Diksha Sundriyal
A mysterious marine creature terrorizes the Newfoundland town of Snook’s Arm in Netflix’s ‘Below.’ The series unfolds from the perspective of the Penney family patriarch, Calvin, whose childhood encounter with the said beast has left him with doubts and questions. He gets all his answers over the course of six episodes, but the ending leaves him with even more queries. The final scene of the show presents a twist that unravels an otherwise perfectly tied-up ending. This, however, does not necessarily mean that we will get to see more of the Penney family’s adventures on the sea with sea monsters. It was conceived as a miniseries, and the show’s creators have clarified that there are currently no plans to continue the story. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Below was Tailored to Function as a Self-Contained Story
The final episode of ‘Below’ has Calvin and his family, joined by Dr. Fonda Howander, fighting the real enemy, the Crockers. Instead of destroying the giant squid, they decide to help it go back to the sea, giving it a chance of survival. When it’s gone, the Crockers’ plan falls apart. The resettlement comes to a halt; Calvin opens his brewery; Wade pursues his dream of becoming a fisherman; and the family is reunited as the rest of the town returns to their normal lives. However, the final scene shows Calvin and Wade witnessing another iceberg in the distance, suggesting that another marine threat is heading towards them. This could have been a great point to pick up the second season, but creator Jesse McKeown intended the ending to be open-ended.
He explained the show had been written with a beginning, middle, and end, bringing the arcs of all the characters to proper conclusions. While we do see significant character development, McKeown also wanted the ending to feel more realistic and open-ended. Underneath the mystery and the conflicts, the idea was to turn the attention towards the increasing scale of the climate crisis. Everything that happens with the giant squid is due to rising temperatures, which Fonda states will continue to increase over time. Thus, while the squid problem may have been solved, it doesn’t mean everything will go back to the way it was before.
With the icebergs in the distance, McKeown wanted to leave the audience with something to ponder on. He preferred that they sit with their thoughts rather than neatly tie everything up for them. He succeeded in doing that, which is why he prefers not to tinker with what is a great end to a tumultuous story. To drive the point home, the series has been tagged as a miniseries on Netflix, which usually means there won’t be another season, and McKeown is content with that because he told the story he set out to.
Below Season 2 Would Introduce a New Creature With Familiar Human Villains
While the show may have been conceived as a miniseries, its success often determines its fate. If Jesse McKeown and Netflix find a story worth telling, we might get a second season after all. This would mean that we’ll get to see the Penney family again. This includes Josh Hartnett as Calvin, Charlie Heaton as Wade, Ruby Stokes as Mary, Kaleb Horn as Noah, Rohan Campbell as Jay, and Willow Kean as Ruth Penney. Another major actor to reprise their role would be Mackenzie Davis as Dr. Fonda Howander, who takes a bold stand at the end of the season with the Crockers. It would be interesting to see where her new endeavor takes her and how she fits into the story again.
The sophomore season might also create some space to explore a potential romance between her and Calvin. At the same time, we might also learn more about Calvin’s story, particularly his wife, which could bring new actors to the fore. Still, the villains from Season 1 are also likely to return. This means we will see Frank Moore’s Jim Crocker and Natasha Henstridge’s Jan Hicks again. Other supporting characters like Joshua Close’s Officer Jaxon Noseworthy are also expected to stick around and possibly have an expanded role next season. The most interesting addition, however, would be the new creature that will shake things up for the town in the tragic quest for its own survival.
Read More: Below: Are Calvin Penney and Fonda Howander Based on Real People?
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