— Ch. 1 · Multiverse Mechanics And Plot —
Everything Everywhere All at Once.
~10 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
Evelyn Quan Wang stands in a laundromat in Simi Valley, California, staring at an IRS audit notice that threatens to destroy her family's life. Two decades earlier, she and her husband Waymond eloped to the United States, but now their marriage is crumbling under financial pressure and generational conflict. Her daughter Joy battles depression while dating Becky, a non-Chinese girlfriend Evelyn refuses to accept. During a tense meeting with Revenue Agent Deirdre Beaubeirdre, Alpha-Waymond from another universe takes over Waymond's body to explain the multiverse concept. Every life choice creates a new alternative universe where parallel selves exist with different skills and memories. Verse-jumping technology allows people to access these other bodies by performing bizarre actions like wearing a fanny pack or eating a bagel. Jobu Tupaki, the omnicidal daughter of Alpha-Evelyn, has splintered mind experiences all universes simultaneously. She created an Everything Bagel that forms a toroid singularity capable of destroying reality itself. Evelyn must learn to jump between universes to stop Jobu from using the bagel to end existence. The film shows Evelyn becoming a kung fu master and film star in alternate realities before returning to her mundane life. When Jobu confronts Evelyn inside the bagel, she reveals she wants to die because experiencing everything makes nothing matter. Evelyn pauses to listen to Waymond's pleas for kindness even when life is senseless. This existentialist epiphany leads her to repair damage across universes and neutralize Jobu's fighters. In the home universe, Evelyn reconciles with Waymond and accepts Joy's relationship while convincing the IRS agent to let them redo their taxes. Jobu enters the bagel alone as Joy pleads with Evelyn to let her go. Evelyn tells Joy she will always want to be with her despite the chaos. They embrace and save Jobu from destruction. Sometime later, the family returns to refile their taxes while Evelyn briefly notices alternative selves before grounding herself back in reality.
Development And Inspiration Sources