Round and Round We Go

We were hoping you wouldn't ask us this question.

At the very end of Grease, Danny and Sandy get into his car and literally fly away into the sky. Even Family Guy can't figure out why, or if they'll ever come down. It's the biggest mystery since the identity of DB Cooper.

We can easily talk about everything that leads up to that magic car(pet) ride, though.

After graduating, the students of Rydell High rush to a nearby carnival. It's a traveling attraction full of rickety rides. (We hope all the sprockets and cogs are well greased. If not, Danny Zuko has some to spare.)

At the carnival, Sandy reveals her new Rizz-tastic makeover: skin-tight pants, a sexy perm, and—gasp!—her shoulders are showing. Scan. Da. Lous. Danny and Sandy dance through the fun house and declare their love for each other. Setting aside the dubious identity politics for the section on the theme of Identity, we think the penultimate number is awesome. You'll be humming the tune for days.

Grease is a romance, so of course Danny and Sandy get together. So do all the other Pink Ladies and T-Birds. What does that make them? T Ladies? Pink Birds? We have no idea, but Rizzo/Kenickie, Marty/Sonnie, and Jan/Putzie all pair off to live happily ever after.

Cue needle scratch.

Not so fast, guys. Grease is a romance, but not a completely idealistic one. The following exchange of dialogue sounds genuine on the surface, but we think it's laced with irony.

FRENCHY: Oh look. Oh, the gang's together.

MARTY: What are we gonna do after graduation?

JAN: Yeah, maybe we'll never see each other again.

DANNY: No, that will never happen.

Some people think when they graduated high school that they'll stay friends forever. It doesn't happen. Grease is about teenagers, but it's written (and performed) by adults who know better. Maybe that's why the final song's lyrics are so ridiculous.

EVERYONE: We go together like ra-ma-la-ma-la-ma ka ding-a da ding-a dong […] We'll always be together.

They don't make sense…because the concept of high school friends staying friends forever is a wee bit absurd, too.

Does that mean that Danny and Sandy won't last forever either? We'd hate to think that about this golden couple. Maybe that's why their car flies away. They're above everything else, and they will last forever.

In 1967, Jackie Wilson sang "Your love keeps lifting me higher." We'd like to believe that Danny and Sandy's love is strong enough to lift a freaking car, and last forever.