Woman Of The Hour Ending Explained: What Happened To Rodney Alcala

Warning! This post contains spoilers for Woman of the Hour.

Apart from walking through the events that led to Rodney Alcala’s 1979 arrest, Woman of the Hour‘s ending also features a brief segment that highlights what happened to the serial killer and Cheryl Bradshaw in the years that followed. Directed by Anna Kendrick, Woman of the Hour is a true-crime thriller that recounts many crimes committed by series killer Rodney Alcala. However, instead of making Alcala its primary focus and unfolding like most typical true-crime dramas on Netflix, Woman of the Hour emphasizes the perspectives of the women who encountered the serial killer.

The Anna Kendrick movie‘s unique approach towards the genre helps it to address several systemic issues that allowed killers like Rodney Alcala to get away with their crimes. Although Woman of the Hour takes many creative liberties and even adds several fictional characters to the mix, it remains focused on presenting its social subtext with clarity. While its ending may seem a little anti-climactic because it only follows a segment of Rodney Alcala’s long timeline of crimes against women, it manages to stay with the viewer long after its credits start rolling.

What Happened To Rodney Alcala After Woman Of The Hour’s Ending

His Mother Posted His Bail

As the textual epilogue in Woman of the Hour‘s ending reveals, Rodney Alcala’s arrest on February 14, 1979, did not mark the end of his long string of crimes. Soon after 15-year-old hitchhiker Monique Hoyt (portrayed as Amy in the movie) filed a police report against him, his mother posted his bail. The same year, on June 13, Rodney Alcala sexually assaulted and killed a 21-year-old computer keypunch operator, Jill Marie Parenteau. He cut himself while leaving her apartment through a window, and the blood evidence confirmed he was the killer.

Only a week later, a 12-year-old girl from Huntington Beach, Robin Christine Samsoe, disappeared while returning home from a dance lesson. According to Samsoe’s friends’ account, Alcala had approached them on the beach and asked if he could click their pictures. 12 days after her disappearance, Samsoe’s body was found in the Los Angeles foothills. In July 1979, Rodney Alcala was finally arrested again and held without bail.

Although he was sentenced to death twice in the years that followed, his case went through several complications that eventually led to him getting convicted of five counts of first-degree murder. In March 2010, he received his third death sentence. However, after he was extradited to New York in June 2012, where the death penalty has been abolished since 2007, a judge sentenced him to an additional 25 years to life. On July 24, 2021, Rodney Alcala died at the age of 77 under unspecified natural causes in prison in Corcoran, California.

Why Amy Asked Rodney To Keep Their Meeting A Secret

Amy Realized She Could Only Escape If She Played Along

In Woman of the Hour‘s ending arc, Rodney convinces Amy to model for his photoshoot project. Amy agrees and accompanies him to the mountains. However, after asking Amy to pose, Rodney attacks and sexually assaults her. When Amy regains consciousness, she finds Rodney crying next to her. Understanding the severity of the situation, Amy does not attempt to flee the scene. Instead, she plays along and pretends to be okay with what he did to her by saying she would be embarrassed if he told anyone about what happened between them.

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Woman Of The Hour Cast & Real-Life Character Guide

Apart from walking through some real-life crimes of Rodney Alcala, Woman of the Hour also uses its character beats to explore deeper underlying themes

As a result, Rodney trusts her and agrees to take her back to his apartment. Even when Amy spots another man on the road, she holds herself back from calling for help because she realizes how dangerous and impulsive Rodney can be. She carefully waits for her opportunity to escape when Rodney stops at a gas station to use the restroom. As soon as Rodney leaves, she rushes out of the car and informs the police.

Why Sheryl Changed Her Mind About Going On A Date With Rodney

Rodney Made Her Feel Uncomfortable

For starters, as established in Woman of the Hour‘s opening moments, Sheryl never wanted to go on a date with anybody. She only appeared on The Dating Game because she was struggling to find other acting gigs. Even during her date with Rodney in the movie’s ending arc, Sheryl tells him she never dates. She recalls that her agent convinced her to go to The Dating Game, claiming it would get her good exposure. This is when Rodney’s behavior takes a strange turn because he is unable to handle the rejection Sheryl expresses.

His behavior only gets creepier as he walks Sheryl back to her car. The sudden change in his demeanor helps Sheryl realize he is not how he portrayed himself during The Dating Game‘s filming. When he asks her for her number, Sheryl carefully gives him an incorrect number. Although he figures out what she did and threatens to hurt her, Sheryl manages to flee the scene because the fear of attracting attention from bystanders holds Rodney back.

How Rodney Alcala Made It To The Dating Game Show Despite His Criminal Record

The Show’s Creators Lacked The Technology To Check The Contestants’ Backgrounds

According to reports (via ABC News), The Dating Game’s executive producer, Mike Metzger, and contestant coordinator, Ellen Metzger, were apprehensive about having Rodney Alcala on board as one of the contestants on the show. Since they did not have access to the technology that could run background checks on their contestants at the time, nobody working on the show knew about Alcala’s criminal history.

Surprisingly, Alcala had already been charged with the attempted murder of an 8-year-old girl before he appeared on The Dating Game. But, even then, the show’s creators remained unaware of his criminal past. Although Ellen Metzger could see how women would love his charm in the show, Mike Metzger could not help but notice how he had a “strange personality.” However, even though Metzger felt uncomfortable with the mystique around Rodney Alcala’s personality, they agreed to have him as a contestant.

The Reason Why Laura’s Complaint Was Not Taken Seriously In Woman Of The Hour

A consistent theme in Woman of the Hour is that crimes against women are not taken too seriously, allowing serial killers like Rodney Alcala to get away with their acts for far too long. Although Laura is a fictional character in the movie, her involvement seems to highlight that, even in a hypothetical scenario where someone had recognized Rodney in The Dating Game, their concerns might still have been dismissed or ignored.

Laura is presented as the voice of reason and guilt in Woman of the Hour, who has already experienced what happens when men like Alcala are out loose. Her story arc serves as a stark reminder that even when someone is aware of underlying dangers, societal norms and systemic failures can significantly undermine their warnings.

Where Is The Real Cheryl Bradshaw Now?

Cheryl Bradshaw Lives A Private Life

Cheryl Bradshaw and Rodney Alcala were supposed to go on a tennis date the day after The Dating Game episode. After that, they were also supposed to visit Magic Mountain amusement park together. However, unlike the movie’s Sheryl, Cheryl Bradshaw never met Rodney Alcala again. She contacted contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger and said, “I can’t go out with this guy, there’s weird vibes that are coming off of him. He’s very strange. I am not comfortable.” Since then, Cheryl Bradshaw has stayed away from the limelight, and nothing is known about her current whereabouts.

Woman Of The Hour’s Changes To The True Story Explained

The Movie Takes Many Creative Liberties

Although Woman of the Hour closely adapts some aspects of Rodney Alcala’s true-crime story, it takes many significant creative liberties to enhance the emotional heft of its narrative. For instance, Woman of the Hour intentionally changes the names of many real-life people linked with Alcala’s crimes and The Dating Game. It also changes Rodney Alcala’s initial answers from the game show, which were quite creepy from the very beginning. Its portrayal of Sheryl and Rodney’s meeting after The Dating Game is also entirely fictional.

Even when it comes to the real Cheryl Bradshaw’s acting backstory, Woman of the Hour includes many fictional elements to maintain tonal and thematic consistency. Fictional characters like Laura have also been included in the movie’s narrative to increase the impact of its themes surrounding misogyny and the dismissal of violence against women. Not to mention, in the real Dating Game episode, Rodney Alcala was “Bachelor Number 1,” not #3.

What Anna Kendrick Has Said About Woman Of The Hour’s Deeper Meaning

Anna Kendrick Forcused On Telling An Emotional Resonant Story

In an interview with Screen Rant, Anna Kendrick opened up about her research process for Woman of the Hour. She revealed that even though she extensively researched before making the film and even briefly hired a researcher, she could not help but ask herself how she felt about the true story. As she revealed in the interview, she “felt heartbroken and enraged at over a decade of injustices and law enforcement negligence.“

She agreed that she could have also focused on the “ready-made for Hollywood” story where a detective steps in and finally takes the case seriously before tracing back Rodney Alcala’s long line of crimes. However, she realized that the emotional crux of the story was in “trying to service something that would leave the audience with a certain emotional feeling.” This explains why Woman of the Hour presents only a few segments of Rodney Alcala’s criminal timeline instead of walking through all his murders.

Woman of the Hour is a biographical thriller directed by Anna Kendrick, who also stars in the film. The movie chronicles the infamous real-life story of Cheryl Bradshaw’s appearance on the 1978 edition of The Dating Game, where one of the contestants, Rodney Alcala, would later be revealed as a notorious serial killer. The film delves into the chilling intersection of entertainment and true crime.

Director

Anna Kendrick

Release Date

September 26, 2023

Studio(s)

AGC Studios , Vertigo Entertainment , BoulderLight Pictures

Distributor(s)

Netflix

Writers

Ian MacAllister McDonald

Cast

Anna Kendrick , Daniel Zovatto , Autumn Best , Andy Thompson , David Beairsto , Tighe Gill , Bonnie Hay , Thomas Strumpski , Nicolette Robinson , Kathryn Gallagher , Kelley Jakle , Tony Hale

Character(s)

Cheryl Bradshaw , Rodney Alcala , Amy , Bob , Rodney’s Boss , Bachelor , Bartender , Laundromat Owner

Runtime

94 Minutes

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