Netflix's I'm Thinking Of Ending Things Ending EXPLAINED
3. The Dance Is What Could Have Been
After Jake insists on driving to his old school to dispose of ice cream containers, he runs inside the building when he thinks someone is watching them. It’s at this point the woman enters the school to look for him, asking the janitor if he saw him. And here’s when things really get weird.
When the woman finds Jake, doppelgangers of the couple begin an interpretative dance. Telling the story of a couple meeting, falling in love, and getting married, this is how the janitor wishes his life turned out. It’s only when he enters the dance do things go wrong. Killing his idealised younger self and being left to literally tidy the mess, this can be understood as a metaphor for how he believes he killed his only chance for true happiness.
Moreover, this sequence also has a deeper significance to it. The scene has a striking resemblance to the dream ballet from Oklahoma!, a musical that we know Jake is a huge fan of from his conversation in the car earlier in te film.
The dance may seem like it comes out of nowhere, but it's pivotal in illustrating Jake’s longing for a companionship he never had.