, is meant for the school students to enjoy a night of reckless abandonment, it turns out to be Mitch Studebaker who steals the show in terms of outlandish acts. The chemistry teacher shows up at the house party looking to keep a low profile, berating himself for even deciding to come in the first place. However, soon enough, he engages in drinking, smoking, lighting himself on fire, and getting electrocuted in the house’s swimming pool. The extraordinary high jinks of the night end up leaving him with some unpleasant scars and sores on his body by the time he returns home. Thus, in the film’s mid-credits scene, a visibly disfigured Studebaker barely complains when Waymont High School’s principal fires him for his party escapade.
The scene adds a hilarious touch to the finale as Studebaker’s wild and reckless actions are in stark contrast to what might be expected from a high school teacher. Instead of trying to stop his students from engaging in debauchery, drinking, and smoking, he ends up becoming the life of the party, which, unsurprisingly, does not play well with the school principal. Watching his disheveled appearance early in the morning would have irked her, knowing that one of her teachers was out partying like a high schooler. In fact, Studebaker is so mangled that he finds it a challenge to slip in and out of the chair as the principal fires him. It is a comedic gag that once again doubles down on the ridiculousness of Studebaker’s unabashed failure in keeping both his and his students partying in check.
The Chemistry Teacher Loses Sight of Himself After a Personal Blow
During the film’s earlier moments, Mitch Studebaker is shown to be going through a breakup with his partner. Feeling sad about his loss, he calls up his friends, hoping that they can go out on an outing to take his mind off of affairs. However, when his invitations get turned down by pretty much everyone, the school teacher is left with no options other than to spend his time alone. Because he is so friendly with his students, many of them invite him over to Kayvon’s party. At first, it seems unlikely that he might take them up on the offer, but later, he changes his mind and shows up at Kayvon’s doorstep, albeit still hesitating about making an entrance. Therefore, his motivations for the party antics can be traced back to his feelings of dejection post-breakup.
In many ways, the film’s mid-credits firing of Studebaker is something the teacher may not regret much. As he was already in a vulnerable state and looking for a way out of his hurt, the party did him more good than harm, despite the fact that he carries several injuries on his body as a result. It also explains why he does not fight back against the principal when she lets him go. Or perhaps he feels that there is no way he can slither out of the firing owing to the total dereliction of duty he exhibited as a school teacher in a respected position. Either way, the scene caps off the character’s outlandish and amusing behavior throughout the narrative, making him the hero of the party in the eyes of his students.
Read More: Where Was Netflix’s Incoming Filmed?
