'Boots' Ending Explained: Did Sullivan Leave The Marine Corps?

The gay Marine comedy Boots, on Netflix, ends on somewhat of a sour note. I don’t know about you, but having achieved something and then needing to go off to a war, specifically where you don’t belong, is more than terrifying. But I suppose as a gay man, Cope is already well equipped to handle “not belonging.” It’s the early 1990s, and tired of his family treating him like crap, Cope decides to join the Marines with his best friend, Ray (on a whim at that). His mother doesn’t so much as look up from the phone when she hears what he has to say, only to realize much later that she’s lost her son for good. What follows is Cope’s journey to finding a new version of himself in the Marines; whether he appreciates it or not is up to us to figure out. But, with that said, let’s jump into the ending of Boots.

Spoiler Alert 

What Happens at The Crucible? 

In Boots’ finale, the recruits have to go through an exam of sorts, a thing called the “Crucible,” that pushes you to your limits, and only if you cross the finishing line do you become a Marine. I suppose this line isn’t just physical but metaphoric too. Through the crucible, these boys need to find a way to forgive each other, push each other, and focus on everything that’s important rather than all the ordeals they’ve been put through. But during the crucible, a few important things come into play, mainly involving Sullivan, Jones, Santos, and the twins, John and Cody. Out of all the recruits in the platoon, Jones and Cody don’t make it past the finish line, but we’ll get to that in a bit. Though this whole thing put the boys through the ringer, they emerge victors in every way.  

What Happens To Jones? 

Sullivan has what we like to call, in the modern day, a “gaydar.” When Jones showed up to replace Cope’s bunkie, Ochoa, both Sullivan and Cope could already tell that he was queer just like them. This makes them easy targets for Sullivan, not because he’s an evil dream-crusher, but because he needs to make sure that they don’t get in trouble for being themselves (considering it’s illegal to be gay in the Marines at the time). But he’s also projecting himself onto them, because he’s been through everything they’re going through. When Jones shows up, Sullivan manipulates him into messing with Cope. While at first Jones pretends he and Cope are on the same side, the truth is, all he wants is a discharge. We don’t ever get an answer for why, though. I can imagine it has something to do with him being gay, but also his sleepwalking incidents. Anyway, Jones is the kinda guy to take matters into his own hands, and he does, in fact, end up messing with Cope. However, by this time, Cope’s already furious about everything that he and his pals have faced so far. He’s an empath through and through, so when they’re put into a pit to fight each other, and Jones immediately beats Cope up, the latter finally finds the strength to fight back. 

To be honest, I thought this moment came quite late in the show, but it’s definitely impactful still. Cope remembers everything he’s been through since he joined the Marines and takes out all of his frustrations on Jones. He’s also carrying the ghost of Ochoa (as Sullivan likes to say), and the fact that even his family didn’t give him the love and support he needed. Jones is beaten to a pulp, and Sullivan doesn’t bother stopping the fight. But with everyone yelling, Sergeant Howitt finally stops the madness, McKinnon even telling Sullivan that that was not training. Sullivan realizes he’s in the wrong a bit too late, but by this time, Cope’s already become a whole different person. 

After this, Jones is forced to be by Cope during the crucible, and the latter is responsible for the former. But he goes MIA at night, not because he wants to run away, but because he sleepwalks. Worried about him, Sullivan decides to go after him in the swamps, and Cope follows. Seeing Cope, Ray follows too, finally being a good friend, but Sullivan pushes them to go back. Ray does follow the order, but Cope stays back because he feels somewhat responsible for Jones. Finally, they find Jones with a wound on his leg, and Sullivan teaches Cope how to fix it. By this time, Cope’s also told Sullivan how he wanted to be like him, but Sullivan doesn’t want to lead by example. In fact, Captain Fajardo is majorly disappointed by the fact that he beat up a civilian so that he can be dishonorably discharged for felony assault rather than homosexuality. To be honest, I think if Jones had just pushed through, he and Cope could’ve shown Sullivan a new generation of queer Marines, but now Cope’s left to carry the flag by himself. Before he leaves, Sullivan gives Jones his radio and tells him to carry Jones to safety. Jones didn’t finish the crucible, so I suppose his dream came true ultimately. Hopefully, he’ll be able to find a better life and heal well after all that’s happened to him. 

Where Is Sullivan? 

As soon as he showed up, we already knew that Sullivan was one of the gay boys, too. This is not to say that he makes it obvious like the younger boys; it’s simply because he immediately homes in on Cope. Sullivan sees the boy he left behind in Cope, and Cope sees the man he wants to become in Sullivan. This is something they bond over in the future too, and that’s why Sullivan is nice enough to teach Cope real lessons, giving him outs many times through the show. Sullivan started off underweight (similar to Cope), and he couldn’t have been recruited if his recruiter hadn’t strapped metal to his leg to make him heavier. Sullivan earned a Silver Star in combat, and he was deployed to Guam. He was an overall fantastic Marine. But, there was one thing hiding in plain sight that only Major Wilkinson knew. 

Wilkinson and Sullivan started up a romance early on before the NCIS showed up and ruined everything for them. While there is no “coming out” in this show, the closest parallels we can draw are the fact that Wilkinson is confident in his love for Sullivan, but the latter isn’t willing to risk his career. In the real world today, this would be like one person who has come out and the other who wants to keep everything a secret because they don’t want anyone to know the truth. Sullivan had a friend named Maitra. When Maitra found love and decided to get married, Sullivan even sang at the wedding, but by this time, he had already decided to give up on Wilkinson, having heard from Maitra that the NCIS was looking into the guy. Sullivan has already told the man he loves him, but he won’t ruin his whole life by being associated with him (terribly sad). This is when Sullivan decided to “return home,” so he could not only leave Wilkinson behind but escape the NCIS as well. 

However, Wilkinson got caught, and someone must’ve ended up telling the NCIS about the rumors (later revealed to be Maitra). Sullivan knows that his tattoo, which matches the one on Wilkinson’s chest, is the reason he’s going to be caught, but Captain Fajardo promises that she won’t let the NCIS get him. What Sullivan has achieved is more than most “regular” people could achieve in the Marines. That should be enough to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere, but Sullivan knows that this is a ghost that’ll haunt him forever, and he’ll be looking over his shoulder, worried someone will out him and his entire life will be ruined. So, ultimately, not only does he fight a random man at the bar, but he also gets away when he gives Cope his radio. Sullivan would’ve been discharged for a felony anyway, but he decided to leave of his own accord. My hope is that he makes it out alive and well and finds a quiet career that allows him to enjoy his life as himself. More importantly, I really hope he can get over his ghosts. 

What is the significance of Semper Fi? 

“Semper Fidelis” is the motto of the Marine Corps, but it specifically means “always faithful.” When Sullivan and Wilkinson get their matching tattoos, yes, it’s because they’re always faithful to the Marines, but it’s also because they’re promising each other that they’ll always be loyal to each other. Obviously, this is at a time when they have to remain closeted, especially since they’re a part of the Marines, but it’s almost like wearing rings for each other. Unfortunately, that’s the thing Sullivan ends up believing is the reason he’s going to be caught. More importantly, it’s regret that truly pushes him to get out of the Marines; he’s letting go of his true self. 

How Did Ochoa Die? 

I think Ochoa’s death is almost just a lesson for the recruits to learn from. I mean, like Cope reveals, it’s the first time he’s experienced death. To be fair, we know that Ochoa was always obsessed with his wife, and he was eager to find out if he was going to be a dad soon, but his wife was busy cheating on him. This would’ve left anybody shattered, but having heard Howitt say so many times that she was sleeping around really took a toll on Ochoa. Sure, it’s training, but Ochoa already being unwell makes matters worse, and his death is ultimately a freak accident. It’s the first time a lot of the recruits have seen death, and they find themselves blaming their own actions. Ochoa and Cope were really good friends, and Cope feels like he could’ve done something to help him, but ultimately, nobody could’ve helped Ochoa except himself. He already knew about his heart condition, making it seem almost like he had let himself go too far on purpose. Maybe his intention wasn’t to take his own life, but he had given up knowing his wife had already given up on their love (sad). 

Does Cameron Cope Make It Across The Line? 

After dropping off Jones to safety, Cope tells Fajardo that he wants to get back to the crucible, because that’s what he’s been training for this whole time. His decision isn’t just important for himself but for all the boys, because we see the spirit of brotherhood in them when they watch Cope come through to the final stretch. Throughout the show, we’ve seen two Copes. One is his internal monologue, his “gay” half that always has to stay hidden. But this is the half that motivates him to get past the finish line. However, Cope’s victory is short-lived because it looks like his mother’s shown up to ruin things for him yet again. Earlier, we saw her pretend like her son was dead to sell some mascara (yikes). But I don’t think she’s a bad mum; in fact, she genuinely cares about her son, and we see this through her conversation with Ray’s mum later. 

In Boots’ enidng, Cope’s mum tells Fajardo that he’s actually 17. Cope thinks his mum is lying because she always lies, but this is the truth for once, and she believes she’s giving him an out. Cope’s mum has always known he’s gay, and while she won’t address it with him, she still wants to support him. She believes she’s saving him, repeating the words “I’m sorry you had to go through this,” referring to bootcamp, but what she doesn’t know is that this is an achievement for Cope like no other. This is something that is absolutely his and his alone. Cope goes to the bathroom to think about it, and his “other half” says that if he stays a Marine, this “other half” will fade away for good. But I think when Cope returns, telling his mother to sign the waiver for him, he’s returned as a whole, not two halves. Sure, he enjoyed his inner conversations, but now he doesn’t need them anymore. To make things even better, his mother addresses this too, saying that because she’s his mother, whatever he wants to be, she’ll be there for him. It’s quite a touching moment because Cope’s always believed she doesn’t care. It’s essentially her telling him that if he ever needs to leave, he can always come back to her. 

What To Expect From Season 2? 

Boots ends with the recruits, now Marines, celebrating their turning point, but Cope notices something scary on the news. It seems the Gulf War has just begun, and they’re going to have to go fight for real this time. While nothing is confirmed yet, the show’s ending is definitely ripe with opportunity for a second season. Even if the story that inspired it might end right here, the author continues to wow the world with his work. So, if there is a second season, I suppose we can imagine Cope and Ray would go on to become heroes in their own right. They remain friends forever since they’ve seen how far the other has come. Ray’s anxieties probably finally calm down thanks to his dad admitting he’s proud of him. I don’t think there’s much else to expand on this story, but it’ll be nice to see them together in real-life situations. 

Even Slovachek, who hated Cope from the start, appreciates Cope making it through and what he did for Jones. I suppose we’ll see some of these people take on leadership roles. On the other hand, between the twins, it’s “the fat one,” John, who makes it through, probably a little thanks to Cope pushing him to do that third pull-up. Their father’s death affected the brothers very differently. Cody was loved by his father, while John was looked at with disdain. Of course, he wouldn’t want to go to the funeral. Hopefully, Cody will realize eventually that he shouldn’t have left his brother’s side when his dad pushed him to. John was always nice to Cody. But we could see Cody return to complete the crucible, a new person. I’d say we almost have a core team here with all the recruits that Cope was with. Even though this is a comedy show, there’s a chance someone will eventually end up dead. Also, Sullivan might make a small return, either as just a reference, or to play a small part in Cope’s internal conflict. Now that Cope’s gone from boyhood to manhood, it’ll be about how he sustains it into the “don’t ask, don’t tell” era. 

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