Warning: Spoilers ahead for Scream VI (2023).
After Scream 2022 left her fate a mystery, Scream 6 effectively proved that Sam and Tara’s mother was a red herring for the mystery slasher franchise. The Scream series has previously pulled some major reveals out of thin air. Infamously, Scream 2’s ending revealed that Billy’s previously unseen mother was the harried reporter trailing Gale through campus, a twist that even sitcom veteran Laurie Metcalf’s campy overacting struggled to paper over. Similarly, Scream 3’s ending revealed that Sidney had a secret half-brother that she and the audience never knew existed.
While Scream 3’s original ending was a lot smarter and riskier, this twist fell in line with the disappointing dénouements that are all too familiar for fans of the whodunit genre. Murder mysteries often rely on secret relatives, seemingly dead villains, and equally zany revelations to keep their endings a surprise, and Scream 6 is no different. Unfortunately, the revelation that Quinn faked her death and the news that she, detective Bailey, and Ethan were all secretly related to Scream 2022’s killer Richie Kirsch proved that the Scream sequels still rely on goofy plot devices.
Scream 6 Proved Sam & Tara’s Mom Didn’t Matter In The Franchise
However, Scream 6 did manage to shut down one avenue of inquiry for viewers. While Scream 6 proved Stu might return with a conversation in the abandoned movie theater, the same scene ended any speculation about Sam and Tara’s unseen mom. After Scream 2022, fans came up with several theories about the identity of Sam and Tara’s mom. However, rather than play into this in Scream 6, it was revealed that the character cut off Sam after the events of Scream 2022. As a result, Tara cut her mom out of her life and, by extension, the series.
This choice might come as a surprise to some viewers. After all, Sam’s connection to Billy Loomis gave the new Final Girl of the franchise a tangible link to the original movies. However, since Stu Macher’s potential Scream franchise return was set up in Scream 6, the series doesn’t necessarily need any more stray links to the original movies. Also, the fact that the identity of Sam and Tara’s mom was never made clear is likely linked to the fact that there isn’t any major character from the original movie whose fate is not accounted for.
Why Scream 6 Made The Right Choice In Leaving Out Sam & Tara’s Mom
The most interesting aspect of Sam’s link with Woodsboro was Billy and Sam’s connection, so her mother wasn’t necessarily needed for this story to succeed. Sam’s troubled relationship with Billy gives the character an edge that makes her stand out, while her mother’s identity is unlikely to illuminate more about her. Meanwhile, Scream 6’s decision to make Jenna Ortega’s Tara its Final Girl (as much as Sam) means their heroic role in the series could be jeopardized if their mother became a secret villain. While Scream 2022 started to set up their mother as a potential future killer, Scream 6 wisely shut down this speculation for good.