Sabrina Carpenter gave fans another mega-viral music video to watch on repeat when she dropped “Tears,” but if that weren’t enough, she’s back at it again with a whole new take. On Sept. 1, Carpenter released an alternate ending to her “Tears” music video, giving her male lead another gruesome death. (As she said in the first “Tears” video, killing men in her MVs is a thing, after all.)
In the “Tears” alternate ending, Carpenter still ends up outside on the porch of the house she just traipsed through with her own version of Rocky Horror‘s Frank-N-Furter, played by Colman Domingo. When she looks up, she hears her male love interest (who seemed to be dead in a car at the beginning of the video) saying, “Babe, I’m so glad you’re OK — I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” After he delivers that line (which is the same as the original ending), the alternate ending starts. Next to the man, lightning strikes and scares him. “Woah!” he laughs. “That was close.” Carpenter responds, “I’d say so!” Then she warns him, “Oh, you should probably move over,” before a giant tree lands on him. Whoops! “I told him to move over,” Carpenter quips before the video ends. (Just because she said it was an alternate ending doesn’t mean she wasn’t still going to kill him at the end.)
The original “Tears” ending saw her male lead encounter a similar fate. He delivers the same first line, but Carpenter’s reaction is different. “Wait, no… you died earlier, I thought,” she says. “Babe, what are you talking about?” he asks. She breaks the third wall when she responds, saying, “No, it’s a thing, someone has to die every video. Sorry. We’ll always remember you, though!” Then, she throws her heel at him, stabbing him in the chest. “He was a nice one, too. We have to give the people what they want,” she says. And, scene!
Whether you’re a fan of the original ending or the alternate ending, the “Tears” music video is a cinematic masterpiece. It’s full of Rocky Horror Picture Show references, Colman Domingo-led dance breaks, and iconic Sabrina looks throughout. As for how Domingo’s involvement came to be, Carpenter told CBS’s Gayle King, “I’ve been the biggest fan of his. I’ve always wanted to work with him, but I was like, in what world would we ever make sense?” “I was listening to ‘Tears’ and I was like, ‘I think this video is really him.’” She continued, “I think the song represents more than just women. It’s really an anthem for more people.”
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be watching the alternate ending to the “Tears” music video for the foreseeable future.