The Biggest Unanswered Questions From The Kissing Booth 3
"The Kissing Booth 3" provides fans with some closure on the journeys of its core four characters, Elle, Rachel, Lee, and Noah. However, fans still have burning questions about where our favorite former high schoolers ended up — and even what happened to some of the minor characters as well. The movie picks off right where the second installment left off: that stressful period between high school and college.
At this point, we still don't know which college Elle will choose or whether or not long-distance will make or break any of the title couples. However, they only have one last summer together before college, and the group is determined to make the most of it at the Flynns' beach house. There's just one problem: Mrs. Flynn wants to sell it. Insert a lot of angst and a lot of drama, and we have ourselves a movie. Though the film does answer questions like, "Which college will Elle choose?" and "Which relationships survive the summer?" the film leaves fans with more questions than answers about the journeys of "The Kissing Booth" characters and what they're doing with their lives after college. With a whole lot to wrap up and only one movie to do so, here are all of the biggest questions "The Kissing Booth 3" left fans hanging on.
Does Marco ever become a musician?
From his first moment on-screen, Marco has one job: cause issues between Elle and Noah. Outside of that single goal, he's not developed much further. We don't get any significant glimpses at his hopes, dreams, or personhood beyond his desire to be with Elle. And while he definitely handled a lot of moments with Elle poorly (she has a boyfriend, Marco), Elle herself managed them arguably even worse. She's the one with the boyfriend, after all.
Despite having no intentions to pursue anything with Marco, she leads him on and uses him — allowing him to become further wrapped up in her drama. Of course, this pattern continues in the third movie of the trilogy, with Marco even admitting that Elle was the only reason for him to stay in California. The most significant moral of the film relies on the characters not changing their life trajectory for other people. Finally, Marco gets the hint that she's just not that into him by the end, and he's able to move on. During his goodbye with Elle, he expresses his dream of moving to New York to fulfill his music ambitions.
So, did he ever do it? We get some kind of answer about where the core four characters ended in the six years later sequence, but Marco is sorely missing. Granted, he wouldn't have had much of a place hanging out at the high school kissing booth carnival, but it would have been nice to see some hint that Marco made it.
Does Elle's dad stay with Linda?
Linda is clearly the unsung hero of the third film if we're honest with ourselves. Throughout the movie, she faces some pretty savage behavior from Elle when all she wants to do is help out and try to be a part of Elle's life. And Linda isn't overbearing about it, either. Yet despite her kindness and endless understanding, Elle treats her like a wicked stepmother when she gives off more of a fairy godmother vibe. It's a testament to her character that she doesn't leave Elle's dad right away, as the relationship seems relatively new. Hell, even Elle's little brother treats Linda with open arms.
And look, we get it. Losing your mom at a young age is certainly no picnic, and it's challenging to let someone in after going through that. However, Elle acts like an entitled brat to Linda, and she takes it like a champ. Elle does smooth things over with an apology, but how long does Linda's goodwill last?
Things seem to be going well during the montage where Linda hangs out with Elle's little brother after Elle goes off to college, but we're not quite sure what happens after — and Elle never mentions it in the six years later epilogue. Here's to hoping Elle's dad and Linda are still going strong. They both deserve happiness.
Where did Elle's mom meet Linda?
Speaking of Linda, her origin story is entirely underdeveloped. It's a pretty significant bombshell when Linda reveals that she knew Elle's mom, but we never really find out more than that. Where did they meet? Were they high school friends? College sorority sisters? Coworkers? Given how Elle's mom is such a vital character despite her pre-series death, this seems like something that the script should flesh out a bit more.
Linda even offers to tell Elle stories about her mom, but the audience never gets to hear them, which is a shame because it's one of the film's most intriguing moments. But along with the question of how Linda knew Elle's mom comes how she knew her dad — which is almost more of a pressing matter. Now, Linda (or Elle's dad) certainly don't seem like the types to cheat. But then again, neither does Elle, and she did it on live TV. It's unlikely that Linda and Elle's dad had anything untoward going on when Elle's mom was still alive, but if we got some of that backstory on how Linda knew her mom, it might alleviate that nagging question. Let's just say we're a little jaded about fidelity after "Kissing Booth 2."
Does Elle's Esports idea ever get developed?
When Elle defies all college deadline regulations to apply to (and somehow get an interview with) USC after most colleges had already begun their curriculum, she's entirely unprepared for the informal interview. Most people would expect video game pitches in an interview for a video game development program, but this is Elle we're talking about. She recovers quickly from her brain block, coming up with a pretty lucrative idea. Because the world obviously needs more gambling, Elle describes a fantasy Esports platform that allows fans to draft players in the same way NFL and NHL do fantasy leagues throughout their playing seasons. So, does her FantasEsports league ever happen?
We don't know, but it would have been a nice touch. Elle is now, six years later, happy in a video game development company that sounds like a startup or small company. If she sold her fantasy sports idea, the money from a program like that would certainly offer her enough of a cushion to enjoy the freedom of a smaller company. Still, we never really find out exactly what Elle does or if her idea ever came to fruition.
How is Elle's brother handling high school?
Another glaring absence from the six years later scene is Elle's brother, Brad. During the epilogue, Brad himself would be in high school around the same age as Elle is at the start of the series. That provided a perfect opportunity to bring him back for a minute (obviously with an older actor). Given that the college graduates are hanging around a high school carnival for some reason, Brad has more reason to be there than any of the core four characters.
As he'd be prepping for his own college experience, fans would love to know what's going on in his life: Is he planning to head to Berkeley like his mom? What does he want to study? Does he have a girlfriend or boyfriend of his own?
Instead of a rando couple making out at the kissing booth, the movie missed out on a golden opportunity to keep it in the family and have Brad take center stage at the booth. Not only would it have brought everything full circle, but it could have possibly set up a possible spinoff for the next generation. Ah, to missed opportunities. Brad is a good little dude, though, so hopefully he has a good head on his shoulders these days. But closure would've been nice.
Where is Chloe?
Chloe never gets enough credit for how empathetic and straight-up cool she is. Despite her never making a single move toward Noah, she deals with Elle's scrutiny and insecurity toward her on multiple occasions, never turning catty or dismissing Elle's concerns — even after she's proven herself. Chloe is an all-around great person, and she definitely deserves a more significant part in the movie.
We never find out much about Chloe's ambitions or goals, and once again, the movie relegates her to existing for the sole purpose of shaking things up between Elle and Noah when she deserves her own story. Did she graduate from Harvard? What did she end up doing? We have absolutely no clue, but given the ease that gives advice and helps people who don't even like her, she'd probably make a great therapist or high school counselor. Honestly, Chloe and Marco need a spinoff movie set in the New York arts scene where they complain about Elle and Noah treating them like set dressings in their relationship.
What happened with the beach house?
The Flynns' beach house is as much of a character as the actual characters — even more so in some cases. Given how much the house means to the Flynn family and how long it's been in their possession, the family's announcement that they're selling the place shocks both the kids and fans alike. That being said, there wouldn't be a movie without the impending sale. The only reason Elle, Rachel, Noah, and Lee have the summer together is to get the house ready for sale.
That's why Mrs. Flynns' decision not to sell almost feels out of place. Is it expected? Sure. But we just spent the entire movie with the house serving as a metaphor for childhood — so it's an interesting choice to keep it after they've finally come to terms with growing up and moving on. But even more, it's not exactly easy to back out of a sale that significant. Mrs. Flynn tells the kids that a development company plans to tear down all of the houses, offering her a pretty steep buyout.
No matter how good of a real estate agent you are, a development company's lawyers are scarier — and usually more willing to get messy to make their clients happy. By backing out of a done deal, Mrs. Flynn not only faces severe financial penalties but risks her business as well. It all feels way too easy, and given that development companies usually get what they want, even if you end up with nothing, it raises the question: What really happened to the house? Is it still the Flynns'?
What career does Lee end up in?
So, we know that Lee attended Berkeley, but what exactly does he do after that? Like most characters in the series, we don't know much about Lee's ambitions or what he wants to do with his life, which extends to the ending when he's actually doing it. Elle is a master of the monologue and narrating life events, so it's peculiar that we find out absolutely nothing about what exactly Lee is up to after college during the six years later sequence. His brother's a lawyer, and Elle is a video game designer, but why isn't she bragging about her best friend's accomplishments?
Lee is a bit of an enigma throughout the movies outside of his relationship with Elle, but, strangely, we don't get some more significant closure for a character who helped define the series. Arguably, Lee's friendship with Elle is an even more meaningful relationship than the one she has with her actual boyfriend, so it's kind of an important detail to leave out.
When did Rachel and Lee get back together?
It may seem like an unimportant detail, but the timing of when Lee and Rachel get back together is pretty essential to the series and the lessons the characters learned along the way. The whole movie hinges on each character learning to put themselves first (and accept the choices of their loved ones). Whether Lee and Rachel got back together a month after they broke up, a year, or four years is pretty crucial to the sanctity of the movie's message.
It seems likely that they were probably already graduated before reconnecting, but we don't know for sure. It would have been pretty easy for Elle to give us a timeline on their reunion when she mentions them finding each other again — just like they said when they broke up. Rachel is a great character because of her willingness to put herself first and make the right choices for herself — even if those she loves may not agree with them. It would be a shame if all of that went down the drain with a hasty makeup, but it does seem unlikely, given how Elle phrases their reunion. Since it's left up to the audience's imagination, however, we'll just say it happened after graduation when both Lee and Rachel had done all they needed to do in college and growing up.
What does Rachel end up doing after college?
Ah, yes, Lee's better half. Are you sensing a trend here? It's strange that we only have solid(ish) endings for two of the four main characters of the series. Elle leaves both Lee and Rachel out of the post-college roundup convo, and it shows. Rachel solidifies the fact that she's more than just her relationship in "The Kissing Booth 3" when she breaks up with Lee so she can focus on herself and her post-high school dreams.
All three characters head to different colleges, but we don't know anything about Rachel's college or work life — we just know that she's engaged to Lee. Now, based on everything we know about her, Rachel probably isn't going to give up her ambitions and career (whatever it is) to stay at home. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, it just doesn't seem like a move that Rachel would want to make. She broke up with Lee before college to pursue her goals, after all. So, where does Rachel end up? What does she do? It's no doubt that with her smarts, she landed on her feet with a great career, but it would still be nice for fans to have some closure on that matter — for all of the characters we're left wondering about.
Which law firm does Noah choose?
New York or LA? That is the question. During the epilogue, we learn that Noah has quite a big decision to make regarding what city he'll choose to practice law. New York and LA couldn't be more different in terms of location: The vibe, weather, and space are deeply contrasting. However, when it comes to practicing actual law, California and New York tend to have similar stances on many important issues that might come up. We're not clear on what kind of lawyer Noah studied to be, which does make a difference, but a lot of his actual practice would be similar.
However, there is one big hurdle: Ask any layer, and they'll tell you that the California Bar Exam is the hardest to pass in the country, raking in around a 30% pass rate with occasional fluctuations. And when you do pass it, you're only cleared to practice in California unless you take another exam. Meanwhile, New York uses the Uniform Bar Exam, which can transfer to most states — including Massachusetts, home of Harvard. As Noah went to law school at Harvard, he likely would have already passed the UBE to get offers. If he accepts a New York position, he might only need to be tested on laws specific to the state. If he decides on California, he has to take the California Bar Exam — and hope he makes it into that minuscule pass rate.
Do Elle and Noah get back together?
The biggest question of the series is, of course, whether or not Noah and Elle actually end up together. Elle is happy in her new job, and the lesson to avoid ditching her dreams for others has hopefully stuck at this point. Oddly enough, it appears that Elle hasn't seen Noah in years, possibly not even since their breakup. Given that their families are so closely intertwined, it would be strange if they hadn't seen each other at the occasional Thanksgiving dinner. But law school on the other side of the country is rough, so it's possible.
Noah and Elle's simplistic epilogue meet-cute goes well, and we even watch them make good on their plans to go motorcycle riding together. Beyond that, their future is wide open. But that's the thing: At around 24-years-old, your future is wide open. It's great that Lee and Rachel are happy and getting married, but there's no rush for mid-twenty-year-olds to rush. They've both got time to figure that out, and it was a bit of a refresher to have their love story so open-ended. Did they get back together? Probably. Will it last? Who knows. And that's life.