What’s New Pussycat? (1965) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Michael vows to be faithful

Notorious womanizer Michael James resolves to stay faithful to his fiancée Carole Werner. He soon finds that the very appeal he hopes to curb seems to draw in other women just as quickly. The setup establishes the conflict between his intentions and his seductive reality.

Women are drawn to Michael; Dr. Fassbender unable to help

Michael magnets attract Liz Bien and Rita, while his psychoanalyst Fassbender remains unable to restore his client’s loyalty to Carole. Fassbender himself is entangled with patient Renée Lefebvre who longs for Michael. The dynamic threads show how desire swirls around him despite his vows.

When

unspecified

Carole schemes to provoke jealousy

Carole decides to make Michael jealous by flirting with his nervous friend Victor Shakapopulis. Her playful manipulation sets up a competing lure that could complicate their engagement. The dynamic raises the stakes for Michael’s attempted fidelity.

When

unspecified

Fassbender's group sessions grow stranger

Fassbender continues his group meetings with neurotics and obsessives, and the sessions become increasingly odd. The events even include an indoors cricket match as a surreal distraction. The doctor’s outside life remains murky, with hints of his own marriage.

When

unspecified

Michael’s dream of his conquests

Michael dreams that all of his sexual conquests bombard him for attention at once. The dream lists the places where he supposedly slept with them, underscoring the chaos behind his charming exterior. The vision foreshadows the trouble his candid relationships will cause.

When

night

Fassbender contemplates suicide at the Seine

One night, Fassbender goes to the Seine, plans a Viking funeral by filling a rowing boat with kerosene and wrapping himself in the Norwegian flag. Victor moments later distracts him, and Fassbender forgets his plan to die and starts giving Victor dating advice. It’s revealed he is married with three children.

When

one night

Where

Seine

Michael proposes; Carole agrees

Carole’s scheme appears to work as Michael asks to marry her. She agrees and they decide to marry within the week. The tension between romance and fidelity continues to strain the couple.

When

within the week

Carole moves in; Liz asserts as fiancée

Carole moves into Michael’s life, but the mood shifts when Liz introduces herself as Michael’s fiancée. Carole grows indignant at the perceived challenge to her plan. The power dynamics surrounding the engagement become increasingly tangled.

When

shortly after

Rita parachutes into the car; hotel stay

Rita parachutes into Michael’s open-top sports car and the two check into a small country hotel. Michael tries to resist her seduction, complicating the façade of a simple engagement. The hotel becomes a gathering ground for all the participants.

When

soon after

Where

country hotel

Hotel chaos as everyone arrives

More characters arrive at the hotel, with Carole’s parents wandering the corridors and rumors of an orgy spreading through the corridors. Even the petrol station attendant surfaces as part of the farce. The hotel becomes a circus of tangled relationships.

When

later

Where

hotel

Anna confronts Fassbender as chaos erupts

Fassbender’s wife Anna tracks him down amid the chaos, and the rivalries explode in the hotel corridors. Carole arrives seeking Michael’s room, triggering a flurry of chase scenes as others wander in the background. The boundaries between couples blur in the crowded hotel.

When

during the chaos

Where

hotel

All converge in Michael’s room; escape to go-kart circuit

Everyone ends up in Michael’s room with most of the women half-naked, drawing the police outside. Anna leads the group through the line of officers, dressed as a valkyrie and wielding a spear. They escape to a go-kart circuit to avoid scandal.

When

immediately after

Where

go-kart circuit

Go-kart circuit jaunt through farm and village

The chase continues as they leave the circuit for a farmyard, then thread through narrow village streets on go-karts before returning to the circuit. The absurd getaway encircles the countryside with frantic speed. The sequence heightens the film’s farcical energy.

When

later

Where

farmyard, village streets, go-kart circuit

Civil marriage ceremony and a rude registrar line

A mayor marries Michael and Carole in a civil ceremony and they sign the marriage certificate. Michael’s insult to the registrar when he calls her 'Pussycat' infuriates Carole. The moment undercuts the rosy veneer of their nuptials and sparks further tension.

When

after the go-kart sequence

Where

civil ceremony location

Fassbender pivots to court Carole

With the chaotic day behind them, Fassbender steps in to court Carole as a rival suitor. The doctor’s involvement re-enters the romantic fray as the film circles back to complications of love, loyalty, and desire. The ending leaves the couple's fate uncertain as new alliances form.

When

after the wedding