Why is the Show Called Butterfly, Explained

Prime Video’s ‘Butterfly’ is a spy thriller that puts a father and daughter at the centre of the story. Nine years ago, David faked his death to drive his enemies away. However, in doing so, he had to leave his teenage daughter, Rebecca, behind. Her mother died some time ago, and after losing her father, Rebecca leaned on other people and things to find some semblance of care and stability. However, when David returns nine years later, significant developments have taken place in both of their lives, which form a major conflict of the plot. In all of this, the title serves as an important pointer towards the core of the story. SPOILERS AHEAD.

The Meaning of Butterfly Adopts a Different Meaning in the TV Show

‘Butterfly’ is adapted from the graphic novel series of the same name by Arash Amel, co-written with Marguerite Bennett. In the novel, Butterfly is the codename of the protagonist, Rebecca, who works for Project Delta, a black ops unit that was initially set up by the Pentagon to find and curb the threats to the country. However, by the time the story picks up in the book, the organisation has become a highly corrupted version of what it was supposed to be. The version of Project Delta that Rebecca works for has given her a clean slate, such that there is no way to trace her origins. This leaves Butterfly as the only moniker to identify he,r and that’s where the story gets its name from. The show, however, presents a different twist to it.

In adapting the story for the screen, several changes have been made to it. To begin with, the setting is shifted to South Korea, and the timeline is also tweaked to give it a more modern take. In the same vein, Project Delta is renamed Caddis, and its affiliation with the Pentagon is not as close as what is shown in the novels. Here, David and Juno are revealed to be the co-founders of a private security firm that has gone down a rather dangerous path. Rebecca is not given any codename per se, and a different explanation is given for the title, which relates to Rebecca and David’s backstory.

At one point in the story, David talks about how he and Rebecca used to play a game when she was little. He would throw her in the air, she would spread her arms, and then he would catch her. He remarks that she used to love this game and never tired of it. It is a fond memory for both of them, and David brings it up to be able to reconnect with his daughter. However, when she asks him if he remembers the name of the game, he says he doesn’t and asks her if she remembers it. Rebecca doesn’t say anything and walks away. Later, however, David tells her that he remembers the name and it is Butterfly.

The Title Butterfly Puts Focus on Rebecca and David’s Relationship

While action and espionage are important to create the thrill in ‘Butterfly,’ at the end of the day, it is a story about a father and daughter. Their fraught relationship forms the crux of the plot, and without the tension between them, nothing would work in the story. Throughout the six episodes of the season, there is a tug-of-war between David and Rebecca, in which he tries to pull her towards himself, but she keeps up her resistance, even though she does take a few steps towards him.

Her major complaint in the whole thing is that her father abandoned her nine years ago, and while he has returned now, he has enjoyed living with a whole new family. She feels that he has forgotten her all this time, while he tries to remind her that things aren’t so. This is where the part about the game comes into play. It shows that Rebecca holds the childhood memories of her father in high regard. They are almost sacred to her because this was the time when it was just the two of them. Her mother had passed away, and her father was the only person who made Rebecca feel loved. When he supposedly died nine years ago, she was heartbroken, and his absence gave more meaning to the time they spent together.

Now that she finds he is alive and has a new wife and a daughter, Rebecca starts to feel that her father didn’t love her enough to keep her around. He preferred to leave her to her own devices and found a different family for herself. With the mention of Butterfly, David tries to form an emotional bridge between them, trying to remind her that he still loves her and that having a new family doesn’t mean that she is not included as his family anymore. Thus, the title takes on more of an emotional weight and reflects the connection between the father and daughter rather than highlighting Rebecca’s journey as a secret operative for Caddis.

Read More: Butterfly Ending Explained: What Happens to Rebecca?