'Lord of the Flies' Ending Explained: The dark twist behind rescue that changes everything
Netflix's recently released miniseries 'Lord of the Flies' has created a lot of buzz with its harrowing portrayal of the loss of childhood innocence. The folk horror series is the first television adaptation of William Golding's 1954 novel of the same name. Jack Thorne has developed the project, with Marc Munden stepping in to direct the episodes. Set in the 1950s, the series centers on a group of young British boys who find themselves stranded on a tropical island in the Pacific Ocean following a plane crash that killed all the adults. The group of survivors split into two factions: one represents order and rationality, while the other fully embraces their savage impulses. It demonstrates the breakdown of civilization in the island's micro-society. Spanning four episodes, the psychological thriller was released on February 8 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and reached the United States on Netflix on May 4.
Left to their own devices, the schoolboys rally around Ralph (Winston Sawyers), who takes on a leadership role. With the help of the wise by Piggy (David McKenna), he establishes a democratic system of order to ensure everyone's survival. However, it does not take long for the peaceful order to crumble as rumors of a mysterious beast on the island force many children to resort to their primal instincts. The lead hunter, Jack (Lox Pratt), splits from the group to form his rival tribe that leans into dictatorship and savagery.
Simon (Ike Talbut) discovers that the creature is nothing but the corpse of a parachuter. But before he can warn the other children, Jack and his group beat him to death after mistaking him for the beast, signaling their loss of innocence and ascent into savagery. As their lust for violence takes hold, Jack's group steals Piggy's glasses to start a fire. The situation escalates to the point that Roger (Thomas Conner) hits Piggy with a rock, leading to the second death on the island. Things take a turn for the worse as Jack and his savage group turn on Ralph at the height of their savagery. Sensing the danger to his life, Ralph goes into hiding, but Jack's group sets the forest on fire to smoke him out.
As Jack's group closes in on Ralph to murder him, they encounter two naval officers. The forest fires had caught the attention of a passing ship, which landed on the shore to investigate. However, the officers downplay the seriousness of the situation, reducing their deadly tribal conflict to childish games. As Ralph explains that two children have already died, and possibly more, he is reprimanded for his poor leadership and for setting a bad example of British propriety. As the officers begin their rescue efforts, the children abandon their weapons and return to childlike innocence. But their brief experience with murderous impulses on the island has changed some of these kids forever.
'Lord of the Flies' is a commentary on how easily humanity can shed its innocence in the face of an existential threat and also highlights the potential for evil present in all of us. The young castaways represent two sides of the battle between civilization and savagery. American viewers can watch all episodes of 'Lord of the Flies' on Netflix.
