Synopsis

Lady Gaga is transferred to a women's prison after the murderous events of "Paparazzi." Once inside, she endures the brutal routines of incarceration before being freed by Beyonce, who arrives in the Pussy Wagon. The pair drive to a desert diner, where they flirt, dance, and poison the customers, including Beyonce's unfaithful lover. After celebrating the ensuing chaos, Gaga and Beyonce escape in the car, leaving behind a trail of bodies and a closing promise that their story will continue.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video premiered on E! News on March 11, 2010, before its online release. Running for nearly ten minutes, it was presented more like a compact exploitation film than a conventional pop clip.

• The story directly follows "Paparazzi," in which Gaga poisons and kills her boyfriend before being arrested. "Telephone" continues the same criminal narrative and ends with the words "To be continued."

• The Pussy Wagon is the same customized vehicle associated with Quentin Tarantino's *Kill Bill* films. Its appearance gives the escape sequence an unmistakable grindhouse and road-movie flavor.

• The production was completed in only two days. Gaga and Beyonce reportedly worked out parts of the choreography on location while waiting between takes.

• The diner sequence features model and actor Tyrese Gibson as Beyonce's cheating boyfriend. The plot turns on his having taken her honey, leading to the video's deliberately absurd poisoning scheme.

• Gaga's telephone-themed styling includes a headpiece made from old telephone receivers. Other visual jokes include Diet Coke cans used as hair rollers and the exaggerated use of product placement.

• The video draws on several film traditions, including Quentin Tarantino's crime movies, *Thelma & Louise*, and 1960s and 1970s exploitation cinema.

• At the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, "Telephone" won Best Collaboration. It also received nominations for Video of the Year and Best Choreography.

• In 2015, Billboard named "Telephone" the best music video of the 2010s at that point, recognizing its influence and its unusually ambitious, cinematic presentation.