Whiplash ending explained: A rivalry turned camaraderie

Chandler Bing once imitated the sound of sitting on a couch in the Central Perk cafe: Wah-pah! That is exactly the sound you'll hear in Whiplash, Damien Chazelle's 2014 movie that has acquired the status of a masterpiece today. It is a story teetering on the fine line of pushing boundaries and crossing lines.

J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller are in the leads as Terence Fletcher and Andrew Neiman, respectively. The former can be considered a protagonist, known for his cruel methods as a music teacher to push his students towards greatness. The latter is a protagonist and a victim of this great teacher's ways.

The end of the movie has two plots running together. As Fletcher is trying to sabotage Andrew's career, we see him attempting to prove Fletcher wrong. To that, Andrew gives him the performance of a lifetime, which, in a satisfactory ending (the eyes, Chico! They never lie), finally sees Fletcher truly appreciating and working in tandem with Andrew.

What's happening in the final scene of Whiplash?

J.K. Simmons plays Fletcher in Whiplash. (Image via Blumhouse Productions)

The final scene takes place at a New York JVC Jazz Festival, where Fletcher and his new band are performing. He has also invited Andrew to be a part of it. However, an unexpected turn takes Andrew by surprise in Whiplash on the stage.

Fletcher leads his band to play a song that Andrew doesn't know. When it begins, the boy has no idea what to do; although he tries to catch up, but fails to do so, and, to his embarrassment, he has to leave the stage.

However, with the same speed he leaves the stage, he comes back after embracing his father for a moment. He cuts off Fletcher's introduction and leads the band into Caravan, a 1936 American jazz standard.

It's an unexpected turn for Fletcher in Whiplash now, as he questions the actions of Andrew. Andrew tells his teacher to "cue" him; with not much choice left, Fletcher understands and agrees to his former student, like a victim.

As soon as the piece finishes, Fletcher and Andrew's eyes meet, and we can see Fletcher smiling, which, in turn, also makes Andrew smile. Though we don't see Fletcher's face in this scene, anyone can tell with the movement of those muscles on the cheeks that this bald music teacher is impressed.

Why is all of this happening at the end of Whiplash?

There are a couple of answers to this: it's the pursuit of greatness by both the individuals and the frustration that they endure after getting involved.

Andrew is eventually made aware that a student had committed suicide due to these cruel methods, so he testifies against Fletcher, which causes the instructor to lose his job. This is the reason that Fletcher ended up changing the song on the stage to humiliate Andrew in front of the audience, which included industry giants, potentially with the intention to sabotage his career.

But Andrew rose against the odds, and the rivalry suddenly changed into camaraderie.