Pratik Handore
Directed by Kelley Kali, Hulu’s ‘Jagged Mind’ is a psychological thriller film based on the short film ‘First Date.’ It follows Billie, a young woman who crosses paths with the mysterious Alex. As Alex and Billie start a relationship, Billie begins to experience disturbing visions. Billie soon realizes that she is stuck in a series of time loops that force her to live the same moments of her life repeatedly. However, viewers must be wondering how and why the time loop was created and the crystal that seems to be at the center of ‘Jagged Mind.’ SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Crystal’s Origin and How It Works
In ‘Jagged Mind,’ Billie (Maisie Richardson-Sellers of ‘Legends of Tomorrow‘) is a young woman who works at an art gallery. Billie’s mother had dementia, and Billie also experiences frequent blackouts, waking up with no recollection of certain events. However, as the narrative progresses, it is revealed that there is a more sinister and dark explanation behind Billie’s blackouts and disturbing visions. Billie and Alex ((Shannon Woodward of ‘Westworld‘) start a romantic relationship after Billie meets Alex at a bar. However, Billie has reservations about the relationship since Alex hides her true personality. Soon, Billie discovers that she is stuck in a time loop, and the disturbing visions she experiences are the memories that were erased from her mind.
Eventually, Billie discovers that the time loop was created with the help of a powerful and mysterious crystal. The crystal is first seen briefly in one of Billie’s visions as it is placed inside a necklace. Later, Billie learns that a person’s blood powers the crystal. Alex has been using her blood to power the crystal and uses its power to keep resetting the timeline. However, the movie does not explain the origin of the crystal. It is stated that Alex got the crystal from artist Rose Porter, who dated Alex and used it when they were in a relationship. The crystal appears to be a conduit for black magic as it uses blood as a power source. The crystal can turn back time and erase memories of anyone whose blood powers it. This is seen throughout the movie as Alex uses Billie’s blood to create the time loop that traps Billie in their unhealthy and toxic relationship.
Why and When Did Alex Create the Time Loop?
Barring the final few scenes, the movie occurs within a closed-time loop that encapsulates Alex and Billie’s relationship. As the narrative progresses, viewers learn that Alex and Billie had met at a bar, much like we see in the movie’s opening moments. Alex and Billie date, and their relationship gets off to a good start. However, things quickly go sideways when Billie discovers the crystal. During the movie’s climax, Alex admits that she created the time loop because her relationship with Billie had been soured despite the couple getting engaged. As a result, she used the crystal’s powers to reset the timeline and restart their relationship, resolving to get things right this time. However, Alex has reset the timeline several times.
The time loop she has created starts with her first meeting with Billie. The loop almost always ends with Billie discovering the truth about Alex and the crystal. As a result, Alex is forced to kill Billie and use her blood to restart the time loop, returning to the day she first meets Billie. Hence, the time loop starts with Alex and Billie’s first meeting and ends with the latter’s death. However, it also results in Billie’s loss of memory, and the constant resetting of the timeline is slowly killing Billie. Thus, the time loop can be interpreted as a metaphor for toxic relationships and manipulations that can traumatize one or both people involved. Ultimately, Billie breaks the time loop by turning the tables on Alex. She attacks Alex with a broken wine bottle and uses Alex’s blood to reset time back to when she had not crossed paths with Alex. As a result, the crystal plays a large role in the story despite the relatively little explanation bout its powers and origins.
Read More: Jagged Mind Ending, Explained
