The Mind-Bending Twist Behind Dolores Roach Unraveled

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Horror of Dolores Roach. The Horror of Dolores Roach concludes with an ambiguous ending, leaving viewers intrigued about what lies ahead for the main character. Let's delve into the show's finale for a detailed analysis. The podcast-based series begins with a prologue featuring an actress portraying Dolores and her involvement in a play depicting her life as a serial killer. Shortly after, Dolores encounters herself in the dressing room and reminisces about her journey. She shares how she initially struggled to readjust to her former Washington Heights neighborhood after spending 16 years behind bars for concealing her boyfriend Dominic's crimes.

However, Dolores finds solace when she discovers a familiar restaurant called Empanada Loca, operated by someone she knows named Luis, in her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. She settles into the basement of the eatery, establishing a small business as a masseuse, and everything appears to be going well for a while. Unfortunately, it takes a dark turn when Dolores becomes compelled to kill the individuals who seek her services. Her homicidal spree escalates, while Luis capitalizes on her victims by incorporating them into his highly praised empanadas, serving them to unsuspecting customers. As the narrative of The Horror of Dolores Roach nears its conclusion, Dolores finally breaks free from her destructive cycle and embarks on a mission to locate Dominic, with the intention of putting an end to it all once and for all.

Who Answers The Door In The Horror of Dolores Roach's Ending

In the final scene of The Horror of Dolores Roach, Dolores successfully locates Dominic by coercing Caleb, the podcast host who popularized her story. The story concludes with Dolores arriving at Dominic's doorstep, where she amuses herself by mocking the person who answers before seemingly taking their life. Whether or not Dolores actually encounters Dominic remains uncertain, as the show intentionally leaves it unresolved to set the stage for its second season.

By focusing on Dolores' perspective, the ending scene of The Horror of Dolores Roach underscores the idea that the identity of the person who opens the door is inconsequential. What truly matters is that Dolores is unable to resist her urge for revenge, even though she feels remorse for her previous murders. In the closing moments, Dolores becomes consumed by her desire to seek retribution from Dominic, bordering on obsession. This grim conclusion reinforces the notion that her time in prison has transformed her into a killer, stripping away her humanity to an extent where she believes justice and a glimmer of hope can only be found through murder.

What Happens To The Horror Of Dolores Roach's Supporting Characters In The Season 1 Finale

Luis

In a similar vein to the character of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Luis becomes Dolores' partner in crime and capitalizes on their victims by utilizing their flesh for his empanadas. In the climactic conclusion of The Horror of Dolores Roach, Luis desperately tries to make Dolores stay and professes his love for her. Initially, Dolores deceives him by leading him to believe that she will join him. However, just as Sweeney Todd ultimately pushes Mrs. Lovett into the furnace, Dolores forcefully pushes Luis' face into the fryer in his own kitchen, serving him a taste of his own harmful actions. As the Empanada Loca kitchen goes up in flames, Luis seemingly experiences the same tragic fate as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd.

Nellie

Nellie's narrative in The Horror of Dolores Roach mirrors Dolores' experiences towards the end of the story. Like Dolores, Nellie becomes a victim of a gentrified system that gradually displaces minorities like herself from society. Suspicious of Jonah's death, Nellie attempts to report it to the police. However, she unknowingly falls into Luis' trap as he plants Jonah's clothes and body in her apartment using the emergency ladder in their building. This explains why Dolores discovers the ladder hanging down when she checks if Luis disposed of Noah's body in the garbage. Subsequently, Luis anonymously alerts the authorities about Nellie, resulting in the discovery of evidence linking her to Noah's murder and her subsequent arrest.

Consequently, Nellie, similar to Dolores, is wrongfully convicted of a crime she did not commit. With the murder charges against her, it is highly unlikely that she will ever be released from prison. Even if she manages to prove her innocence and secure her freedom, she will continue to endure the nightmarish experience of Dolores and her own mother's agoraphobia in their ever-changing neighborhood.

Joy

When Dolores kills Jonah's father, Gideon, Luis attempts to rationalize her actions by arguing that she actually did them a favor by eliminating the landlord. Internally, she even justifies her subsequent killings by convincing herself that she was merely striving to survive. However, the murder of Joy in The Horror of Dolores Roach's finale serves as undeniable evidence that Dolores has now become a part of the very problem she believes she is working to solve. The death of Joy illustrates Dolores' complicity in the dehumanization and exploitation of others, all for her own personal gain.

Will Dolores Ever Get Caught For Her Murders & Cannibal Empanadas?

Dolores Roach, as her surname implies, is an incredibly resilient survivor. Her post-incarceration existence serves as an illustration of how the privileged class encroaches upon lower-class communities, with only individuals like Dolores managing to escape the dire circumstances. Regrettably, transcending the adverse effects of urban development and gentrification comes at a steep cost: she must desensitize herself and profit from the demand for affordable food by commodifying her victims. Although there is a possibility that she might eventually face the consequences for her gruesome murders and cannibalistic empanadas, the conclusion of the show intimates that Dolores Roach is far from seeking redemption.

The Horror Of Dolores Roach's Biggest Changes From The Podcast

Amazon's adaptation of The Horror of Dolores Roach faithfully captures most of the original podcast's storyline. However, there is a significant difference in Dolores' character portrayal. The podcast presents Dolores as more cooperative with Luis and even somewhat supportive of his actions initially. As a result, Dolores in the podcast possesses a moral ambiguity and desensitization that is not seen in her television counterpart. Additionally, The Horror of Dolores Roach provides fewer details about Luis' traumatic past compared to the podcast, where his history remains largely mysterious.

Notably, the ending of Amazon's The Horror of Dolores Roach diverges significantly from that of the podcast. In the podcast, Dolores moves to the sewers and adopts a life among the homeless after killing Jeremiah in season 1, embodying her survivalist mentality like a roach. Conversely, in the show, Dolores reaches out to the actress portraying her in a stage play and reveals how she became the notorious killer known to the world. While Dolores remains on the run from the police like in the podcast, she actively seeks resolution by finding Dominic.

Will The Horror Of Dolores Roach Season 2 Happen? What The Sweeney Todd Inspirations Set Up

In The Horror of Dolores Roach, there are numerous self-references and connections to Sweeney Todd. Notably, Dolores is compared to Sweeney Todd by the media, affirming that the infamous fictional barber and serial killer exists within the same realm as her. Additionally, the Amazon series reveals that Caleb, through his podcast, played a role in popularizing Dolores' story, which directly references the original The Horror of Dolores Roach podcast. The inclusion of a play in the show's opening scenes is also a nod to the initial Sweeney Todd narrative.

These meta-references shed light on the exploitation of marginalized individuals like Dolores by the upper classes, even when she is on the run. By portraying her solely as a one-dimensional serial killer without delving into her backstory and the stories of her victims, the oppressors dehumanize her and intrude further into her personal life. The allusions to Sweeney Todd in The Horror of Dolores Roach's conclusion suggest that the protagonist's descent is far from complete. If there is a second season, Dolores will likely continue her search for radical justice, resorting to highly immoral methods and claiming more lives.

Given the cliffhanger ending of The Horror of Dolores Roach, it is highly possible that the series will make a comeback for a new season. With two seasons already available in the original podcast, there is ample source material to draw from. Nevertheless, the deviations in the conclusion of The Horror of Dolores Roach compared to the podcast indicate that season 2 may take an entirely fresh narrative trajectory.