The director of ‘Janie Jones’ and ‘Jacob’s Ladder,’ David M. Rosenthal, directed the understated 2018 Netflix catastrophe film ‘How It Ends.’ The story depicts a piece of a real-life apocalypse, covering a long road trip from Chicago to Seattle. Samantha’s husband Will travels to Chicago to meet Samantha’s parents because she is pregnant. When an unknown cosmic event cuts off all contact with the west coast, Will is forced to go on a 2043-mile journey with Samantha’s ailing father, Tom. While the plot contains a true representation of a national disaster and its attendant bewilderment and terror, the hastily crafted conclusion does not provide us with closure. If you have any questions, let us help you make sense of the turmoil. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

Plot Synopsis: How It Ends

The first scenes shift from cosmic events to an ultrasound feed. Samantha “Sam” Sutherland is expecting a kid and wants to know what gender it will be. The doctor informs Sam and her husband Will that they are expecting a baby boy. Will leaves Samantha with the news because he needs to go to Chicago to meet her parents. Will swears not to talk about the boat, but as he gets nervous, he does. Ex-military Tom is becoming increasingly dismissive at the dinner table, as Will was unemployed the last time he checked.

Will returns to his hotel room near the airport after a heated discussion. Samantha is Will’s hotel wake-up call, reminding him that he has a trip to catch. Soon after, the phone call comes through, and Will arrives at the airport to learn that Flight 23 to Seattle has been delayed until further notice. Will deduces from the gloomy TV broadcast that there is a seismic event off the southern California coast before the stream is interrupted. Will returns to Tom’s house, and the two of them ride Tom’s Cadillac to Seattle, picking up the devastating effects of the event along the way.

How It Ends: What Happens to Seattle in the End?

The trek is difficult and fraught with unknown dangers. It leads the duo to abandoned communities or hazardous environments. Law enforcement seals all access points in certain communities, while others stay deserted, with just food and gas to salvage. Tom and Will meet a girl named Ricki in an auto repair shop, and Tom persuades her to join them on their voyage. Will kills a family after an incident involving retrieving stolen fuel.

Ricki, who is nervous and upset, leaves without saying goodbye. Following that, Tom dies, presumably as a result of ash particles poisoning his lungs. Tom appears to have an underlying respiratory ailment, so he brings his prescriptions with him on the tour. However, the injection is ineffective, and Tom dies on the way. On the sixth day, Will destroys the car with Tom’s remains inside (perhaps as a funeral) and continues the trek on foot.

Will hitches a ride with a family going north, taking them to his father’s house in the woods, which is stocked with supplies. Will, rather than providing consolation, demands the keys to the family’s jeep from the patriarch, to which the patriarch agrees. Will then drives to Seattle in his jeep. Thirty miles from Seattle, the air has become nearly unbreathable, and the road has become white from ash particles. The film moves steadily from the rumors of the disaster to the actual image of the apocalypse.

Will sees a terrifying picture of the city as he crosses what appears to be Lake Washington. As a result of the disaster’s impact, Seattle has been virtually decimated. Will engages in a confrontation with rogue militants guarding the town’s entry points. According to Samantha’s savior, Jeremiah, the impact appears to be the result of a nuclear attack. When he claims that the government is trying a huge cover-up, he sounds like a conspiracy theorist.

What Caused the Disaster?

The film wants us to ruminate on this million-dollar question since it provides no plausible explanation for the catastrophe. Jeremiah believes it is a government plot to terrify people. He also speculates that the disaster could be caused by the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. Some claim that the regular tremors are the result of earthquakes, but no one dismisses the likelihood of a volcanic eruption. However, based on the evidence, it is reasonable to classify the disaster as a solar storm (or a geomagnetic storm).

According to NASA experts, the consequences of a solar storm (produced by disturbances on the Sun’s surface) might be fatal to mankind. While it may not directly cause deaths, it can result in conditions that result in mass casualties. A large-scale solar storm, for example, might destroy all of the artificial satellites circling the Earth, wreak havoc on electrical infrastructure, and effectively render us powerless and without communication.

The aurora, which Will believes can only be caused by solar storms, adds weight to our case. They are not legendary, as the most recent large-scale solar storm (dubbed the Carrington Event) occurred in 1859. Auroras were observed all around the world, and telegraph networks in Europe and North America failed. Furthermore, a Carrington-class solar superstorm missed Earth by an inch on July 23, 2012. As a result, humans may not be as resistant to a geomagnetic storm as you might think.

Will kill Jeremiah for what reason? Will and Samantha are they alive or dead?

Will eventually discovers Samantha in good health. Will arrives at their Seattle home to see that the structure, along with the other residences in the neighborhood, has fallen. Samantha, on the other hand, has left a message for Will, requesting him to meet her at a specific address. Will arrives at the home of Jeremiah, Samantha’s savior, armed with the knowledge. Will, on the other hand, becomes nervous when a third man enters the picture. Samantha expresses her appreciation and affection for the reconnection with Will, but an awkward campfire party ensues.

Jeremiah dabbles in conspiracy ideas. Will maintains that Jeremiah is just as clueless as the rest of them. Samantha tries and fails to mediate, but to no avail. Will shoots down Jeremiah in a frontal confrontation the next morning before the latter can point the gun at the former. As a result, Will’s “heroism” vanishes in an instant, as it appears that Will makes a hasty decision in the heat of the moment. Although it is difficult to tell if Samantha and Jeremiah were intimate in the absence of Will, Will can make a guess.

Will finds it tough to point the finger at Samantha, his pregnant wife, and taking down Jeremiah may be his only alternative. Furthermore, because there is no foundation of justice in an anarchic environment, pressing the gun appears simple, even liberating. Sam and Will drive out of town after Jeremiah’s death. Another visceral storm, however, pursues them, aiming to swallow everything in its path. Will shifts gears and kisses Samantha. While the film ends here, Samantha and Will’s fate remains unknown. Given the pace of the storm, they may not be able to avoid its deadly consequences. As a result, we conclude that Will and Samantha perish in the end.