The viewer’s discretion was the final warning to the exaggerated gory music video of Sabrina Carpenter’s song, “Taste.” I immediately snapped to attention when the camera panned over her collection of weapons that ranged from different types and sizes of knives and guns that were laid out on her bed.

   Sabrina Carpenter, an American singer and actress, stars in her new music video as the role of an ex-girlfriend who is upset about her ex-boyfriend (Rohan Campbell) and his new girlfriend (Jenna Ortega). Throughout the music video, she and Ortega attempt to kill each other over their shared romantic interest in the boyfriend. The song is not what I expected. I thought it was about the ex-lover, but rather it’s directed towards Campbell’s new girlfriend. 

   The song starts with the line “Oh, I leave quite an impression,” referencing that the boyfriend and his new girlfriend still feels her absence in their relationship despite being broken up.

   Not even a minute in, and we already have two attempted murders. 

   “Hе’s funny now, all his jokes are different. Guеss who he learned that from?” Carpenter sings as though she is talking to his new girlfriend, emphasizing that their relationship is what Carpenter and Campbell had, and who he is right now is what she made him into. 

   In the chorus, “I heard you’re back together and if that’s true. You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you,” Carpenter emphasizes how she made a lasting impression on the boyfriend, one that even the girlfriend, Ortega, would feel. The lyrics foreshadowed the following scene in the music video where Ortega and Campbell were making out. In a turn of events, the camera pans to reveal Campbell’s place had been taken by Carpenter right as she sings “You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissing you” which gives a new meaning to the song title. The hallucination led to Ortega picking up a chainsaw and stabbing Carpenter and pushing her into the pool before the hallucination ended as the actual Carpenter ran up next to her. To Ortega’s shock, she had actually stabbed Campbell with the chainsaw, and had hallucinated him as being Carpenter. 

   If I was being honest, I wasn’t exactly shocked about seeing Carpenter and Ortega kissing in the music video. The whole song was leading up to Ortega “tasting” Carpenter whenever she and Campbell kissed.

   I really enjoyed the ending scene. After the boyfriend died from the chainsaw going through his stomach, Carpenter and Ortega attended his funeral while mourners wailed around them. However, Carpenter and Ortega left the funeral, walking away with domed drinks while trash-talking the ex. 

   While walking away in their funeral dresses which referenced the movie “Death Becomes Her,” Sabrina Carpenter describes the boyfriend as “clingy” and having “lots of trauma.” She laughed as Jenna Ortega said “Very Insecure.” This ending was very iconic, I loved how they were unphased by the murder of the boy that they were fighting over the whole music video. However, I’m also confused about why they had a sudden switch up in mood. My theory is maybe they didn’t actually love the boy, but instead didn’t like the idea of someone else dating him.

   Overall, I’d rate this song a 7/10. I love the creativity for this music video and enjoyed how the song told a story about the boyfriend still thinking about his ex, however, I do think that Sabrina Carpenter has made better music and prefer other songs like “Please Please Please” and “Espresso” in the Short n’ Sweet album.