Elle, Ending Explained: Does Elle Woods Make it Back to L.A.?
Prequel series Elle follows the journey of a teenage version of Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods.
After a scandal involving her dad’s plastic surgery business hit Bel Air, the Woods family went into hiding while they waited for the rumour mill to die down. Unfortunately for Elle, the chosen exile destination was Seattle.
Set in 1995, when Elle was a high-school junior, Elle has chronicled the ever-popular teen’s fight to be accepted by the grunge-era kids of her new school. Along the way, she uncovers school and political corruption, has her first kiss, and comes to accept that maybe plaid isn’t so bad after all.
Ahead of Elle’s launch, a second season was announced, but where will the second season take place, Seattle or LA? We take a spoiler-filled deep-dive into the Season 1 finale to recap all the events and see where we leave Elle both geographically and emotionally.
The Fallout of Eva’s Betrayal of Elle
After spending most of the first half of the season desperately trying to win a Cosmo Girl internship so that she could return to her life in Los Angeles, Elle has a change of heart. Deciding that Seattle isn't that bad, she chooses not to submit her final assignment. However, it's not just Elle who is desperate to get back to LA; her mother Eva has also been struggling to acclimate. Seeing her chance to get back to her circle of friends and role as social butterfly, Eva sends Elle’s final submission behind her daughter’s back.
Elle only learns of her mother’s betrayal during the final moments of Elle’s penultimate episode of Season 1. Shannon’s shock return includes a reading of Elle’s printed essay in Cosmopolitan, which paints her Seattle friends in a very unfavourable light. With her newly won-over friends once again freezing her out, Elle is bereft. Unable to cope with life as an outsider, a furious Elle agrees that taking the Cosmo internship is the best thing for her, and so Eva and Elle make their grand return to Los Angeles.
Elle’s Return To Los Angeles Doesn’t Go to Plan
Back in California, Elle wastes no time reconnecting with her bestie, Madison. Her return to school goes equally well, Elle effortlessly slotting back in as if she had never left. Then there’s her Cosmopolitan internship. Thankfully for Elle, her experience is less The Devil Wears Prada and more a Cinderella story, as she finds herself the star intern. She impresses everyone at Cosmo enough that she snags a dream gig to help dress Heather Locklear at the Golden Globes.
Although initially it looks like the Woods women are once more thriving in Los Angeles, it quickly becomes clear that Elle, at least, is missing Seattle. A clearly changed Elle, the shopaholic teenager, has been influenced by the likes of Liz and Dustin, and has grown more of a conscience. This is demonstrated when she declines to buy a purse as the designer has less-than-stellar ethical practices. Old Elle wouldn’t have considered anything outside of whether the accessory matched her outfit, but Seattle has opened her eyes to the wider world around her.
As Elle’s time in L.A. continues, she finds herself repeatedly thinking about the people she left behind. Then the realisation that the Golden Globes fall on the same night as the dance she planned in Seattle causes her to spiral. Caught between her two lives, Elle realises that as hard as Seattle was, she thrived on the challenge. During a fancy party the night before her big debut, Elle finally admits to herself, Madison, and Eva that she’s not finished with Seattle yet. Having come face to face with the patient who received a botched nose job from her husband, Eva also realises that Los Angeles has lost some of its sparkle, and the pair return to Seattle to fix the issues they left behind.
Which Boy Does Elle Choose - Dustin or Miles?
Any good teen drama has to have at least one love triangle, and Elle is no exception. As soon as she arrives in Seattle, she connects with both cross-country runner Miles and activist Dustin. Her dynamic with Miles is immediately romantic, whereas the vibe with Dustin is friendship - at least from Elle’s perspective. The romance with Miles is met with a Shannon-shaped obstacle, that is, until she breaks up with him. Miles then becomes Elle’s first kiss, but the death of Shannon’s mother has them both rethinking going any further.
Before Elle’s return to L.A., the two seem to be on better terms, and so when she flies back to Seattle, Miles appears to be the obvious choice. However, as with any good teen rom-com, Elle’s time in California has her thinking more and more about Dustin. The revelation that Madison kissed him whilst visiting Elle in Seattle causes a bout of jealousy to rear its head, and she realises that maybe her heart lies with Dustin rather than Miles.
As Elle arrives at the Seattle ‘dance’, she sees Dustin in the crowd and makes a beeline to him. Initially their conversation is terse, with each unloading their disappointments, but then it turns into a declaration of love (okay, attraction) and the two kiss. As they draw back, the pair are confronted with a lovesick Miles who has witnessed the whole thing.
Before Elle has time to fully react, the end credits roll, meaning we’ll have to come back next season to see which guy Elle ultimately chooses.
