Netflix 'Archive 81' Ending Explained: Where is Dan now? SHOCKING end makes way for Season 2
Netflix has once again knocked it out of the park with its latest horror series ‘Archive 81’. The show, based on the podcast series of the same name, revolves around a man named Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie), who restores damaged tapes and works for the Museum of Moving Images. One day, he is sent to a remote location by Virgil Davenport (Martin Donovan), President of LGM, to restore some damaged tapes that came unravel the mystery behind the fire inside the Visser Apartment.
As soon as Dan starts seeing tapes, he gets to know what’s happening inside the building and why a girl named Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi), who has reached the building for completing her dissertation, disappeared after the building caught fire. 13 people reportedly died because of the fire, but there was no official record. While watching the tapes, he gets to know about the cult that was being investigated by Melody and was convinced that he might be able to help her.
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Was he able to save her? Or something diabolical happened to him as well? Let’s find out.
‘Archive 81’ Ending Explained: Where is Dan now? Is he trapped in another dimension?
After getting to know about the cult, Melody is captured and taken to the basement where she sees the murderous ritual carried out by the cult. The members of the cult start chanting something and we suddenly see a doorway open that takes people to another world. Samuel takes Melody away and they disappear. As soon as they leave the place, the Visser Building burns down.
Dan realizes that Melody has been trapped in another dimension and he can save her. He calls his friend Mark (Matt McGorry), who likes to know about matters regarding supernatural occurrences, and tries to break into the research facility containing the tapes. They reach the basement and perform the ritual that they saw in the tapes. With the help of the caretaker, they perform it successfully and Dan also disappears into another world where Melody is currently trapped.
He could not believe where he was and finally spots Melody. He was trying to save her and that’s when Samuel takes her away through another door. Shockingly, Melody arrives back in the present time and meets Dan’s friend. He asks her about his friend but receives no answer.
On the other hand, we see Dan opening up his eyes and finding himself in the hospital. The nurse sees him and tells him to relax. A few moments later, she mentions how lucky Dan is to survive the fire. When Dan asks which fire she is talking about, the nurse reveals that he was the lone survivor from the fire that destroyed the Visser Building.
The show ends on a sinister note with Dan trapped in another dimension or another world. Soon, we find out that he is now in the year 1994 and is stuck there. He is stuck inside a world that is being ruled by half-demon, half-god Kaelego. Time works differently in his world and that’s why we see him directly landing in 1994. With Dan stuck in the world that he entered to save Melody and Melody finally back in the real world, they find themselves in a lot of trouble. Their roles have witched and it will be interesting to see if Melody would try and save him or not.
‘Archive 81’ Ending Explained: Is Melody okay?
Well, Melody is finally reunited with her mother, but she is not safe. Samuel is definitely looking out for her and will do anything to have her back. Also, she is the only one who can save Dan and extract her from another world.
The ending of Season 1 takes your breath away and perfectly sets up Season 2. I hope, we see the second edition really soon.