Pratik Handore
Apple TV+’s ‘Extrapolations‘ reaches its conclusion with the eighth and final episode of the anthology series, which turns the focus to the unsavory actions of business tycoon Nicholas “Nick” Bilton. Bilton has been meddling with the planet’s resources to further his company’s profits. In the finale, Bilton faces the consequences of his actions as he stands trial in front of the International Criminal Court. Bilton is charged with Ecocide as his decisions have led to billions of deaths. As a result, viewers are left with questions about whether Bilton pays for the damage he has caused and if the planet has any hope of recovering. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Extrapolations Season 1 Finale Recap
The eighth and final episode, titled ‘2070: Ecocide,’ opens with a young girl, Decima, listening to a musical concert by anti-capitalist singer Tyrone Downs. The song details the decline in Earth’s natural resources due to capitalist greed and the planet’s near desolate state because of ecologically harmful methods of humanity. However, Decima’s foster father, Nicholas “Nick” Bilton (Kit Harington), the world-renowned business tycoon, disapproves of her listening to such songs. Their conversation is cut short when Bilton receives a letter for his court trial.
Meanwhile, Martha Russell (Diane Lane) is in the Alpha Industries’ London office when she receives a holographic message from Bilton. He appointed Martha as the interim CEO of the company, replacing himself in the role. Later, Bilton is arrested for his crimes against the environment, aka Ecocide, as the businessman is deemed responsible for billions of deaths across decades. Bilton’s lawyer, Ariel Turner, announces Martha as Bilton’s replacement. Bilton is summoned in Hauge at the International Criminal Court for his trial, and Lucy Adobo is the prosecutor in the case. Lucy’s partner, Tyrone Downs, was protesting against Bilton.
On the trial’s first day, former Alpha employee Rebecca Shearer (Sienna Miller) testifies against Bilton. She tells the court how Bilton tried to profit from artificially recreating animal species after their extinction instead of saving them. However, Shearer is found dead a few days later, and Bilton is accused of the crime. Meanwhile, Martha convinces the investors of Aplha that Nick is innocent and will be acquitted of the changes soon. Later, Martha announces a new product – Newcomen, which will help reduce carbon in the Earth’s atmosphere.
A flashback reveals that Jonathan Chopin (Edward Norton) was in charge of developing Newcomen until Bilton fired him due to ideological differences. Once again, we are reminded of Bilton’s capitalist greed. After Martha discovers Shearer’s death and suspects Bilton’s involvement, she contacts Lucy. Later, Lucy speaks with a witness and gains knowledge about Matafele Kabuya, who originally devised the concept for the device to reduce the world’s carbon footprint. She sought Bilton’s help in creating the device. However, Bilton tricked Kabuya into using her innovation to make a profit instead of achieving carbon neutrality.
It is implied that Kabuya was the mother of Decima, and Bilton adopted the girl after her passing. Soon, Martha goes against Bilton when she realizes he only cares about making more money. Consequently, Lucy learns that Martha is responsible for her partner’s death. As Lucy confronts Martha, the latter explains that the story is just a distraction tactic created by Nick. Moreover, the release of Newcomen paints Bilton as a humanitarian, and he argues in court that he made efforts to save the world while others continued to damage it. Consequently, Bilton is exonerated of the charges against him and walks free.
Extrapolations Season 1 Finale Ending: Does Bilton Pay For His Crimes?
In the episode’s final act, Lucy confronts Martha about her partner’s death. However, she is uninterested in revenge and feels Martha could help her take down Bilton. After the charges against him were dropped, they needed to build a solid case against Bilton to put him behind bars. Therefore, Martha is the right choice to help Lucy, given her proximity to Bilton. On the other hand, Bilton plans to blame Martha for Alpha’s legal troubles and remove her as the CEO. Hence, it is also in Martha’s interest to help Lucy take down Bilton. Meanwhile, Decima contacts Martha after giving her a chip years ago.
Martha becomes the bridge that connects Decima and Lucy. With Decima’s help, Lucy is able to reopen the case against Bilton. After learning about her father’s misdeeds, Decima willingly decides to testify against him in court. Decima is aware of Bilton’s machinations and how he took advantage of the world’s environmental crisis to make more profits, whereas he could have easily channeled his resources to save the world. The complex circumstances surrounding Newcomen, the device capable of reducing the carbon footprint, is the shining example of Bilton’s greed and admission of his guilt. Bilton is proven guilty with the help of Decima’s testimony.
The episode’s epilogue jumps roughly a year forward as Decima visits a beach with Lucy. Meanwhile, Bilton pays for his crimes as he is imprisoned millions of miles away from the Earth in an interstellar prison. While it is implied that Bilton has a long sentence to serve, he will likely get out. Hence, the punishment does not feel worthy of a rime like Ecocide. Nonetheless, Bilton had to watch his daughter testify against him in court, which was heartbreaking for the father.
Despite his rants and self-proclaimed savior attitude, Bilton is guilty of the crimes he is accused of. Therefore, he tries to hide his true face from Decima and only showcases the praise for him to her. However, with Bilton exposed in his daughter’s eyes, he is unlikely to recover from the emotional consequences of his imprisonment. Moreover, Decima will spend the rest of her life hating him and will also not get to watch her grow older, which is a fitting punishment for his crimes. Ultimately, Decima and Lucy look forward to a brighter future for humanity in Bilton’s absence as the Newcomen drastically reduces the carbon in the atmosphere, implying the Earth is healing.
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