'The Signal' Ending Explained: Sven and Charlie's lie brings justice for Paula and plane crash victim
Contains heavy spoilers for 'The Signal'
BERLIN, GERMANY: For sci-fi fans seeking a return to the heart-wrenching mysteries of the genre's golden age, 'The Signal' on Netflix delivers the same thunder. This German miniseries, directed by the duo of Sebastian Hilger and Philipp Leinemann, seamlessly blends classic elements with a touch of modern sentimentality.
The four-episode saga boasts a captivating cast, including Florian David Fitz, Peri Baumeister, and Yuna Bennett. Drawing inspiration from films like 'Interstellar,' 'The Signal' features a familiar, yet stunning, rural landscape as the backdrop for its story.
However, unlike its cinematic counterparts, the series prioritizes a safe and suspenseful narrative, rich with mysteries and lingering questions. 'The Signal' is like 1980s sci-fi with a modern emotional core, masterfully captured through impressive cinematography.
'The Signal' Ending: Sven and Charlie fools Benisha
Upon landing at the coordinates, Sven witnesses a sight that leaves him speechless, a vast gathering of people surrounding a giant circle of fire. A solemn and spiritual ceremony unfolds, with Benisha leading the congregation in prayer.
A flashback cuts to Paula on the plane, moments before the crash, fearing the landing. Suddenly, the plane shudders violently.
Returning to the present, Benisha double-checks Charlie's coordinates, her suspicions reaching new heights as she grapples with the realization that nothing significant is going on Earth.
In a horrifying act of desperation, she shoots Sven in the leg to force Charlie to reveal the truth. Sven, in a desperate attempt to save his daughter, tries to convince Benisha that she's chasing a nonexistent threat, nothing is coming from space.
Benisha orders her assistant to kill both Charlie and Sven. However, in a surprising turn of events, the assistant betrays Benisha, faking their deaths and urging them to pretend that they died until the situation stabilizes.
Charlie and Sven, shaken but alive, discuss their deception. They reveal their lie to Benisha that the aliens are scheduled to arrive on Saint Nicholas Day, not the date previously indicated.
Charlie and Sven stay vigilant on Saint Nicholas Day
After three months, Benisha, in hiding in Andhra Pradesh, India, gets arrested for orchestrating 'the plane crash.'
Charlie and Sven stand vigilant on Saint Nicholas Day, anticipating the arrival of the alien spacecraft. As the spacecraft descends onto the desert landscape, they reach out and open a hatch.
Instead of encountering alien beings, they receive an audio message, not from an extraterrestrial civilization, but in a human language: Earth's own. A wave of emotions washes over them as the message transforms into a hallucination of Paula's voice, expressing her love for them.
The Signal's final scene leaves us with a profound mystery. The message doesn't originate from outer space but from Earth itself. Who sent the message? What is its true purpose?
This mysterious conclusion leaves a lasting impression, prompting viewers to ponder the nature of communication, the potential for self-deception, and the possibility of messages traversing through time.
'The Signal' is streaming on Netflix.