Netflix’s The Eternaut is the latest science fiction thriller to stir up a flurry of viewers with apocalyptic imagery, intense action sequences and strong character dynamics. The series, based on a 1950s comic book of the same name, immediately inspired high praise from critics and audiences alike. Though The Eternaut has drawn plenty of viewers, the series’ divisive conclusion has left many searching for answers. If you’re still scratching your head after binge-watching all six episodes, you’ll surely want to read ahead, as we break down the plot, climax and stunning ending. We’ll also look ahead to the future of the franchise and try to unpack what fans of The Eternaut can expect in the coming years. With no further preamble, let’s dive right in, and see what we can learn about the explosive Argentine series.
What is ‘The Eternaut’ about?
Set in Buenos Aires, Argentina, The Eternaut opens on a man named Juan Salvo and his band of survivors. As the first episode plays out, we learn that society has begun to crumble after a series of destructive events, including a radioactive snowfall peppering the land with life-threatening pollutants, and a full-scale invasion of enormous roach-like bug monsters. As society falls, Juan and his men are attacked by raiders, who seek to hoard resources for themselves in a world without justice. Throughout the series, we learn the timeline of the apocalypse through Juan’s visions. These visions seem to be a mixture of flashbacks and premonitions, as he sometimes believes that he sees things before they happen. On occasion, he even experiences different outcomes for the same flashbacks, allowing him a chance to mildly manipulate his future.
Juan’s visions are never fully explained in the series, though the season finale of The Eternaut suggests that there may be a Groundhog Day-style time loop at play. His daughter, Clara, may also be afflicted with this condition, though that’s never officially confirmed either. Throughout the entire series, Juan is driven by his desire to rescue his daughter and reunite with her. This eventually leads him to communicate with a survivor camp at the military base Campo de Mayo. Along the way, he and his crew encounter significant issues, and many of the men begin to behave erratically as they inch closer to their goal.
What’s the deal with the stadium hive-mind?
As Juan and company make their way to the military base, they encounter a massive crowd of mesmerized humans gathered around a glowing blue light at a nearby stadium. The people seem to be transfixed by an alien creature resembling a giant hand, controlling the crowd with the flick of his many fingers. Lucas, a member of Juan’s party, succumbs to a mind control spell before the gang can progress through the crowd and stabs his friend Omar. As he continues attacking the rest of his friends, Lucas panics and takes his own life by leaping from the roof of an outlet mall. Juan then connects the dots and realizes that humans within a certain radius are being controlled by the giant hand before referring to the creature as “the true enemy.”
He also begins to unlock the mystery of the snow and the giant bugs. As we learn in the final episode of The Eternaut, the toxic snow was dropped by the alien mothership, as a first step in wiping out humanity. Once the snow destabilized society, the aliens sent in their roach cavalry to cull off the weak survivors. With only hardened warriors remaining, the master hand descended into a public, centralized space and began luring the remaining humans into a mind-control trap. The motivation for this mind control is left unexplored in the first season of the show, but it seems likely that the aliens intend on colonizing the planet Earth, or simply using the strongest humans as part of some kind of intergalactic army.
Is Clara compromised by the aliens?
As the narrative of The Eternaut carries on, the audience doesn’t get to see much of Clara. She disappears for a portion of the story, providing Juan with an intense reason to keep pushing forward. In the end, Juan finally catches up with her, though he quickly realizes that something is off. Juan’s ex-wife, Elena, is content to ignore the signs and embrace Clara, though Juan makes note of her blank expression, bruised head and glazed-over eyes. Clara seems to better understand what’s happening around them than anyone else, hinting that she’s been compromised into the hive-mind. She begins experiencing gaps in her memory and exhibits signs of suffering the same visions as her father. Maybe this clairvoyant superpower is a genetic trait which will allow Juan and Clara to fight off the alien invasion – or perhaps it’s a hindrance that makes them unreliable narrators.
One of the final shots of the entire season sees Clara staring directly into the camera after the gang arrives at the military base. If she is compromised, the entire base is in danger of being infiltrated by the aliens when the tale continues. Juan notes that Omar had the same bruise on his neck after a particularly brutal encounter with the extraterrestrials, leading him to the conclusion that he can no longer trust a soul – not even his daughter. Even if Clara hasn’t already been tapped by the hand, there’s some evidence to suggest that the military at large has been co-opted into the hive-mind, meaning the entire trek to the base has been entirely futile.
Will there be a second season of ‘The Eternaut’?
Since Netflix has developed such a penchant for delivering single-season mini-series‘, many fans were dismayed to learn that the conclusion of The Eternaut leaves so many unanswered questions. Luckily, the streamer seems to have accounted for this, as Netflix has already confirmed that a second season is going into production. Thanks to a recent report in Deadline, Netflix Vice President of Latin American content Francisco Ramos has confirmed, “Season two is going to be very important. It’s going to dig into a lot of sci-fi concepts that were just pointed out in season one, and they are going to be fully blown.” While we don’t have much info regarding the upcoming season, series producer Matías Mosteirin has speculated that it will consist of roughly eight episodes, and likely conclude the series.
In the same interview with Deadline, Mosteirin explained, “We can sustain [The Eternaut] for a second season, but no more than that. We feel that, artistically, that is the cycle we need to sustain the mystique and the adventure of making the show… We want to use all the knowledge we gained to do things on the second season that we didn’t manage to do on the first.” This means that the producers likely have a clear and concise vision of the series’ conclusion. As far as most Netflix originals are concerned, this should inspire plenty of hope within Eternaut super-fans. With any luck, all of our questions will be answered in due time.
The post ‘The Eternaut’ Ending Explained: How Does The Apocalyptic Netflix Series Conclude? appeared first on Blavity.
