The Reading (2023) – What Happened, How It Ended, and What Could Come Next
A summary of how “The Reading” (2023) ended, its major storylines, and whether a prequel or sequel is possible.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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A summary of how “The Reading” (2023) ended, its major storylines, and whether a prequel or sequel is possible.
| Director(s) | Courtney Glaudé |
| Screenplay By | Courtney Glaudé |
| Based On | N/A |
| Date Released (BET Plus) | February 2, 2023 |
| Noted Cast | |
| Sky Brown | Chasity Sereal |
| Greg | Ian Haywood |
| Emma Leeden | Mo’Nique |
| Matthew Leeden | Cooper Helm |
| Kendall Leeden | Maudejanei Alero |
| Kyren Leeden | Nai Nguyen |
| Ashley Leeden | Lisa Alavi |
| Rachel Gates | Sara Alavi |
This content contains spoilers.
Major Storylines
The Money Issue
Sky and her friends need money. Sky for school, and her friends for reasons, not dove into. Sky, who has psychic abilities, or at least pretends to, acts as a medium after her boyfriend Greg sets up different people for her to swindle.
Emma’s Ruse
Emma was formerly married to a man named Matthew and had a tweenage daughter named Kendall and a five-year-old son named Kyren. Originally, we’re given the impression that a home invasion led to the death of her entire family, and Emma lost a finger after she was viciously beaten. Luckily, despite her injuries, she survived and even wrote a book about the tale.
However, after Emma’s sister-in-law, Ashley sets her up to meet Sky, and Sky reveals she knows too much, including potentially the truth, Emma switches things up. Emma goes from someone who seemingly has a speech impediment and issues walking to running like a linebacker and speaking clear as day. But what do you expect from someone who snapped upon learning her husband was about to lose all of their money?
Because the truth is Emma killed her husband, suffocated her daughter, and drowned her son in the tub. So with Sky likely catching onto the truth, what originally was supposed to be fodder for Emma potentially writing a second book, becomes the second massacre to happen in that house. Emma, who has the best security a person can buy, locks down all doors and windows, grabs a gun and knife, and goes hunting. For if there is one thing she refuses to let happen, it is for all the work she did to maintain her lifestyle go to waste because of her sister-in-law and some kids.
How Did It End?
Things end with Emma almost succeeding in killing everyone, including Sky’s friends and Ashley. However, Sky is able to get a hold of Emma’s gun, and with a bullet Emma dropped, Sky loads the gun and shoots Emma in the head – thus ending her reign of terror.
But, while there was a point we were given the impression Emma was simply crazy, that might be the simplified version. From what Emma tells us, she didn’t want kids. She had them because Matthew wanted them. Hence why, when she decided to kill Matthew, she killed the kids, too, because being a single parent to children she never wanted wasn’t an option.
Now, that is one way of looking at why things went down as they did. The alternative is the potential of a demon or evil spirit. This possibility exists because, ultimately, it does appear Sky has psychic gifts, and she did warn Greg that there have come points during their cons; she has almost been touched by spirits. So one could submit, with there already being something strange about the Leeden household, beyond the limited cell signal, a dark presence was there and inhabited Emma.
Which made it so that when Sky kills Emma and has an open wound on her hand, the entity simply moved from Emma to Sky. This possibility becomes more believable based on the mid-credit scene where we see Sky on the same talk show, hosted by Rachel Gates, that Emma was on, when we reintroduced to her post-attack. On the show, Sky seems normal until she is asked about getting out of the house, and as the scene ends, Sky gives the impression that something is amiss with her, and you can only assume it is whatever inhabited Emma.
Is There Sequel/ Prequel Potential?
Considering how Sky was acting at the end of the movie, during her interview with Rachel, there could be a potential sequel exploring Sky’s life after killing Emma and losing her friends. But, with Mo’nique being such a major player in this film, unless they could get another notable star, it is hard to imagine a sequel being produced.
My take is I believe Emma killed her family and she killed Ashley and Sky friends. And at the end Emma possessed Sky because how could Sky know the security code only Emma knew it. I believe that yes Sky was possessed by Emma husband and children that’s how she knew she killed her own family. I don’t believe that Sky and her friends will kill children.
I knew it was Sky & her team! Those eyes looked like Sky’s eyes!. Emma knew it was them, come on 4 intruders & 4 of the Physic team! Sky was in the bedroom of the girl because she listening to her conversation & the boy singing in the tub, that’s how she act like she was turning into them! Sky got
the Money & Probably the House too! Mo’Nique was a BEAST so watch out Professor Olgeby! 😂
So this is my impression….
Emma was the victim of a home invasion where intruders massacred her family and the entire events that were being recounted by Skye was a lie. And the reason Skye lied is because her and her group of friends were the intruders to begin with.
So the scene that has the intruders first getting into the house has a close-up shot of someone in a ski mask, but those eyes resemble Skye’s. It wouldn’t make sense for Emma to purchase a security system like the one she has if she was perpetrator all along because she would’ve known that the threat wasn’t real. And how did Skye guess the security code? No, her psychic abilities and seance was a fraud from the very start. It was mentioned that the intruders were after diamonds that they never got because Mathew was on the verge of bankruptcy. It seems more likely that those 4 returned to get their score and tie up loose ends. Remember, it is revealed that entire story is a flashback being told by Skye on a talkshow so everything that happened could be part of a false narrative. It makes sense. Why else would Greg be able to walk and move about with a bullet lodged in him? Why would Skye seemingly shift from helpless crybaby to warrior. Because those things didn’t happen. Just part of Skye’s elaborate hoax.
Omg I didn’t think if it that way, you might be right
I think its need to be a sequel. 1st thing i notice in the beginning how weird Emma was with the intruders, as if it was all in her head. Then when the 4 friends was doing the first reading notice how she Sky says she was scared she thought that guys mother spirit was very strong and that they can possess you if they touch you. So, never touch me during my readings. So then she gets possessed during Emma’s reading then she look towards Emma direction and she was acting weird as if she was possessed as well. Sky’s friends really thought it was fake and they were only in it for the money. So I think sky is possessed by the daughter or Emma.
That what I was thinking too. I say when she did the reading when Emma come back to she was possessed by the husband,the daughter and son and at the end she was possessed by Emma. Cause when she spoke the last words of the husband and the daughter and was humming a song the son was humming Emma face change to. So I believe Emma really killed her family. I don’t think it was an invasion and I really believe Emma killed her sister in law and sky friends. And what ever evil spirit that was in the house it possessed Sky
I just watched the movie on T.V. I did not see the part where Emma killed her son, didn’t even know there was a son. The movie has so many loose ends, they should make a sequel. Monique was good, Sky was very believable.
I don’t think you understand the story. Everything was literally just said above. Monique wasn’t the good one, sky has genuine talent to reach over to the other side. Think you need to re watch the movie again love
Her son was the first one that greeted Emma when she got home in the beginning of the movie.
It was a surprise when it was found Emma killed her family but at the end I did notice Sky acted funny when she said it was crazy. I thought at that time she had told the lie and that she was the killer actually. Good movie. Monique showed out and “Sky” was very believable.
There was a point where the friend needed Sky’s help. I found it funny that sky sat there and watched her friend get stabbed and then had enough energy to go up the stairs rather than help her.
I do believe there was a spirit that touched Sky while she was doing the reading. Remember there was a point where everyone heard noise coming from upstairs or in the husbands office. That’s when everything started to change.
As simple as this movie was, there are so many questions I still have. So a sequel or prequel does need to happen.
I believe that we are tricked into believing that Emma actually was the one who killed her family so that at the end of the credits Sky’s story is believed. The beginning of the movie, 4 intruders are shown doing the home invasion. My theory is: Sky and her friends are the intruders. When they go to Emma’s house to do the reading it was actually a set up by Emma. The scene where it appears that she is locking them into the house could be an illusion or lie as Sky’s recollection of events. If you notice, Ashley said twice that she was not locking them in the house. I believe she was actually replaying a video of the night of the murder to let Sky and her friends know that she knows it was them and that is when Sky once again commits the murders.
I honestly don’t think she had security cameras during the time her family was murdered.
I take the movie as a sequel to ghost….. Sky’s mother name is Oda M. Brown. Same as Whoopi’s character in Ghost.
I definitely seen the change at the end when the interviewer said that’s crazy and sky looked up and said Yea that is crazy and it ended I took something from that part alone … I want to be on this movie lol
My take is maybe Sky was secretly mad at her friends for not really having her back. She shared she was afraid. What if Sky was possessed all along and wanted her friends dead for their greed. This would have been the perfect cover up. What if the story Sky was telling on the show was just as much a lie as Monique’s. Think about it ????
I thought basically the same thing
This what i thought too
That does make sense and after she come back from being possessed she killed her friends
I think in the end after Sky killed Emma. Emma then possessed Sky. Because Emma was the only one who knew the code to her home to unlock the door. That’s my theory.
I believe you’re spot on with that theory.
I thought Emma’s version of events was the true version and Sky’s version was the lie. I thought she did it for the money. I thought that was the twist. Idk.
That’s true
I think the sequel could be where the spirit Emma hunts sky