Pub 9 – The Beehive
Another subtle one here.
This is not only the pub in which we discover that Oliver is now ‘one of them’, but it’s also where we learn just what the Robots are trying to accomplish. Our heroes get tempted and teased into joining ‘them’ by their old school teacher, Mr. Shepard (his name also referring to how he is trying to flock them all together).
Essentially what the robots want is for everyone on the same level and work together as a cohesive unit of peace and harmony – just like the bees do in their hive. Hence the name of the pub, The Beehive.
You could also argue that the fight scene that follows sees our heroes fight off the robots as the swarm like bees, but I believe it’s the other reason.
Pub 10 – The King’s Head
This is the only pub on the list that I’m really not sure on. So little happens here (other than a great subtle nod to Shaun of the Dead‘s fruit machine) that it’s hard to work out what the name refers to.
Obviously, the King in the name is Gary King but what is about Gary’s head that the pub name refers to? My only guess could be that this is the pub where Gary finally loses it. The drunk adventure has finally taken over him as he desperately wants to finish The Golden Mile. So, even with certain death following him, he carries on drinking because it’s all he has left.
So, you could say that he loses his head? As in, The King’s Head?
No?
Pub 11 – The Hole in the Wall
Aside from The Two Headed Dog and the upcoming final pub, this is one of the easier ones to figure out. Although it doesn’t become obvious until the very end of the scene.With Andy trying to chase down Gary (while fighting off the advancing Robots), Steven gets into Gary’s car in an effort to get out of Newton Haven. Sadly for him though it doesn’t quite work out as he crashes through the wall of the pub and (seemingly) get’s taken by the Robots.A car in through the wall certainly creates a hole doesn’t it?
Pub 12 – The World’s End
Now this one I really struggled with.
Just kidding.
This is not just the pub where Gary, Andy and the not-dead Steven finally put an end to the Network’s plans to take over the world, it’s also the pub that leads to the world’s descent back into the dark ages. Quite simply put, this is where everything ends. This is The World’s End.As I said at the start of this, Wright and Pegg are very good at dropping in subtle hints when putting scripts together – and The World’s End is no different. These pub names have been given names for a reason and it’s a lot of fun to try and work out just what they mean.
So there you have it. I might be very wrong with my estimations, but it’s fun to speculate before the DVD comes out. And should I be right on some of them I can have a sense of smugness about myself for working out their little clues. Or I’ll be proven wrong and this was all a waste of time.
What do you think the pub names in The World’s End mean?
Originally published August 23, 2014. Updated August 28, 2019.
