Between The Encore release, Taylor’s appearance at the VMAs and the drop of the “Patient Zero” music vid (linked here!), Taylor has been absolutely *spoiling* the Swifties. 

Alongside Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, Taylor takes us on a cinematic experience through The Encore’s first chapter in her latest music vid. And with that comes a whole lot of fan theories about Taylor’s next step. Today, we’re investigating why the Swifties are certain the “Patient Zero” Easter eggs are painting Reputation tracks in the Swifties’ futures. 

Similarities To “Look What You Made Me Do”

The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Cause she’s dead! 

In a jaw-dropping plot twist, we see that Taylor’s ghost haunts the narrative of the “Patient Zero” music vid. And (cue the “exile” chorus) we think we’ve seen this film before…

With both the “Patient Zero” and “Look What You Made Me Do” music videos opening in graveyards, the similarities to the Reputation era are immediate—and inspiring Swiftie hope for Taylor’s Version of Reputation (or its vault tracks). We see a plot point of “Patient Zero” was that Colin Farrell’s character was secretly poisoning Dakota Johnson’s drinks–and in the LWYMMD music vid, a serpent pours Taylor’s tea from the throne. So it’s not the first time Taylor’s encountered a snake tampering with her drinks. 

The Story Behind The Silver 

Multiple details from the music vid release carry a silver theme—and we’re daring to say that all lead back to the moment that birthed Taylor’s Reputation era. 

The “2022” death year on the “Patient Zero” gravestone is the same year that Taylor draped herself in silver crystals for the VMAs (the last time she dropped a mega announcement during the awards ceremony–aka the Midnights album). And the bird’s-eye view shot of Taylor’s ghost atop the speeding car (or should we say…“Getaway Car”) is quite reminiscent of LWYMMD’s diamond bath shot. 

Both of these silver moments mirror Taylor’s sequined look at the 2009 VMAs that owned the spotlight (no matter the stage-storming interruption). With all the chaotic implications tied to these silver looks, Swifties can’t help theorizing that her stylistic repetition hints at that fateful night in 2009—and the rivalry that inspired the pop star’s 2017 album. 

Breaking Down The Gravestones

If we know anything from the LWYMMD music vid, it’s that no gravestone can be ignored. Taylor’s alias as Nils Sjöberg was revealed on one of the “Look What You Made Me Do” gravestones. So it’s no surprise the Swifties have been honing in on the details of the “Patient Zero” epitaph and it’s peculiar looking “S.” 

This “S” looks suspiciously similar to a snake in comparison to the rest of the gravestone’s carvings, which is a key symbol of Taylor’s Reputation era. 

Updates On The Karma Wall

@vidafrig OMG OMG KEEP CAAAAALM!!! REP TV ON ITS WAY!!!# 🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍 . . . #taylorswift #reputationtaylorsversion #vmas ♬ audio originale – Vida

During Taylor Swift’s director montage at the VMAs (the night of the “Patient Zero” music vid drop), Taylor included a quick shot of the “Karma” graffiti wall. Within this clip, Swifties were quick to notice that Reputation was absent from the wall. 

We know that coincidences don’t exist in Taylor’s mastermind…so the question stands: Where did Reputation go? The studio, perhaps?

Your Swiftie sleuthing check-list, right this way…
🩶A Swiftie’s Track-By-Track Guide To The Encore
🩶 Every Easter Egg From Taylor Swift’s Emmys Sketch, Decoded
🩶 QUIZ! Which Taylor Swift Fall Era Are You? 

Images: @taylorswift