I'll be honest, I didn't see Fifty Shades of Grey for the plot. Yes, I wanted to see Anastasia Steele fall in love with possessive billionaire Christian Grey, but I also just wanted to see an erotic romance in theaters, and I was not disappointed. The sequel, Fifty Shades Darker, however, has a much more intricate and thriller-inspired plot than the first film, as fans of the original book trilogy know. In Fifty Shades Darker, the stakes are way higher than just Ana and Christian's relationship: it's life and death. And while the Fifty Shades Darker ending looks happy, looks can be deceiving. Spoiler alert: there is a threat still looms around the corner after the movie's conclusion.
Fifty Shades Darker ends with an engagement, a fancy party, a slight family blow out, and a threat. So, let's start with the happy news: after re-establishing their romantic relationship without a sex contract, Ana and Christian are happily engaged to be married. Christian is slowly learning to open up to Ana and is loosening up on his dominating tendencies (sort of), and after Ana is held at gunpoint by one of Christian's former submissives and Christian narrowly escapes a helicopter crash, they decide they want to skip the whole living together/getting to know one another/having a quiet relationship thing and go straight to the altar.
But, while they are busy celebrating their engagement at Christian's elaborate birthday party, Jack Hyde, Ana's former boss, stands outside, menacingly. Earlier in the film, Jack cornered Ana in his office and aggressively propositioned her, sexually harassing her and forcing her to defend herself to run away. (It is as terrifying as it sounds.) After the sexual threat, Christian called the CEO and had Jack fired, and now Jack wants revenge. Outside the party, he looks at a printed out photo of the Grey family and burns a hole through Christian's face using his cigarette. Ana and Christian might thing they're on their way to Happily Ever After, but Jack Hyde is definitely not done trying to come between them.
Jack isn't the only potential threat to Ana and Christian at the end of Fifty Shades Darker. There's also Elena Lincoln, aka Christian's Mrs. Robinson, who leaves Christian's party in anger after Christian's adoptive mother Grace overhears her talking to Christian about their relationship. Grace, who considered Elena a close friend and business partner, had no idea that Elena carried on an affair with her then-teenage son, and promptly slapped her and threw her out of the house. Christian later told Ana that they had decided to end all ties with Elena, including cutting her out of their business deals. Elena already didn't like Ana, and this probably won't make her more likely to leave the happy young couple alone.
The Fifty Shades Darker ending does not promise Ana and Christian a happy ending. With threats to Ana and Christian's relationship coming from all sides, not to mention the growing pains still evident in their relationship, it will be a miracle if they actually make it to their vows. But, hey, that's what Fifty Shades Freed is for.
