Friedkin’s film lost much of the play’s humor and twisted romance, turning it into straight horror.While I have issues with David Cromer’s recent interpretation (it feels a bit cheesy and lacks the sense of danger, the fear of losing your mind), the focus on the strong connection between Peter and Agnes stood out.
Peter and Agnes have sex and fall asleep.Peter wakes up in the night, bothered by a bug bite. He tries too show Agnes the creature, an aphid, and she convinces herself she sees it. This kicks off the plot about shared delusions, with the aphid multiplying and burrowing under their skin. They scratch and claw at each other, drawing blood. By the time Dr. Sweet, who may or may not be real, enters the motel room, their thinking is wholly consumed by conspiracy theories. Agnes’s final speech is a desperate attempt to make sense of things, a grieving mother finding answers where none existed before. Then comes an ending I’d forgotten – and one I need to reveal. (Spoiler alert.)
Agnes and Peter get naked and cover themselves in gasoline. Agnes declares her love. They light a match.
Immolation feels like an ancient act. In American theater, death usually follows Chekhov’s gun – a more modern idea. I was shocked by the explosion at the end of “Bug,” and started to see Agnes and Peter as a new Adam and Eve, starting a new world order with their self-destruction. They are incredibly sad characters; conspiracy gave Agnes,who had experienced terrible loss,a reason to go on.This is likely why I subconsciously blocked out the ending. I remembered Agnes’s terrifying speech, her complete acceptance of Peter’s conspiracy theories as a way to cope with her grief, as the ultimate act of self-destruction.My mind held them in that moment right before their sacrifice.
We aren’t usually overwhelmed with cultural examples of immolation, but it’s a recurring theme.