Diksha Sundriyal
In Netflix’s ‘Sweet Tooth,’ two unlikely people are brought together by circumstance and forge a bond that lasts a lifetime. Gus, a hybrid, had been living in the woods with his father. Jeppard was drifting about the world, focusing only on survival. When they meet, Gus finds a family, and Jepp finds a purpose. While most of the plot revolves around Gus and how he factors into the existence of the Sick and the hybrids, the show also focuses on his relationship with Jepp, which plays a crucial role in how the series ends. It is bittersweet, to say the least.
Jepperd Doesn’t Survive the Events of Alaska
At the end of ‘Sweet Tooth’ Season 3, Jepp is stabbed by Zhang. He also briefly catches the Sick when Zhang removes the axe from the bleeding tree. Gus saves them in time by burning the tree, but that still takes a toll on an already injured Jepp. Things end on a good note as the Sick goes away and the remaining humans are rendered safe. Moreover, humans decide to peacefully co-exist with hybrids, which solves the rest of the problems. This is the world that they’d wanted all along. However, as they make their way back to civilization, Jepp takes a break and reveals that he cannot go on.
Jepp asks Gus to tell him a story, and the boy tells the story of the Big Man. This is where things get a bit ambiguous. While it is clear that Gus, Wendy, Becky, and the rest of the hybrids survive and live out the rest of their days at Gus’ home in Yellowstone, doubt lingers over Jepp’s survival. When Jepp asks how the story ends for Big Man, the scene shifts to Jepp joining Gus at Yellowstone, but does it really happen, or is it a part of Gus’ story?
Ever since the Sick invaded the world, Jepp knew that death would come for him sooner or later. When he lost his family, he lost his purpose and spent his days moving from one place to another, waiting for death to come. But after he meets Gus, he gets another lease on life, and he is ready to do whatever it takes to save the boy and give him the future he deserves. He is ready to follow Gus to the end of the world, and he does so by going with him to Alaska, even when he knows that he might not come back from there.
By the time Gus and Jepp reach their destination, Jepp has already sustained a lot of damage. The Sick might not have gotten to him yet, but he is growing old. Moreover, he has been through quite a lot since he met Gus. He has been constantly fighting people, resulting in several injuries that never really heal properly, including a gunshot wound he received at the end of Season 1. He already had a bad leg from his days in football, which got worse after Jepp fought Abbot, and the latter targeted his leg. Almost getting buried in an avalanche doesn’t make things any better, either. In between all this, Jepp barely receives any time to take a breath and allow himself the rest to heal. By the time they reach Alaska, he feels all of it catching up with him.
With all the chaos coming to an end, Jepp would probably have lived out the rest of his days in peace, maybe even recovering from some of his injuries if it weren’t for the stab wound. Considering how both Jepp and Gus accept that the former is not going to make it out of Alaska and spend the time in a heart-to-heart, the answer to Jepp’s situation is pretty clear. He is fatally wounded, and he isn’t healthy enough to keep going in this situation. Moreover, the danger has passed. With Zhang and Adi Singh dead and the tree gone, there is no threat to Gus and the hybrids anymore. Jepp is relieved of the responsibility; he knows it is only smooth sailing for Gus from here on, and he doesn’t need Jepp to protect him.
By far, it was the desire to keep Gus alive that kept Jepp going even when he felt like he couldn’t push himself anymore. The repeated references to Jepp talking about giving it all when one is close to the finish line also show that he has been thinking about death. The ending Gus gives him is a fantasy that Jepp and Gus wish they could have lived out. Having been through so much together, they wished to sit in comfort and have fresh maple syrup together. By giving that ending to Big Man’s story, Gus gives Jepp the sense of a happy ending. Following this, Jepp succumbs to his wounds and dies, but it happens off-screen. The show chooses to have Gus and Jepp together as the final shot of the series to give the audience the same sense of a happy ending as Gus gives to Jepp.
Read More: Sweet Tooth: Why Does Gus Burn the Tree? What Does the Tree Sapling Mean?
