Dhruv Trivedi
‘Station Eleven’ is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where survivors of a deadly pandemic slowly begin to rebuild society. Two decades after the tragedy, various communities have sprung up, including a band of traveling thespians known as the Travelling Symphony. Through multiple timelines and by using art and theatre to express the shared pain that everyone carries, the series weaves a particularly delicate and nuanced tale amidst a horrific and bleak backdrop.
The story closes on a hopeful note but leaves the fates of the central characters, and society for that matter, unknown. If you were left with some burning questions after the finale, we’re here to help untangle the ending of ‘Station Eleven.’ Let’s dive in! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Station Eleven Finale Recap
The story opens on the eve that the deadly pandemic hits. At a performance of ‘King Lear,’ audiences watch in shock as a well-known actor, Arthur Leander, collapses on stage and dies. As panic ensues, a young girl named Kirsten is unable to contact her parents and is taken in by a member of the audience named Jeevan. A parallel narrative takes us twenty years on, where society has fragmented into small groups that mostly fight for survival. Kirsten, now grown up, is part of a nomadic troupe of actors called the Travelling Symphony.
The troupe is invited to the defunct Severn City airport, now called the Museum of Civilization. The complex consists of a small but well-protected community under the leadership of Arthur’s old friend Clark, who has become pessimistic and paranoid in his advanced age. After initially keeping the Travelling Symphony in quarantine, he finally agrees to allow them to perform and even volunteers to essay a part in the play. Much to everyone’s surprise, the Prophet, an ominous figure known for his violent acts against various communities of survivors, takes on the lead role.
The performance is powerful and acts as a confrontation between the Prophet and Clark. Realizing the importance of the traveling actors’ troupe, Clarke finally allows them to leave and even invites them back. Just before they depart, Kirsten and Jeevan, who get separated in the second year of the pandemic, are reunited at the Museum of Civilization, where the latter is a visiting doctor.
Station Eleven Ending: How Does the Travelling Symphony Escape the Museum of Civilization? Which Shakespeare Play is Performed at the Museum?
Through flashbacks, the origin of the titular graphic novel and the final hours of its author, Miranda Carroll, are explored. Quarantined in a hotel room in Malaysia as the pandemic shuts the world down, Miranda speaks to Clark, who is similarly marooned at the Severn City airport. She realizes that a recently landed plane might contain infected individuals and, as her last act, convinces the pilot of the Gitchegumee Air Flight 452 not to let the passengers deboard, essentially saving the lives of everyone at the airport.
Back in the “new world,” the Travelling Symphony leaves the Museum of Civilization (formerly the Severn City airport), with many museum residents choosing to join them. The Prophet, reunited with his mother, Elizabeth, also leaves and rejoins the vast army of children that he leads. ‘Station Eleven’ closes with Jeevan and Kirsten walking together, talking about the night they met. They promise to see each other again and, having reached a fork on the road, part ways.
The season finale presents a particularly happy turn of events, considering that it opens with the Travelling Symphony imprisoned at the Museum of Civilization. The acting troupe eventually doesn’t have to escape but is graciously allowed to leave by Clark, who has a change of heart despite having his precious museum blown up.
A combination of a few factors results in this change of heart in the museum’s patriarch. Most notably, he learns that Kirsten is actually the young girl (Kiki) who was Arthur’s understudy during the fateful production of King Lear. Being reminded of his dear friend reawakens the love for art and theater that Clark has long forgotten. He subsequently agrees to allow the Travelling Symphony to perform a rendition of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet,’ even volunteering himself for the role of the main antagonist, Claudius.
The destruction of his prized collection of objects from the pre-pandemic era also seems to help Clark open his mind to the idea of letting people freely enter and leave the museum. So far, he has carefully guarded his domain for fear of attacks and doesn’t allow the Travelling Symphony to go since he is convinced they will reveal the museum’s location. This attitude changes in the final moments of the season finale, and Clark bids warm farewell to the actors’ troupe and even to the Prophet and his mother, telling them to come back for visits.
Do Tyler and His Mother, Elizabeth, Reconcile in the End? Where Are They Going?
Another central story arc is that of Arthur Leander’s son, Tyler, and his mother, Elizabeth. Following the actor’s death, the mother and son are stranded at the Severn City airport and begrudgingly become part of Clark’s community. Tyler, however, becomes disillusioned due to Clark’s paranoid ways and becomes convinced that memories and social structures of the pre-pandemic era do not deserve to survive.
Soon enough, the young boy fakes his own death and escapes the museum, eventually becoming the Prophet. He constantly recites the ‘Station Eleven’ graphic novel and teaches it to his young followers as gospel, convincing them to commit horrific acts of violence using land mines. When Tyler/the Prophet finally returns to the airport — now the Museum of Civilization — he promptly blows up Clark’s collection of vintage paraphernalia.
What seems like a deadlock finally loosens when Kirsten orders him and his mother to take on the roles of Hamlet and Gertrude (also mother and son) in the Travelling Symphony’s production of ‘Hamlet.’ The pivotal performance thus breaks an almost two-decade-long disconnect between Tyler and his mother, and the two reconcile.
As the story closes, Elizabeth decides to leave the museum and accompany Tyler. The two are seen heading into the horizon along with hundreds of children who look up to Tyler as the Prophet. Though it is unclear where they are headed, it seems like Tyler is a changed man who has given up a lot of the bitterness he carried with him. Thus, along with his mother and substantial following of children, it seems like Tyler will establish a new society based on the philosophies he has picked up from Miranda Carroll’s ‘Station Eleven’ graphic novel.
Who are the Children that Clark Sees? Do All Children Know the Story of Station Eleven?
The vast army of children that Clark sees at the end leaves him speechless. Having remained locked up in the airport for twenty years, it seems like Clark has forgotten that the world outside has continued to exist and the population has grown. Living in the past, the elderly patriarch has forgotten just how vast the post-pandemic generation is.
The sea of children that Clark sees are all the Prophet’s followers. It is mentioned earlier that the Prophet has a master plan which is put into motion when he lights “the torch.” This torch turns out to be the airport tower that he sets alight by blowing up Clark’s museum collection, which is housed inside it. Seeing the fires from miles away draws all of Tyler’s followers, and it becomes clear just how vast the Prophet’s following is. Since the Prophet draws all his teachings from the Station Eleven graphic novel, it is also a testament to Miranda Carroll’s book that it has inspired such a vast number of children.
Every follower of the Prophet seems to be well versed with the highly symbolic sci-fi story of the titular graphic novel. Therefore, despite not knowing how to read, it is highly likely that all the children seen at the end have heard the story of ‘Station Eleven’ through word of mouth. Of course, the fact that they take the book as gospel has had dangerous repercussions in the past, but that seems to be changing as we see Kirsten gently explain to a young girl that the story is from a book and not the word of God.
Read More: Where was Station Eleven Filmed?
