Dhruv Trivedi
‘The Man Who Fell to Earth‘ episode 5, titled ‘Moonage Daydream,’ sees Faraday begin work on a mysterious machine that has even the genius alien flummoxed. His precarious partnership with the CIA-controlled tech-company Origin continues to give the persistent Agent Spencer Clay glimpses into the aliens’ plan. However, what the agent doesn’t realize is that Faraday and his human companion, Justin Falls, are actually working to stave off the destruction of their respective planets! There are some intriguing insights into the large-scale, potentially apocalyptic events that the story is set against. Let’s take a closer look at ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’ episode 5. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Man Who Fell to Earth Episode 5 Recap
The episode opens with a visual of Faraday on his home planet of Antheon shortly before he left for Earth. The flashback depicts him in his natural (alien) form as he bids his family a tense farewell, promising to return. Back in the present, Faraday (in human form) pleads with Justin to help him build the colossal machine according to the plans left behind by Newton. However, Justin is concerned about her family and insists on bringing them to London before she starts work.
So, Faraday heads to the Origin labs on his own, where he takes on an eager team who soon become quite confused by his eccentric working methods. The alien has trouble understanding basic human needs like rest and bathroom breaks but eventually relents and allows his team to go home and sleep. Thankfully, Justin soon returns and takes charge of the team.
Meanwhile, Faraday grapples with the crippling realization that none of Newton’s plans make sense. Thinking he is not qualified to understand them, the alien finds solace in a strange Origin employee named Watt, who seems to know all about the aliens’ plans. Watt’s playful attitude initially angers Faraday but ultimately brings him to an epiphany.
The Man Who Fell to Earth Episode 5 Ending: What is Faraday Building? What Does He Understand in the End?
Faraday thinks about his time leaving Antheon and recalls seeing a mysterious structure 30,000 feet above the surface. He rearranges Newton’s plans to make it look like the structure, and it all finally makes sense. Giddy with excitement, Faraday rushes to tell Justin about his solution, and she, in turn, tells him about a potential fuel she was developing that could be used in Newton’s machine.
Meanwhile, Spencer Clay spies on Faraday’s progress and attempts to decipher what the alien is building. The CIA agent calls Newton a dangerous and potentially destructive force and considers Faraday to be the same. For now, however, he quietly watches the latter work on his mysterious machine.
The contraption Faraday is building appears to be massive in size, judging by the 30-foot hole he asks to be constructed in the lab. The machine aims to recreate Newton’s plans, specifically those of his 10th patent. We know from previous episodes that the tenth patent consists of plans for a fusion machine that provides unlimited energy. However, details about the machine, including how it even looks, continue to elude Faraday.
At the end of episode 5, Faraday remembers the colossal structure outside Antheon that he saw when he left his home planet for Earth. It seems that the secret to Newton’s plans is in the shape of that structure, which is how Faraday eventually deciphers them. The ultimate goal of the machine is to provide the incredible amount of energy needed to fix the collapsing core of Antheon and, later, solve Earth’s energy crisis. However, there are still no clues about just how Newton’s mysterious machine is going to work.
What is the Mysterious Structure Above Antheon?
The mysterious structure floating in space near Antheon is what finally gives Faraday a much-needed clue about Newton’s 10th patent. However, the story so far doesn’t explain the structure exactly. For one, it could be an early iteration of Newton’s infinite-energy machine that the alien built in an attempt to save Antheon.
However, there is a good chance that the structure, which looks ancient and imposing, has nothing to do with the machine and is actually meant to be a clue. Considering all of Newton’s other patents (the first nine) were stolen and used by humans, it is quite likely that the alien decided to make his final and most potent design a secret.
In order to ensure that only beings from Antheon can make sense of the design and construct the machine, Newton could have codified it using the mysterious structure outside his home planet. This would explain why no one could decipher Newton’s final plan all these years and that even Faraday could only make sense of it once he remembered the structure floating in space above Antheon.
Read More: Where Is The Man Who Fell To Earth Filmed?
