Rohan Jain
Netflix’s ‘1899‘ is a sci-fi psychological thriller TV show that revolves around a group of migrants sailing aboard the Kerberos from London to New York. The migrants come from various parts of Europe and even other places. One such person is Ling Yi, who dreams of starting a new life in America, away from her roots. However, she seems unsure of her decision to board the steamship, and her mother insists it wasn’t a good idea.
Soon, Ling Yi realizes she is going to New York as a sex worker, and another passenger, Virginia Wilson, will likely sell her off. Afraid of this, she hides somewhere on the ship and enters her dream. When one of the crew members, Olek, finds Ling Yi inside a crate, he sees that she is terrified. Olek offers her his coat, and the two seem to form a connection that evolves over the series. So, do Olek and Ling Yi end up together? SPOILERS AHEAD!
Olek and Ling Yi: A Connection Across Barriers
No, Olek and Ling Yi do not end up together. Both characters have a troubled past, which helps them form a bond. When Ling Yi is hiding, she dreams of her past, and we understand how she ended up on the ship. In the dream, Ling Yi is trapped in a crate but strangely sees herself sitting outside it. Her mother tells Ling Yi (the one sitting outside) to drop the container into the sea, which scares Ling Yi. She cries for help as the crate is pushed into the ocean, and she starts drowning. Just as she’s about to die, she comes out of the dream when Olek finds her.
Olek sees that Ling Yi is scared and takes her elsewhere. He leaves Ling Yi for a brief period to get food, and once again, she slips back into her dream. Ling Yi returns to the same place, but this time she stands before her friend Mei Mei. The latter tells Ling Yi that she’s going to America and doesn’t ever have to be a sex worker again. Mei Mei also shows a dress that we see Ling Yi wearing.
Suddenly, Mei Mei starts coughing, and Ling Yi tells how this wasn’t supposed to happen. In a cryptic way, Ling Yi confesses that she put something in Mei Mei’s dish so that the latter could fall asleep. Ling Yi had planned on taking Mei Mei’s place to get away from everything. However, instead of falling asleep, Mei Mei dies. Horrified at this revelation, Ling Yi comes out of her dream when Olek brings her food.
Although Olek and Ling Yi interact very little due to the language barrier, it is enough for them to form a strong bond. One of the reasons is Ling Yi’s innocence and the environment she grew up in. Having seen her mother be a sex worker all her life, she doesn’t have a great opinion of the men her mother slept with. Considering Ling Yi is still very young, she gets attached to Olek quickly due to his tenderness and ability to calm her.
Much later in the show, when everyone tries to start Kerberos’ engine, Olek and Ling Yi reunite. Olek mentions his brother but doesn’t want to talk about him. It shows how the man carries emotional baggage of his own. The two kiss, and their so-called relationship goes to the next level. But do they remain together till the show’s end, or do they die?
Olek and Ling Yi’s Fate in 1899
Olek and Ling Yi die, but not in the traditional sense of the word. By the end, when it becomes clear that everything is a simulation, they are deleted from existence. But, before we understand this, we get the impression that Olek dies. While Ling Yi and Olek are steering the ship, the former sees her mother on the deck. However, this doesn’t seem possible because earlier in the show, she jumped off the vessel along with several other people.
But Ling Yi doesn’t consider this and goes onto the deck, where after a few moments, her mother disappears. Olek follows her and tries to get Ling Yi back, but before he can, a huge wave sweeps Olek into the ocean. While Ling Yi thinks he is dead, she later sees him stepping out of a well covered in gooey black liquid and disappearing into a portal. This is another indication that everything is merely a simulation. In the climax scene, when all survivors are standing in the steam room, the complete simulation, including them, is deleted, thus vanishing into nothingness.
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