I think Chekhov came up with this "rule" that if you show a gun early in the play, someone is going to use it later in the play. So I kind of figured Gordon's illness would recur -- but, yes, I didn't expect him to go like that.

In this case, if you see/relive The Past, prepare for The Final Exit. I found it strange that Gordon was reliving the past in great detail (which we, the audience, had never seen) and figured that Something Big had happened. Would Gordon have weathered finding that "Yahoo" tab on the Netscape toolbar?

@MangeSkeevesOutKlam said:

@tuffysmom said:

I think Chekhov came up with this "rule" that if you show a gun early in the play, someone is going to use it later in the play. So I kind of figured Gordon's illness would recur -- but, yes, I didn't expect him to go like that.

Gordon wasn't shot.

It's a metaphor.