In John Wick: Chapter 2, after Wick stabs her in the chest, Ares looks apprehensively at him reloading a gun. Then she makes a "see you" sign.
Should we infer she expects to recover from her wound and signals gratitude?
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Yeah, John stabbed her (and Cassian) to incapacitate, not to kill.– MithoronCommented Sep 9, 2018 at 17:23
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1Also consider that John doesn't seem to leave someone unfinished, even if the threat is minor and ammo is limited. If he intended to kill her he would have done so.– Kai QingCommented Sep 10, 2018 at 23:48
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2 Answers
Should we infer she expects to recover from her wound
Yes
and signals gratitude?
and No
It seems clear that Ares fully expected to recover but the sign she makes is actually explained on screen as...
"Be Seeing You".
It seems more likely that this is to be interpreted as a threat rather than gratitude. It's more like "This isn't over!" than "Thanks for not killing me!". There's little to go on given the nature of the interaction but she hardly looks grateful...more resentful.
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Wick already spared Cassian and the Bowler King and both demonstrated their loyalty (Cassian to Giovanna, and BK remembering Wick's 'gift'). Ares also proved extremely loyal to Santino. Wick expects to clash with the High Table after killing Santino. COnsidering Ares sense of honor, she might feel she own him some help in chapter 3, even if she dislikes him Commented Sep 11, 2018 at 14:18
Should we infer she expects to recover from her wound
Perhaps not: at the end of part 1, Viggo Tarasov clearly knew that he had been fatally wounded by Wick. The last thing he said before dying was,"Be seeing you".
One explanation (which would tie in with themes around redemption in both movies) would be that this means "Be seeing you (in Hell)".
A slightly more left-field explanation is that Wick is already in a "Hell of eternal return". As (admittedly not conclusive) supporting evidence:
- It's possible that a couple of the distinctive henchmen (like the bald guy with the Rasputin beard) killed in Part 1 can also be seen again in Part 2. If so, then either the filmakers don't care much about continuity or else they're making some deeper point about Wick's world.
- Wick is travelling in something of a downward spiral with a definite pattern: every time he returns 'back to the start' (his home), his circumstances are worsened.
