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The Young Blood Chronicles Finale—What Did I Just Watch?

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

Since the highly anticipated release of Fall Out Boy’s fifth studio album, Save Rock and Roll, in 2013 (which you can bet this writer listened to once for every single day that the band was on hiatus), the band has been releasing music videos one by one as part of a segmented story known as The Young Blood Chronicles. The finale of the series premiered on Wednesday, May 21st of 2014 with the final two music videos off the album, “Miss Missing You” and “Save Rock and Roll.”

However, after watching the finale, I feel like I was left with more questions than answers.

For example, what was in that box? 

For the majority of the segment I thought it was rock and roll, seeing as the album is called Save Rock and Roll, and the final song on the album and in the series was “Save Rock and Roll,” and since the boys in Fall Out Boy seemed pretty adamant on saving it. We’re never shown what’s in the box, we just know that it makes the FOB boys all giddy and shifty eyed, and it makes this medieval plague doctor dude go Super Saiyan. 

Also, if the contents of the box were so dangerous that they had to handcuff it to Patrick’s hand, why oh why did he just go on a nonchalant stroll down the street with it? 

Which brings me to my next question: who are these scantily clad, stiletto heeled torturers? What are they doing? 

Assuming that rock and roll is in fact what’s in the box and they’re trying to destroy it, why not go for other artists? Why not hunt down some legends of rock instead of an emo pop punk band from the early 2000’s? And why is Courtney Love their leader? 

Why does Joe go to Hell? And, more notably, why is Tommy Lee the Devil? 

In “Save Rock and Roll,” the band-mates are met in Heaven by Elton John and they play a beautiful melody that reaches down to Earth and de-vilifies the High-Pony Killers (which I desperately hope is what they’re actually called).  My question is, is this the standard thing when musicians die? Because if so, I will change my major right now in the hopes of an afterlife jam session with Elton John. 

At the very end, the baddies get the suitcase anyway, and the spooky mask people basically slaughter the people that FOB and Elton John saved with their beautiful heaven music. So, still assuming that rock and roll was in the box, why didn’t they save it? I’m really not getting the message here. 

Lastly, why’d they smear blood on Elton John a la Carrie? 

And, why did Big Sean have to die? He’s the true victim here. 

What’s up with this curly haired kid? 

Why is Pete so nonchalant about Patrick’s hand being left in a plastic bag at his door? 

What in the world is up with the messenger falcon? 

 Why is 2Chains so mad at Fall Out Boy, and does it have anything to do with why he’s only wearing a total of one chain? 

All in all, The Young Blood Chronicles was a truly amazing piece of work by Fall Out Boy. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it, especially how well the content of the videos meshed with the seriously great music on Save Rock and Roll to tell a cohesive story without any spoken words. A lot of work went into this production, and it definitely shows. Also, Patrick’s evil character was literally perfect. 

 

Lauren Burkett is an alumna of Florida State University, where she studied Editing, Writing and Media.  Since graduating in 2014, she has worked in marketing, as a flight attendant and now works in the oil and gas industry.  She was the Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus FSU during her time there, and is ecstatic to continue her involvement with the organization as a Chapter Advisor.  Lauren now lives in Denver, Colorado and enjoys being outside, reading and journaling in her free time.