Dhruv Sharma
Genetic engineering, as we know it, is used to alter the genetic structures of organisms in such a way that they acquire enhanced or desirable abilities for better survival. In the real world, researchers and scientists who have extensively studied this field are very well-versed in its consequences. But in the fictional world of books, movies, and TV shows, evil scientists use genetic engineering to an extent where they defy their moral compass to play god. ‘Biohackers’ adopts a similar idea in its premise and presents an intriguing mystery thriller that keeps you on edge throughout. So, if you’ve already watched the show and you’re looking for a detailed explanation of its ending, read on further.
Plot Summary
‘Biohackers’ centers on Mia, who pursues a degree in medicine at the University of Freiburg. Along with her fascination with genetic engineering, she also seems to have a mysterious obsession with her professor, Dr. Tanja Lorenz. Mia believes that Lorenz is not only responsible for her parents’ death, but also killed her twin brother during a genetic trial. Determined to avenge the death of her family, Mia gets closer to Tanja’s genetic research through Jasper, the professor’s research assistant. She then sets out on a quest to find concrete evidence that would prove that Lorenz once conducted unethical genetic experiments on her brother and many other kids.
What is Project Homo Deus?
After gaining access to Lorenz’s biomedical research institute, Mia goes through her repository of gene samples and searches explicitly for the samples of Emma and Ben Engels. Although she finds the records of these samples in the lab’s computer, she realizes that she can only access them through Lorenz’s home computer. With Jasper’s help, she even manages to access the home computer, through which, she learns that Emma and Ben Engels were both a part of a genetic engineering project called Homo Deus.
Soon after this discovery, she finally reveals it to Nikolas that she is Emma Bengels, and Ben Engles was her twin brother. Both of them were mere test subjects for Lorenz’s research on genetic diseases. Along with more than 200 other kids, Lorenz had purposefully infected them with genetic disorders to test them using her groundbreaking discoveries. However, things did not go as planned for Lorenz, and almost all the test subjects died, including Emma’s brother. Emma became the only survivor of the experiments and also developed a nearly perfect immune system because of the lab tests. And thus, by finding evidence to prove the existence of Project Homo Deus, Emma tries to expose the professor’s unethical practices.
She does this by first gaining access to her own genetic sequencing data. She then asks her prodigal roommate, Chen-Lu, to identify a synthetic code in her genetic sequence, which she believes would help her trace all the other test subjects. After this, she enters her synthetic code in the digital library that stores information of all DNA samples that Lorenz has used in the past. After her synthetic code matches with the DNA sequencing data of all the other kids who went through Lorenz’s experiments, she collects the DNA samples of all the test subjects as evidence.
The Train Scene, Explained
The opening train scene of the series unravels one of its most fascinating plot points. As the scene begins, a middle-aged woman falls to the ground, and being a medical student, Emma takes it upon herself to help her. But in no time, all the other passengers of the train collapse, and Emma fails to comprehend what’s happening.
It all begins when Jaspar learns that Emma is determined to bust Lorenz by exposing her secret experiments to the world. To stop her, he releases genetically modified mosquitoes in the train that spread a deadly form of coxsackieviruses. These mosquitoes then bite the passengers on the train and nearly kill them. Emma survives because, as revealed earlier, she has a superior immune system. Jaspar does this because he realizes that if Emma exposes the professor, all of her labs will be shut down and he won’t be able to find a cure for his own deadly genetic condition, Huntington’s disease.
The Ending: Who is the Man at the End?
Towards the end of the series, Emma manages to outwit Lorenz and finally gets away with all the DNA samples required to prove Lorenz’s illegal genome experiments. In the closing scene, she meets a man who claims to be her parents’ confidant. Emma believes him and hands him over all the DNA samples, hoping that he would use them to expose Lorenz’s secrets to the world. To her surprise, the man abducts her and throws her into a van in which she finds Lorenz as well.
As revealed in one of the initial scenes, the man who abducts the two is Dr. Andreas Winter, a former scientist who now works as a journalist for Stanford Quarterly. Emma had approached him with the DNA samples because she very well knew that he could use his voice as a journalist to reveal Lorenz’s secrets to the world. However, the ending suggests that Andreas now intends to use Lorenz’s research for his own benefit. He realizes that although Lorenz’s experiments killed almost all test specimens, they worked very well on Emma. And so, by acquiring all the tested DNA samples and kidnapping Emma and Lorenz, he wants to create an ideal genetic modification that allows everyone to gain an immune system as perfect as Emma’s. This discovery, in turn, will help him acquire a whole lot of fame and money.
Read More: Where is Biohackers Filmed?
