Paramount’s “Death’s Roulette” unfolds in a closed space with seven hostages. None of them had any idea what it was all about, and after untying themselves, they focused on finding out the reason behind the kidnapping. The kidnapper announced that he wanted his victims to participate in a death game. The victims had one hour to nominate someone to die, and only then would they be allowed to leave. They were all desperate to save themselves, and in the process, they unleashed their wild sides. In this article, we discuss why the victims were kidnapped in the first place, and we also decode the ending of “Death’s Roulette.”
Spoilers Alert
‘Death’s Roulette’ Plot Summary: Why Were The Strangers Kidnapped?
Jose was the first of the seven to offer to die. Since he was the oldest of the group and had lived through the torture of the kidnappers, he decided it was time for him to go. Jose felt guilty of the crimes he had committed in his lifetime and thus believed that he deserved to die. While Jose was shot dead, the kidnapper reminded the strangers that the rules of the game required them to choose the target, and the person must not volunteer for the position. Since Jose had volunteered to die, his death did not meet the game’s requirement. With time running out, the hostages were provided with clues to understand the reason behind the kidnapping and to choose their next target wisely.
The clues revealed that none of the remaining six were honest people. They all had committed crimes and were being punished by their common victim. Teresa was a drug addict and had run her car over a woman. Instead of helping her, she left her to die. Teresa explained that she checked the condition of the woman before leaving. She was confident that the woman would make it, and that was the reason she left. The woman was Patricia Vega, and Armando, the surgeon, had a different opinion about the entire case. Armando stated that Teresa was responsible for her death because, by the time she was brought to the hospital, he could not save her. He encouraged the group to vote for Teresa’s death, but she was not ready to take the blame. The kidnapper played a voice recording of a nurse who stated that Armando had made a mistake in the OT and that he was responsible for Patricia’s death. After the truth was revealed, Armando tried to make an emotional statement. He admitted his mistake, and he added that he was a human being. While he made a few mistakes in life, he always repaid them by saving thousands more. It was part of his profession, and he could not really help it.
While the group struggled to decide who to vote for next, they now knew the person behind it. The kidnapper was Pablo Vega. Pablo was a popular criminal known for murdering corrupt judges, politicians, and prosecutors. Simon had been chasing Pablo for a long time, but he could not get a hold of the sadist killer. He was a brutal man who could go to any extent to punish his victims. Simon once came close to shooting Pablo, but instead he shot his girlfriend, and he concluded that was the reason behind his kidnapping. Pablo’s mother, Patricia, was declared dead after the car accident, and clearly, Pablo could not forgive Teresa and Armando for the mistakes they made. Later, Marta added that Patricia worked as a housekeeper for them, but after she got pregnant, she resigned from her position. While there was a connection between Pablo and Esteban, the reason behind his kidnapping was not revealed immediately.
What Was The Connection Between Marta And Pablo? Why Was Jose Kidnapped?
While Esteban was hopeful that he and his family could get away with their secret, Pablo wanted to make sure that they were punished as well. There was a picture of Patricia with Marta and Esteban taken in Paris. In the caption, Pablo mentioned Marta and Esteban as his aunt and uncle. Initially, Armando doubted that Pablo was Esteban and Patricia’s son, but with the picture, it became evident that he was the son of Marta’s sister. Lupe was completely shocked by the sudden revelation as she didn’t know that her mother had a sister named Ofelia. Marta refused to give out any details about her secret sister, and Simon searched for more clues to solve the puzzle.
Simon found a picture that stated Pablo was born in a mental asylum, and Marta realized that there was no point in hiding the truth. She explained that Ofelia was her older sister and she suffered from mental illness from a young age. She was admitted to an asylum, and initially the therapy worked. But while living at the facility, she was raped. Ofelia chose to give birth even though her family was against her decision. She died during childbirth, and Marta decided to leave the baby with the midwife. The baby had a mark on his hand, and even though Marta knew that the boy was born weak and needed care, she turned a blind eye to him and gave him up for adoption. Pablo could never forgive Martha for abandoning his mother and him. She was in a position to help, yet she chose not to. Martha agreed that she deserved to die for her past mistakes, and she was ready to give up her life to protect her husband and daughter. In the meantime, it is also revealed that Jose, the retired old man who volunteered to die, was the rapist. He was responsible for all of Pablo’s and his mother’s misery. Maybe Ofelia was not his only mistake; perhaps he was responsible for ruining the lives of countless others.
How Did Armando Die? And Who Was Pablo Vega?
Surprisingly, when Marta was ready to die, the door to another room opened. The group was presented with a scrumptious dinner, and Armando did not waste a minute to gorge on it. Simon suddenly discovered a knife hidden in the meat, stating that they must kill the person they chose. With only ten minutes left, Armando was ready to stab Marta to end the game. Esteban defended his wife, and in a scuffle, he stabbed Armando. As he was losing blood, Armando agreed to be stabbed once again to end the game. Armando was stabbed in the chest, and he died within a few seconds. A door opened, and they realized that they had walked into a labyrinth.
Esteban and his family ran for their lives, while Simon and Teresa took a different route. Teresa’s vision was blurring out, and she decided to take the last pill that she found at the dinner table. Teresa parted ways with Simon, and he continued to search for her. Teresa managed to leave the maze, but she was struck by a car. The man driving the car turned out to be Simon, aka Pablo Vega. Teresa begged for her life and reminded him of her son, but Pablo was driven by vengeance. He ran the car over Teresa, just like she did with his adoptive mother. Meanwhile, Esteban, Marta, and Lupe escaped from the maze and got on a boat that they found. When they noticed Pablo (Simon), they allowed him to get on the boat as well. They were relieved to think that they had managed to escape from the madness, but the moment Marta noticed the mark on Simon’s arm, she knew he was trouble.
‘Death’s Roulette’ Ending Explained: Who Helped Pablo Execute His Grand Plan?
Pablo pointed his pistol at Marta, realizing that she had figured out the truth. He asked Esteban and Marta to play a game of Russian roulette, and if they failed to play fair, he promised to shoot Lupe. Marta held the pistol in her hand, but she could not shoot her husband. Pablo gradually started to reveal each of Esteban’s disgusting secrets. He had abused countless girls as young as Lupe. Lupe’s classmates were not his only victims; he had abused his own daughter as well. Marta refused to believe it, but Lupe confessed that it was the truth. Even after knowing that her husband was a pathetic pervert who deserved to die, Marta failed to pull the trigger. But it did not take Esteban a minute to pull the trigger on Marta. All her life, Marta protected her husband, only to realize that he could give her up in a second.
Pablo asked Lupe to communicate with the shooters, leaving her parents surprised. Pablo handed over the gun to Lupe, indicating that she had conspired with Pablo to seek revenge on her parents. The abuse left her empty, and no matter what she did, she always experienced unexplainable pain. It was only after meeting Pablo that she realized her father was responsible for her suffering. Marta defended Esteban, saying that he did not rape the girls. She wanted to believe that the relationships were consensual, but she did not consider that the girls were underage. Marta knew her husband’s secrets, yet she never took a step against him. Maybe she was afraid of losing her status and decided to blame it all on the girls he abused. “Death’s Roulette” ends with Lupe pointing her gun at her father but being unable to pull the trigger. Pablo helped her with it and shot Esteban dead. They had a special arrangement for Marta. Marta did not care about the torture Ofelia had to endure at the mental facility, so Pablo admitted her to a mental institute and subjected her to shock therapy. In the end, Pablo and Lupe watched the sun set from the room where it all began.
We can assume that Pablo contacted Lupe before executing his plan. By then, he must have known Esteban’s secrets, and he might have wanted to find out whether or not Lupe was affected by them. Pablo’s fight was against corrupt individuals, and he could not ignore all the people who wronged him. If we can trust what Pablo said about himself as Simon, then he too requires medical attention. We can assume that Lupe joined Pablo in his endeavor to fight corruption. They were each other’s family, and it will only make sense for them to stick together.
