Sumith Prasad
Ole Bill Jonesy is seen in a poster present on the notice board of “News of the Day Journal” in Netflix’s ‘The Rat Catcher.’ Whenever the narrator appears to talk about the intriguing tale of the titular rat catcher, Bill’s drawing is present in the background. As per the poster, he disappeared from the English region three weeks ago and most likely no human being saw him again. Although the viewers don’t get to see Bill in flesh and blood, his existence is seemingly pivotal to answering the question with which the short film ends. Well, here’s everything you need to know about Bill! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Bill Jonesy: The Key to the Mystery
Bill Jonesy’s disappearance is not the most pressing concern to the narrator, Claud, and the rat catcher, especially when rats have been causing issues to the whole region with their presence. Although three weeks have passed since somebody saw Bill, the region must have even forgotten about him while dealing with the chaos caused by the rats’ presence. Claud, to put an end to the concern, calls the rat catcher and tolerates his wisdom concerning the nuances of rats as a species. Even though the rat catcher is known as the ever-reliable rat murderer, he accepts defeat to the rats that reside in the hayrick situated near Claud’s petrol situation.
The rat catcher accepts defeat when the rats choose to dismiss the poisoned oats kept by the former to kill the creatures. He is astonished that the rats, which are supposed to crave oats, don’t want the same. When Claud asks for the reason behind the “phenomenon,” using his rat wisdom, the rat catcher replies that the rats are regularly fed enough, which stops them from craving more food. That’s why Bill Jonesy can be significant. The narrator and Claud look at the mysterious haystack and possibly think that there is a hidden food source in the same.
The lifeless body of Bill Jonesy can be what has been feeding the rats all along. After vanishing from his fellow human beings, Bill must have gotten inside the hayrick, without life. His body must have gotten decayed for long enough to attract rodents to the same. The rat family which has been residing inside the hayrick must have started to feed on the dead body, which stops them from eating the oats kept outside the stack by the rat catcher. Claud and the narrator, who spend their days near the hayrick, must have attributed the possible foul smell from the stack to dead rodents or other carcasses the rats must have been feeding on.
Considering the significance given to Bill’s unignorable poster, he can be the mysterious food that fills the rats’ tummies and saves their lives, by stopping them from eating the poisoned oats.
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