The Purge: Election Year Ending Explained – Chaos & Hope

The Mayhem that is synonymous with The Purge franchise speaks for itself, they explode with political commentary and action-packed sequences. Among the films in the franchise, The Purge: Election Year (2016) is unique in the sense that while it focuses on a pivotal presidential election, it also captures the heart in a very captivating way. To add to this, the film concludes on a rather celebrative but concerning note, making the audience question how this movie will affect America in the movie. In this article, we will dive deep into The Purge: Election Years Ending and explore its impact on the franchise as well as its characters. 

Roan’s Victory: The End of Purge Nights?

Amidst all the election pandemonium, the core theme of the film lies within Senator Charlie Roan’s campaign against the annual government-sanctioned event known as the Purge – a twelve-hour time block where all crime including murder is legal. Like many other citizens, Senator Roan suffered during one of the Purge nights and to change the oppressive system run by the New Founding Fathers of America, she became the voice of the voiceless.

In the final moments of the movie, Roan is triumphally fighting Minister Edwidge Owens, who is an NFFA ministerial candidate and wants to continue the ‘Purge’ for the benefit of the wealthy elite. One victory against him symbolizes the end of Purge nights. However, in the latter part of the film, it becomes evident that there are still quite a few steps that need to be taken for the purge to be fully abolished. For instance, a news sight reveals that the supporters of the NFFA have caused and led to the violent protests after she accepted the clothes. This shows that, along with winning the election, Roan now has to face the even bigger challenge of attempting to unify the country and working towards destroying the purge system.

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Dante Bishop’s Moral Dilemma

In the film, Dante Bishop is a very famous anti-pulge resistance leader and has to deal with major conflict issues. Roan, along with her security team led by Leo Barnes, decides to take shelter in Bishop’s underground hideout where they discover his plan to get rid of Owens. At first, Bishop is convinced that popping Owens is the only possible solution to guarantee that the Purge has stopped.

On the contrary, Roan is against this plan. She posits that killing Owens will only turn him into a martyr and create deeper divisions within the country. She argues for needing to obtain a just and democratic win. In the end, though, Bishop does decide to listen to Roan as he comes to understand that using violence makes him no different than the system he fights against. This choice illustrates one of the core concepts of the picture: the ending of violence and corruption.

Roan’s Personal Motivation Against the Purge

Roan’s opposition to the Purge is quite personal. At the beginning of the movie, we see a flashback to 2022 where a young Roan spies on her family getting slaughtered during purging night. So naturally, although it was horrific, it also made her want the annual purging to come to an end. Roan is a character filled with justice and strength, which is why she serves as the perfect balance to the selfish ideologies of the NFFA.

Leo Barnes: From Revenge to Redemption

One more time Frank Grillo steps into the shoes of Leo Barnes in The Purge: Election Year. He plays Roan’s head of security in The Purge: Election Year. He appeared in The Purge: Anarchy before this. 

Also, in addition, Leo is set for a different story and so is Roan. In The Purge: Anarchy, he goes on a quest to kill the drunk driver who used the purge to kill people without consequences. His quest for vengeance brings him to the brink of destruction. But at the end of the day, Leo learns that seeking revenge breeds the violence caused by the purge. Therefore, he succeeds in this realization by dedicating his life to that system and becomes an important asset for Roan in the campaign. 

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The Timeline of The Purge: Election Year

Spanning the decades, the Purge franchise has a complicated timeline: 

  1. The First Purge (2018): A prequel explaining the roots of the Purge experiment set within the Purge: Anarchy timeline.
  1. The Purge (2013): The first film set in 2022 involves the introduction of the annual purge. 
  1. The Purge: Anarchy (2014 : Set in 2023, this film explores the ramifications of the Purge on society.
  1. The Purge TV Series (2018): It analyzes the consequences of the Purge nights, between the years 2027 and 2031. 
  1. The Purge: Election Year (2016): In 2040, the film gets the audience ready for the final showdown between Roan and Owens.
  1. The Forever Purge (2021): It takes the audience to 2048 and depicts what happened after the officially sanctioned Purge was said to end. 

Additionally, reports state that The Purge 6 is underway and will be set in 2058, ten years after The Forever Purge. In this new movie expected to be made, Frank Grillo returns to his role as Leo which indicates that he is still part of the main storyline. 

What’s Next for Roan and the Nation?

Even though Roan’s triumph is a glimmer of hope for a new era, the events leading to the end of the film suggest otherwise. The NFFA supporters capturing Roan’s impeachment are highly suggestive of the fact that deeply rooted violent divisions in the country still exist. In this sense, Roan’s presidency will most likely set forth a myriad of problems like; political as well as literal assassination, unrest and violence, and severe political opposition to his rule. 

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Conclusion

The Purge: Election Year tells a story combining the personal and political. The victory of Roan represents a new beginning for the franchise. The movie’s ending leaves room for further examination, as ever. The whole series often evolves into a much more important commentary on societal matters while blending action and some deeper sentiments. The fans are awaiting the next chapter, so what lies for Roan, Leo, and the country they want to rebuild?