The absurdist comedy-drama Everything Everywhere All at Once follows one version of Evelyn, played by Michelle Yeoh, from across the multiverse as she must contend with an ever-increasing wealth of possibilities. Due to the multiversal nature of the story, strange alternate realities are introduced, with one standout hiding a surprising amount beneath its ridiculous gimmick: a ridiculous world where every human has "hot dog fingers."
However, the subplot is also one of the most quietly affecting beats in the film, featuring a love story between one reality's version of Evelyn and Deirdre, played by Jamie Lee Curtis.
The Hot Dog Fingers Reality Is More Than a Visual Gag
Everything Everywhere All at Once derives most of its action from the openly absurd premise. When the inhabitants of the "Alpha-Verse" discovered a way to observe their version of the multiverse, they developed a way to force connections between worlds. This could allow someone to access the abilities of a counterpart from another world or even gain control of one of their variants. Several alternate realities are introduced in short order, ranging from simple lifetime decisions to radical departures. One of the most bizarre, however, is easily the world where humanity evolved with elongated, floppy fingers. As explained in a cutaway gag, this reality is largely the same for humanity; the biggest difference was the defeat of traditional primates in the ancient past, which resulted in a slightly divergent form of evolution.
The reality is initially introduced as something of a joke, with Evelyn accidentally ending up with combat skills derived from that world instead of the martial arts she was hoping for. The glimpse into this world is only further complicated by the presence of Deirdre. In most realities -- including the primary ones the film takes place in -- Deirdre is an IRS inspector who has a somewhat antagonistic relationship with Evelyn. But in this world, she's a far sweeter and soft-spoken woman. She clearly cares about her world's Evelyn, with multiple glimpses revealing that the Evelyn of this world is seemingly in a same-sex relationship with Deirdre. But the prime Evelyn's frequent visits there seem to cause strife in their relationship, with a confused and horrified Evelyn leaving that world's Deidre heartbroken at her rejection.
Everything Everywhere All at Once Is Really a Story About Love
It's a strange visual gag that the film utilizes multiple times. But between all the alternate-reality goofiness is also a surprisingly quick and effective story about love. It's reflective of the movie as a whole, which ultimately proves to be an exploration of one's self, one's place in the universe, and the importance of empathy and love amidst it all. Other glimpses into this world's Evelyn and Deirdre showcase a loving couple who share their lives together. The Evelyn of this world is shown returning to Deirdre and embracing their love, much as Evelyn tries to with Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) in other realities. Doing so helps impact the Deirdre of the prime timeline -- and even gives Evelyn skills using her feet from the largely handless world, which she uses during the climax of the film.
The Hot Dog Hands universe is indicative of a lot of what ticks at the heart of Everything Everywhere All at Once. It's a bizarre visual played out for full comedic effect. But the people affected by that world still feel fleshed out, and their emotions need to be addressed. In helping bring peace to the quiet domestic life of one Deirdre and Evelyn, the prime Evelyn gets one step closer to saving her daughter from her own dour fate. Everything Everywhere All at Once's silliest representation of its premise is also quietly one of the most powerful examples of its ultimate message, highlighting the weird and pointless nature of the world and contrasting it against the importance of finding happiness with one another.