Tamal Kundu
Based on an original story written by manga creator Yasuo Ohtagaki (‘Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt’), ‘Make My Day’ is a Netflix science fiction action anime series. The story is set in the distant future when humans have spread across the stars, though they are yet to encounter an alien sapient species. The plot revolves around Jim, a gifted artist forced to work as a correctional officer on the harsh and freezing planet of Coldfoot. When mysterious creatures appear out of the planet’s depth and begin to destroy the humans, Jim must team up with an unlikely group of people to survive and ensure the safety of the others. Here is everything you might want to know about the ending of ‘Make My Day’ season 1. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Make My Day Recap
Jim’s parents died when he was still quite young, and he was brought up by his grandfather, Ed. When the series begins, he and Ed live in the rugged town of Dust Box on Coldfoot. Their neighbors are Marnie — a girl about the same age as Jim — and Marnie’s mother and siblings. To improve her family’s financial situation, Marnie decided to be a surrogate for a wealthy couple, and now, she is several months pregnant.
The story is set in October 2524. Planet Coldfoot is not just a frozen wasteland but also shrouded in the gas nebula, which makes traveling to and from the planet rather hazardous. Jim works at White Prison, where convicted criminals from various parts of the galaxy are brought in to mine Sig, a precious energy ore. White Prison is located at the mouth of hell’s cauldron — two massive craters hundreds of meters in diameter and hundreds of miles deep. Jim isn’t particularly suited for the job, and Ed wants him to leave Coldfoot someday and head toward Central, supposedly the main planet in the human-dominated galaxy. Ed wants the young man to succeed as an artist, though Jim sees his chances from a pragmatic point of view.
One day, things start to go horribly wrong after the dead bodies of several inmates are found. The correctional officers posted there begin to investigate under the leadership of Commander Bark. Jim is forced to set aside all his fears and disgust as he joins Bark and the others in the investigation. However, Jim gets pulled into the depths of the mines at one point and meets Walter, an inmate who used to be a firefighter. Walter became a convicted murderer after killing the very people responsible for the fire that killed his family.
Deep under the planet’s surface, Jim and the others discover shell casings, indicating that someone has fired guns there. They find yellowish worm-like creatures that seem indestructible until someone manages to ignite the volatile gas trapped inside them. They don’t seem interested in humanity, but they have a ravenous hunger for the Sig, which effectively makes them and humans enemies. These creatures are referred to as the Swarms. After destroying a cluster of these entities in the mines, Jim and Walter head to the Dust Box to retrieve Ed, Marnie, and her family. However, by the time they arrive, Marnie’s family is already dead, and Jim loses Ed as he tries to get him and Marnie to safety.
In the season 1 finale, Jim, Walter, Marnie, and the others race against time to leave Coldfoot as a massive horde of the Swarm approaches their location. The group forms an uneasy alliance with Commander Bark, who betrayed Jim earlier and severely beat him. Initially, everything goes according to the plan as Jim succeeds in baiting the horde, but then Howard, the assistant of Dr. Hadson at the military base, turns against the others in a desperate ploy to save only himself.
Make My Day Ending: Do Jim and Marnie Escape From Coldfoot?
The core narrative of ‘Make My Day’ revolves around the dichotomy of altruism and self-interest. Jim, as the hero of the story, is repeatedly forced to choose between the two, and he almost always chooses the former, even though at the receiving end of his altruism are people who wouldn’t make the same choice. While trying to get Walter out of the custody of the wardens, Jim encounters Prof. William Boyd and Rachel Wise — scientists who first discovered the Swarms, named them, and were apprehended when they tried to tell the authorities the truth about these creatures. Jim also saves Bark and his romantic partner Cathy Beck, who happens to be the lead administrator on Coldfoot.
It turns out that even Beck was ultimately powerless to bring any changes to the planet because she had higher-ups to answer to. She slowly grew disillusioned as Coldfoot’s resources dried out to sustain other planets. There was a tanker in orbit, the main purpose of which was to take the Sig to other solar systems. The military thought the seemingly fossilized eggs of the Swarms would have some value, so they brought some of those to the tanker. They also wanted to destroy the planet along with the Swarms, so there wouldn’t be any proof of their wrongdoings. However, the Swarms in the tanker woke up, ate the Sigs, and destroyed the tanker. Fortunately for Bark and Beck, they barely survive the encounter.
In episode 7, Marnie gives birth to a healthy boy, which gives Jim more reasons to survive this ordeal and be a father to the child. He plans to lure in the Swarms with the Sig and then burn through them to create a corridor to the launchpad for the lifeboat. However, Howard turns Rogue, overrides the Robocasts, including the one Jim named Casper, and tries to leave the planet alone. His attempt fails, but Jim doesn’t leave him behind despite this betrayal.
Jim, Marnie, Walter, Boyd, Wise, Bark, Beck, Hadson, Howard, and Casper all make it off the planet. Howard even redeems himself by saving the life of Marnie’s son. Afterward, they decide to go to a solar system that doesn’t have an extradition treaty and get a fresh start. Walter, whom Jim and Marnie named the child’s godfather, now gives the boy a name, Kou, the kanji for which is happiness.
What is Sig? What Are the Swarms?
In the 26th century, Sig is arguably the most valuable ore in the galaxy. According to the propaganda video made by the Coldfoot authorities, it is exceedingly rare and holds incalculable possibilities, the most prominent of which is as the energy source. Just one ounce of it can power a generator for a whole year. Coldfoot is the first planet humans have found with a significant Sig deposit. Every year, about 100,000 people arrive at Coldfoot. A considerable portion of them has criminal records or are downright convicts sent to the Sig mines as the labor force.
The Swarms are a native species of Coldfoot — a worm-like creature with a combustible gas trapped within. Professor Boyd believes they are sapient and is vehemently against the idea of killing them. He was initially brought in from Central after discovering what looked like fossilized eggs. But then, his findings threatened the mining operation, and he was imprisoned. Toward the end of the season, a creature belonging to the second-known native species of Coldfoot appears. Boyd describes this massive entity as the Predator. It also looks like a worm, and it is safe to presume that if the Swarms are sapient, this one is as well.
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