Last year, Scream (2022) had to balance bringing in new characters as well as weaving in several legacy people. This year, Scream VI was able to expand on Sam, Tara, Mindy, and Chad’s established stories with only two legacy characters in the mix: Kirby Reed and Gale Weathers. A lot of fans were both excited to see those very familiar faces in the film. But there’s a lot of legit curiosity and fear about what happens to them. Does Kirby die in Scream VI… or is she a killer? Is this the final farewell for Gale Weathers following Dewey’s death and Sidney’s absence? Let’s get into the roles that Gale and Kirby play in Scream VI and if this ruthless Ghostface gets them.
What Happens to Kirby Reed in Scream VI?
In the opening scene, Stab obsessed fans Jason and Greg meet a grisly fate before they can fully get into their own planned killing spree. The pair hail from Atlanta and their online activity has been monitored by none other that Kirby Reed. Turns out she’s a special agent in that area. She arrives in NYC and we discover that Kirby and Sam know each other from high school. (Well, sort of. Kirby was a senior when Sam was a freshman.) Kirby joins Sam, Tara, the Meeks twins, and Gale along for a wild investigation of that Ghostface shrine. She even gets to horror nerd out a bit with Mindy in a delightful scene. We discover that she did indeed die (technically) for four minutes and was angry after recovery. That event led her to becoming a special agent so “the monsters” would fear her.
But, Detective Bailey, who is working the NYC case, is suspicious of Kirby. After doing some digging, he “discovers” that Kirby supposedly lost her job because last year’s events led to a mental spiral for her. It’s pretty likely that he’s lying. But even if she went through some mental distress, it 1) totally makes sense to be upset and 2) is not necessarily grounds for firing her.
This leads Sam and Tara to nearly turn on her before soon discovering that Bailey is one of the Ghostfaces. He shoots at and later stabs Kirby, but thankfully she doesn’t die in Scream VI. Instead, she pops up like a baddie, helping the Carpenter sisters take out Ethan by dropping a TV on his head in Stu fashion. Kirby ends the movie with affirming to Sam that they are apart of the same f**ked up family and to call her if she needs anything. So, if there is a Scream 7 (or, should we say Scream VII), then maybe Kirby will return to the franchise.
What Happens to Gale Weathers in Scream VI?
It totally makes sense for Gale to be in this film. She lives in NYC and certainly won’t miss a chance to help solve a Ghostface murder spree. Unfortunately, she wrote a book about the last Woodsboro murders, which she told Sidney that she wouldn’t do. This book causes friction between her and the Carpenter sisters, as its text suggests that Sam is mentally unstable. This tidbit gives the online trolls more ammunition to blame the Woodsboro killings on her. Eventually, Gale forms a terse alliance with the “Core Four,” digging into some research to discover that wild Ghostface shrine. We get to see her witness Dewey’s section in the shrine and chat with Sam about what life is like for her after having to move on without the person she loves most.
Later on, we see Gale in her swanky apartment with her boyfriend when she gets what we’ve all been waiting for: a Ghostface phone call. The killer taunts her about building wealth off the backs of others’ tragedies and says it’s time for someone to make a buck off of her murder. They have a pretty lengthy scene of them chatting as well as running and physically fighting, completely destroying her apartment. The killer stabs Gale more than once, including in the stomach.
Sam and Tara arrive just in time to shoot/scare Ghostface away and Gale tells them to give a message to Sidney that she didn’t let “him get her.” It seems like this isn’t true because, well, medical professionals whisk her away as she’s clinging to life. This sidelines her so the Carpenter sisters can have their final showdown moment. But, we find out that Gale will survive! We don’t get to see her anymore so there’s no real resolution there. But perhaps she will finally stop writing books that anger people and go live somewhere isolated like Sidney.
That’s right, both Gale Weathers and Kirby Reed survive Scream VI! After losing Dewey in such a tragic way, it feels good to know that these OGs (along with Sidney) will live another day to fear Ghostface.
Scream VI is currently in theaters.
