The Jurassic World Dominion Detail That Has Us Scratching Our Heads
Contains spoilers for "Jurassic World Dominion"
Blockbuster movies are big productions with elaborate sets, multiple producers, directors, actors, and writers. Because of all the fingers in the pie, it is not uncommon for big gaffs or inconsistencies to creep into a final product. While there are dozens of Easter eggs and details for fans to feast their eyes on, "Jurassic Park: Dominion" has one detail that feels like a plot hole. Or could it simply be a callback without much thought?
In the newest film in the franchise, the main antagonist is a man named Dr. Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott). He is the CEO of a company called Biosyn, a corporation that set up a refuge for dinosaurs brought on by InGen's dabbling in genetic power. Throughout the film, the protagonists uncover a long list of Machiavellian endeavors to control both pharmaceutical and food supplies on a global scale. While the heroes (a combination of the original trilogy's trio and the new generation of dino experts) bring down the facility and its schemes, Dodgson packs his things and attempts to escape unscathed. Among the things viewers see is a battered can of Barbasol.
Eagle-eyed fans will remember this can from the original "Jurassic Park." It served as the undercover transport tool for the deceptive Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight). But why is this scene more important than just a clever throwback? Because the can has a complicated history, and its appearance in Dodgson's office all these years later is perplexing.
Dodgson gave Nedry the Barbasol can
John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) made a critical mistake when he hired Dennis Nedry. Although he was a talented programmer, his greed proved fatal for him and the park. In the film's early scenes, Nedry travels to San Jose and meets a man named Dodgson (played by Cameron Thor in the first installment), who hands him a bag of money. During the meeting, we discover Nedry is plotting to steal embryos of all the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park to help Dodgson's unnamed company catch up on a decade of research.
Nedry returns to the park with a Barbasol can containing a false bottom that screws off, revealing a compartment for each embryo. After shutting off the park's security systems, Nedry fills the can with the embryos from the Cold Storage room, grabs a Jeep, and drives toward the docks. Unfortunately for him, the coming tropical storm makes the drive treacherous, and he goes off the side of the road and crashes his Jeep. While trying to wench his Jeep out of the mud, he is attacked and killed by a Dilophosaurus. The scene ends with the Barbasol can tumbling down a small waterfall and being covered with mud before disappearing.
Fast-forward three decades, and the fiendish Dr. Dodgson has the Barbasol can sitting in his office; presumably, it is the same can, but how did he get his hands on it? Could it be a small throwback without thought? Or is it a call to the expanded universe outside the movies?
How did Dodgson get it back?
Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong) may be the answer to this question. While not much is known about the character, his history in between the films may shed some light on how the can is returned to Dodgson. Dr. Wu spends his time in "Jurassic Park" as the lead geneticist for John Hammond before presumably leaving the island before the storm.
According to the website for the fictional future parent company of InGen, Masrani, Dr. Wu returns to the park following the incident to assist in cataloging the remaining species. After that, he comes under the employ of Masrani and eventually of Biosyn. It's possible that the mission to catalog the species on the island may have had a secret sub-mission: to find the Barbasol can with the last surviving embryos. As a dedicated man of science who believes in the mission of Jurassic Park, he would undoubtedly be passionate about locating the can and continuing his work.
There are a few pieces of evidence that support this theory. First, Dodgson spends 30 years perfecting the genetic process that Hammond began, showing that he is someone who not only doesn't quit but also plans for the future. He likely would have a contingency for Nedry, who clearly isn't as dependable as hoped. Secondly, after the fall of InGen, Dr. Wu rises through the ranks of Masrani and Biosyn, possibly as a reward for his work collecting the samples and finishing what Nedry began.