Who Is ‘Jerry’ in ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’? The Answer Is So Funny.
Supposedly, all we know is that he is a family friend named Jerry.
Final Destination: Bloodlines was released last week to fan delight. It may be the best movie in the franchise. What makes Bloodlines so good is the balance of scares and humor. There’s the usual Final Destination creepiness of gory kill scenes and Death setting traps for the characters, but it is expertly mixed with effective moments of comic relief.
One of these funny moments is (spoiler alert) when oldest child Erik (Richard Harmon) discovers he is not actually a part of Death’s plan because he is not in Iris’ bloodline. Erik’s mom admits that his real father is a man named Jerry Fenbury who is familiar to the family as everyone seems to know who he is. Erik is upset but has a moment of realization as the new information clicks into place. Disgusted, he asks his mom “Is this why he always wanted to play catch?”
This funny line was actually improvised by Richard Harmon. Director Adam Stein told The Hollywood Reporter that Harmon is an “incredible improviser”. He had the actor film the scene many times, coming up with a different comment every time he left the room. The “playing catch” line was chosen as the funniest version, but Stein says it was hard to pick among the many witty remarks Harmon came up with.
So, who is Jerry? Ostensibly, all we know is that he is a family friend named Jerry and the scene ends there. However, astute audience members may remember they were actually introduced to a character named “Jerry” just a few scenes ago. Jerry is the name of Erik’s boss at the tattoo shop.
Of course, this isn’t confirmed. Kim Kondrashoff is only credited as “tattoo boss” on IMDB. It’s possible that there are two Jerrys that play prominent roles in Erik’s life. But it would be odd for the filmmakers to go out of their way to name Erik’s boss Jerry and then have a separate character named Jerry. Either this is an intentional Easter egg or the writers are just big fans of Parks and Recreation.
Final Destination: Bloodlines is now in theaters.
Further reading:
- The “Penny Kid” in ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Still Got What He Deserved According To This Easter Egg Buried In the Credits
- ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Is Better Than the Original
