Fair Play Ending Explained: What Happened Between Emily and Luke’s Relationship?
Fair Play is a new thriller drama film from Netflix that seeks to tell the story of power imbalances based on gender roles and expectations, especially in a cutthroat corporate world. The plot revolves around a couple, Emily and Luke, who keep their relationship a secret from the world because they are also co-workers until things go wrong for both of them. With scenes of erotic intimacy that add to the overall conviction of the situation, Fair Play is an immersive experience that also focuses on pertinent contemporary issues.
Chloe Demont’s film, presented at the Sundance Film Festival, is a successful erotic thriller, which explores what it means to be a woman in a context of that type, taking situations to the extreme that are unfortunately similar to many other work environments. As we will see in this review of Fair Play, Demont starts from a couple’s relationship, exploring its dynamics and upsetting power relations: in this way, he speaks to us with unnerving clarity about the female experience today. How does your boyfriend feel if you’re suddenly the one making a career out of it? What if you’re the one who earns a lot more than him? The protagonist – played by a splendid Phoebe Dynevor – will be forced to deal with a harsh reality: love, even the seemingly strongest one, sometimes lasts only until one’s partner’s ego is diminished.
Plot Summary: What is Fair Play About?
The protagonists are introduced right at the beginning of Fair Play, starting with Emily and then her boyfriend Luke. Although they are at a big party organized for Luke’s uncle’s wedding, the couple is busy with themselves as they are deeply in love. They withdraw from the party events and take refuge in one of the bathrooms to make intense love. However, something falls out of Luke’s pocket during the act, surprising Emily. He picks up the object from the floor, which turns out to be an expensive engagement ring, and proposes to Emily, leaving the couple thrilled with the idea of getting married soon. Although Emily excitedly texts her mother about this new development, Luke doesn’t do the same with his parents. The next morning, as they are getting ready to leave for work, it is revealed that their relationship is still a secret to most people. This is because Emily and Luke are colleagues at the same corporate investment firm. Furthermore, company policy prohibits colleagues from engaging in romantic relationships, and Emily and Luke are also professional competitors in the workplace.
For these reasons, the couple hides their relationship from colleagues and bosses but lives together in an apartment after work. Soon after, a new development occurred at the highly competitive investment company. During a meeting that Emily and Luke attend, the company’s current portfolio manager flies into a rage and violence as he destroys computers and other equipment in his office. The reason for this outrageous behavior is that the man was fired without notice. This type of dismissal is not very uncommon in the company’s work environment, and the meeting continues as planned. Emily soon overhears two of the analysts talking about who will be the next portfolio manager, and rumors say it will be Luke. She secretly tells her boyfriend about this, and they also celebrate the occasion on their passionate way back to the apartment. However, any positive situation falls apart when Emily receives a call from a colleague at two in the morning, asking to meet as soon as possible.
Fair Play Ending Explained: Why Does Emily and Luke’s Relationship Fall Apart?
Upon answering the call, Emily rushes to the meeting location, despite her boyfriend’s request not to go. This is the first time in Fair Play that Luke shows an orthodox side to his personality, as he immediately dismisses this late-night phone call as his colleague’s attempt to get closer to Emily. However, she manages to convince him this time and leaves the apartment to meet her colleague, only to discover that it is the head of the investment company, Campbell, who is waiting for her, and his proposal rocks her world. Campbell claims that Luke is not well-liked as an employee, and instead, Emily is being considered as the next portfolio manager. Emily accepts the offer, but she’s also not very convinced of how her boyfriend will react to the news. Upon returning, Luke questions her about what happened, and her first reaction after hearing the news reveals a lot about his mental state.
Emily’s promotion, which her boyfriend Luke expected to receive, is essentially unexpected, which drives them away from each other and ruins their relationship. Luke worked at the company for a long time, and upon hearing the rumors about his promotion, he began to believe that he had already been given the position. The confidence with which Luke talks about how the promotion will change their lives together, even before he officially gets it, reveals a lot about his personality. Throughout Fair Play, Luke shows himself to be an extremely self-centered person who doesn’t consider anyone around him. Unfortunately, this characteristic of his ends up being reflected in Emily, as he never considers that she could also be promoted. Although the two appear to have worked at the same company for the same amount of time, the possibility of his girlfriend being competent enough to receive promotions is not something Luke thinks about. When Emily shares the news, her face reveals shock and almost disbelief, but she also hides these emotions through her words, which are all congratulatory.
He also directly emphasizes that he is not jealous or sad about the woman’s conquest, which again makes him seem extremely non-genuine. Emily also notices this, as well as the gradual change in her boyfriend’s nature over the next few days. She’s careful enough to ask him about what’s troubling him, but Luke doesn’t open up. Understanding what was going on in Luke’s mind, Emily promises to help him get his next big promotion. She tries her best to convince Campbell of Luke’s hard work and intelligence regarding predictions, but her suggestion is almost immediately rejected by the boss. Luke has not performed well in recent quarters, and his investments have caused the company to lose money, which makes Campbell hesitant to trust him. Back home, the boyfriend begins to act increasingly distant towards Emily, especially regarding their passionate sessions, and he no longer seems interested in such acts. Emily tries her best to cheer him up and help with the situation, but the man just isn’t open to her.
Luke also begins reading books by his favorite business mentor at this time in an attempt to prepare himself for his best efforts at the office. Initially, it seems like his wounded ego and confidence are being boosted and trained to be used positively by reading books and gaining knowledge. However, it soon becomes clear that Luke is still subconsciously very hurt by Emily’s promotion and is looking for ways to belittle her. One such occasion occurs when he tells Emily that she should present herself with more power and dress a certain way at the office. For him, Emily’s current appearance and attitude make her seem like a “cupcake”, a weak and adaptable person, and therefore, everyone would be willing to take advantage of her in all professional situations. Gradually, Luke continues to make statements and assumptions like these, which make him seem like the most dedicated student of an extremely sexist and somewhat misogynistic teacher.
Later in Fair Play, when Emily accidentally throws away the notes that Luke was taking from his favorite author’s business books, the man becomes furious and throws a tantrum. Discouraged by her boyfriend’s lack of romantic enthusiasm, Emily begins dating her more experienced colleagues at the company. She gets drunk and spends a lot at a nightclub after earning a big commission at work, and the next day, Luke overhears his colleagues talking about it. He believes his girlfriend may be cheating on him, and suspects that’s how she got the promotion.
It’s not like Luke is exceptionally brilliant in his professional role, and despite Emily’s best efforts, the man continues to fail at the opportunities he’s given. Emily convinces everyone else in the company to place bets on a company that Luke predicted success in, just to improve his reputation at the office. However, Luke’s assumptions turn out to be completely wrong, and the company again loses large amounts of money because of the wrong decision. Emily, once again, manages to recoup her money through other investments, but, understandably, she begins to lose confidence in her boyfriend’s professional abilities. As Fair Play progresses, Luke becomes increasingly problematic, calling his girlfriend names and demanding that she speak to Campbell about his promotion. When Emily apologizes first, Luke dismisses her as if she had done nothing wrong.
Will Emily and Luke Get Back Together in the Fair Play Finale?
Since Emily’s previous efforts didn’t work, Luke decided to try his luck with Campbell on his own. When another portfolio manager is fired from the office, Luke goes to his boss and directly begs him to give him a chance and make him the new portfolio manager. Extremely ignorantly, he believes that Campbell will pay attention to him if he humbles himself before him, metaphorically, and so Luke bows down to his boss for the position. This doesn’t work, as Campbell dismisses Luke, causing him to completely lose his mental balance. After being away from Emily for a few days, the man suddenly appears at the office in a state of drunkenness and neglect, creating a commotion in the place. He reveals to everyone how Emily had been sleeping with him for the past two years despite it being against the rules, and then insults Campbell and quits his job.
In an even more shocking twist, Luke shows up at the engagement party thrown by Emily’s parents after this incident, despite their relationship already being completely over. At this party, the two characters have their worst confrontation, with Luke spewing the dirtiest accusations he can imagine. Luke says Emily must have gotten the promotion by being intimate with Campbell, and he embodies every toxic man in the world who insinuates how women have it easy in the workplace. After this public scene, the couple has a private confrontation, and it is important to mention that the escalations in Fair Play really can shock. While Emily appears to make one last frantic effort to save their relationship by being intimate, Luke forces himself on her, continuing even when she asks him to stop. As can be imagined, it is clear that Luke does not consider this act to be rape and tries to justify it as an act of drunken love later.
It’s not like Luke is the only toxic and abusive male presence in Emily’s life and environment. Fair Play keeps it real by showing the misogynistic nature of the corporate world. When Emily makes a mistake at work and her decisions cause the company to lose money, Campbell doesn’t hesitate for a moment to call her a “dumb bitch.” Likewise, one of her superiors mentions how he was strict with her just so that she would be better at her job and therefore stand out. In a sense, Fair Play tells the story of the exploitative and competitive corporate world in modern times, with the couple at the center. Emily and Luke’s relationship seems to have always been unbalanced, and it was only the man who was supposed to excel in life and his profession. The moment these expectations are shattered, the relationship begins to fall apart.
It can also be debated that Campbell and the company promoted Emily because she is a woman and is therefore expected to be more compliant than a male employee. Thus, Emily has to face sexism in her personal and professional life. All of this takes a woman to a threshold of mental stability, as she loses control over right and wrong in the end. During the Fair Play finale, Emily returns home to find Luke with his bags packed as he is heading to San Francisco to start his own business. Instead of apologizing to the woman, Luke is bragging about this new development in his life, and it seems like he just came to brag about how much better off he is without Emily.
This enrages Emily, and she finally takes a knife and makes some cuts on the detestable man’s body, threatening to cause more pain if he doesn’t apologize for her actions. Cornered and vulnerable, Luke finally breaks down and apologizes to Emily, even asking her to accept him back into her life. However, Emily is completely fed up with him and insists that Luke clean his blood off the floor of her apartment before he leaves. Fair Play ends with Emily dropping the knife to the floor with a sigh, suggesting that even though she is distraught by these sudden and unexpected actions, she is pleased to finally face her ex-boyfriend’s toxic nature.
Fair Play Ending Explained: Conclusion
Fair Play is a film that dives deep into the issues of gender inequality, power in the workplace, and toxic relationships. The film highlights how gender expectations can negatively affect a relationship, especially when a man feels his position of power is threatened. Furthermore, Fair Play criticizes misogyny and sexism in the corporate world, showing how women often face discrimination and hostility. The ending of Fair Play, with Emily finally confronting Luke and rejecting his attempts at reconciliation, is a powerful moment that highlights the importance of confronting abusive and toxic relationships.
Fair Play serves as a reminder that no one should tolerate emotional, psychological, or physical abuse in a relationship, and that it is vital to seek help and support when needed. Ultimately, Fair Play is a provocative film that offers a raw and realistic look at the complexities of relationships and gender issues in the contemporary world. It is a story that reminds us of the importance of valuing equality and respect in relationships and the work environment.
