Big Nothing (2006) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Charlie panicked when he found the reverend dead and Gus missing. Seeing an opportunity to cover up the crime scene and protect himself and Gus from murder charges, he hastily hid the body in the septic tank. He didn't realize at the time that the reverend was still alive, having been shot in the leg by Gus and knocked unconscious with a vase, which made his decision even more catastrophic.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Charlie's quick job loss and moral decline set the stage for his desperation in crisis situations.

• charlie
• septic tank
• reverend
• body disposal
• cover up

Yes. The reverend had been shot in the leg by Gus and knocked unconscious with a vase. When Charlie found the body and disposed of it, the reverend was still alive. Charlie unknowingly buried a living man, making his involvement in the reverend's death direct, even if unintentional.

Foreshadowing: Gus's violent confrontation with the reverend hints at the chaos that follows.

• reverend alive
• septic tank
• charlie
• accidental murder

Josie overheard Gus and Charlie planning the blackmail and insisted on joining, driven by ambition and likely her serial killer instincts. As later revealed, she is the Wyoming Widow, a killer who targets men. Joining the scheme gave her access to potential victims and aligned with her pattern of ingratiating herself into dangerous situations.

Foreshadowing: Josie's eagerness to join a criminal caper signals her unusual willingness to engage in high-risk behavior.

• josie mc broom
• wyoming widow
• blackmail
• motivations

The Wyoming Widow is a serial killer who seduces men and poisons them with thallium-laced whiskey. The special agent reveals Josie's true identity during the confrontation, exposing her pattern of targeting vulnerable men. She carries poisoned whiskey in flasks and uses it to kill, demonstrating she's far more dangerous than her teenage pageant queen appearance suggests.

Foreshadowing: Josie's possession of flasks and her willingness to drink from one to prove innocence are subtle hints at her poisoning method.

• wyoming widow
• serial killer
• thallium
• poison
• josie

Faced with Josie's gun and the choice between death by bullet or poisoned whiskey, Charlie made a desperate attempt at humanity. He joked "don't spend all the money in one place" before drinking, possibly hoping to prove his worth or simply choosing what he perceived as the less violent end. The choice reflects his broken moral compass and the film's theme of greed leading to self-destruction.

Foreshadowing: Charlie's earlier greed for easy money set the stage for this fatal choice.

• charlie
• poisoned whiskey
• thallium
• choice
• death

The bag the trio had been hauling throughout their frantic escape contained nothing but Charlie's daughter's stuffed animals. The supposed money was never real, it was a cruel irony symbolizing how their greedy scheme yielded nothing but loss. When Charlie dies, his daughter is shown drawing beside stacks of money, emphasizing the futility of their crimes.

Foreshadowing: Early scenes show Charlie mentioning his daughter, setting up the emotional weight of this revelation.

• money bag
• stuffed animals
• charlie's daughter
• irony
• greed

Gus went to the reverend's house to demand blackmail payment, but the confrontation turned violent. Gus shot the reverend in the leg during the struggle, then knocked him unconscious with a vase. This escalation turned their criminal scheme into murder, pulling all three deeper into a crime they couldn't escape.

Foreshadowing: The blackmail plan itself was already heading toward violence from the start.

• gus
• reverend
• shooting
• blackmail
• violence

The trio found videos documenting the reverend torturing and killing a young woman, revealing he was a serial killer. This discovery raised the stakes dramatically, it meant the reverend was dangerous, and the trio now possessed evidence of his crimes, making them even more desperate to cover their tracks.

Foreshadowing: The opening scenes establish the "Oregon undertaker" serial killer, later connected to the reverend.

• reverend videos
• torture
• murder
• serial killer
• evidence

After the deputy discovered drag marks leading to the septic tank and began questioning the trio, Gus attacked him with a vase to prevent exposure. During the chaos, the reverend's wife appeared with a gun. Josie attacked the wife with an axe while the deputy tried to escape through a window, he fell and was fatally injured, ending his pursuit.

Foreshadowing: The deputy noticed the drag marks, creating immediate tension and a need for the trio to silence him.

• deputy sheriff
• death
• escape
• fall
• vas
• attack

The agent pursued the trio as they fled with what they believed was money. When Gus attempted to escape with the bag, the agent shot him dead and took the prize for himself. This reveals the agent was also corrupt, willing to kill for the money rather than arrest the criminals legitimately.

Foreshadowing: The agent's relentless pursuit suggests ulterior motives beyond law enforcement.

• special agent
• gus
• shot
• money
• corruption

Charlie's wife found the deputy's badge in Charlie's coat and realized he was involved in something criminal. Fearing the worst for her husband, she drove to a bridge and discarded the badge, attempting to destroy evidence and protect Charlie from further exposure.

Foreshadowing: Charlie's gradual descent into crime creates tension in his marriage throughout the film.

• charlie's wife
• badge
• evidence
• river
• protection

Yes. After Charlie collapses from the poisoned whiskey, Josie hitchhikes with an old man. While he checks something in the back of the truck, she quietly opens a second flask of poisoned whiskey. When the old man returns to drive, he's covering a bloody leg, implying she's poisoned him too. She drives away with him, continuing her killing cycle.

Foreshadowing: The film's opening establishes the Oregon serial killer pattern, and Josie's true identity as the Wyoming Widow foreshadows her survival.

• josie escape
• old man
• poisoned whiskey
• thallium
• cycle continues

The final shot shows a truck with an Oregon license plate, implying that the cycle of crime and violence will continue in the same landscape. The film ends bleakly, with the suggestion that predatory killers like Josie will find new victims in this dusty, unsettled territory, repeating the pattern established throughout the movie.

Foreshadowing: The entire film takes place in Oregon, establishing the setting as a character in itself.

• oregon plate
• ending
• cycle
• symbolism
• truck