Summary
“The Boy” continues to dish out even more mysteries and thrills, whilst that twist ending will be make or break for a lot of viewers. There are serious Lost vibes coming from the series, which is definitely a positive in my book. Engrossing TV that cannot be ignored.
We recap the Netflix series 1899 season 1, episode 2, “The Boy,” which contains spoilers.
A ship containing over a thousand passengers goes missing for four months and then reappears, as if by magic, with only one known survivor. It’s the kind of mystery that can send a person mad, which is exactly what happens to our dear captain on the Kerberos, Eyk Larsen (Andreas Pietschmann). Equally maddening, “The Boy” doesn’t solve any of the show’s many mysteries. In fact, it piles on even more, with a twist ending that will undoubtedly shock you to your very core. But that’s all part of the fun, isn’t it? Those unlucky few that traveled aboard the Prometheus are now feeling the after-effects of that head trip, while the other passengers worry about the consequences of the Captain’s ever-unpopular decisions, in another captivating chapter of 1899.
1899 season 1, episode 2 recap
1899 season 1, episode 1 shows Maura’s nightmare, and in episode 2, we get to see Eyk’s. He has visions of his family burning to death in a countryside home and then he wakes in his cabin. Just like Maura’s dreams were actually based in reality, so are Eyk’s. His wife set herself and three children on fire, killing Eyk’s entire family in one fell swoop. Eyk goes back to the bottle and clutches a strange piece of fabric that he found on the Prometheus, which may be linked to his family.
Eyk is then updated on some rather peculiar developments. All the compasses on the ship are spinning out of control and the company they work for has responded to their news about the Prometheus with two words – ‘sink ship’. Eyk and Maura are dying to know what happened on the Prometheus, but the boy they found remains frustratingly silent on the matter. Adding to his stresses, Eyk starts to hear creepy folk music and singing coming from the corridors.
Rumors quickly spread about the mysterious, mute boy, but no one is aware of the other Prometheus passenger, the man who snuck onto the Kerberos in secret. He has infiltrated Maura’s neighbor’s quarters and sparks a conversation with her in the corridor. He introduces himself as Daniel Solace (Aneurin Barnard), and Maura can’t help but ask if they’ve met before, stating that he seems awfully familiar. Keep note a lot of guests ask similar questions in this installment. The Kerberos appears to be plagued by a strong case of déjà vu.
While Eyk stubbornly refuses to move the ship, the other guests continue to interact with one another. Spaniard Angel of the upper decks and Krester, the Dane from the lower decks, share another fleeting moment together. And Lucien tries to chat with Ling Yi, the Chinese lady who is pretending to be Japanese, but she remains stoically silent. Mrs. Wilson then offers Ling’s services to the French man, if you catch my drift. Later, stowaway Jerome and Clemence share a sexually charged conversation hinting at even more déjà vu.
Eyk continues to hear that haunting singing and goes to explore these noises further. A creaking door opens before him, and Eyk enters a darkened room, which transports him to a fantasy realm. In this daydream, he interacts with his family and becomes overwhelmed by the authentic setup, having lived this moment before. His daughter Nina then bursts into flames and he awakens in a foreign room. Eyk follows the salient scarab beetle, who leads him to a secret tunnel. Eyk climbs this hidden shaft and finds himself back in his cabin. The hidden door of course sports the crossed-out, upside-down triangle symbol.
The plot thickens further when Maura is seen talking with the silent boy. She strokes his hair, revealing the very same symbol tattooed underneath. Eyk then barges into the room, demanding to know everything about the Prometheus. Maura protects the boy and calms the captain down the best she can. But Eyk’s losing his mind, he’s hearing things and having visions of his dead family members, and Maura doesn’t really know what to say. She returns to her room and speaks openly with the boy. Maura explains that she is searching for her brother, who has gone missing, and believes he might have been on the Prometheus. She points out the symbols, that seem to be everywhere, on her precious letter’s envelope. The boy doesn’t respond and she is then ordered to attend another meeting in the dining room.
While the guests gather for the announcement, Angel and Ramiro argue in their room. They discuss their web of lies and worry that they will be found out. It is revealed that Ramiro isn’t a priest, he isn’t Spanish and he isn’t Angel’s brother. The two then passionately make out. Daniel releases his scarab beetle once more, which ensnares the innocent little Danish girl Ada. The beetle directs Ada straight into Daniel’s path, and he apologizes to her, presumably for the horrors he’s about to commit.
1899 season 1, episode 2 ending
Eyk informs the upper-class guests that he plans on turning the ship around and towing the Prometheus back to Europe. There is absolute uproar from the wealthy guests, who are angered by this ridiculous plan of action. Eyk states that they are closer to Europe than America and only have enough coal to tow the ship back to its original location. Maura tries to change Eyk’s mind in private, but he is immovable. Eyk needs to know what is going on over on the Prometheus, the mystery is eating away at him. Maura pleads with the captain that she can’t go back. But it is all for nothing. She isn’t the only one who is running away from something. Not a single soul on the Kerberos agrees with Eyk’s decision and they all have their own distinct reasons for not wanting to go back to Europe.
The Kerberos starts to tow the ghost ship, and Eyk’s shipmates look on in disbelief. They even consider sinking the ship themselves. Is mutiny on the cards? The telegraph then starts to spew out triangle symbols, and Maura ogles at the same symbol, which is found in her necklace locket. Daniel is then seen staring at a photograph of Maura, and Franz comes across an ungodly sight. He informs Eyk of the discovery, and the captain marches to the scene of the crime. Ada has been found dead.
Even Dark‘s most hardened fans won’t be prepared for what comes next. The camera pulls back from Eyk’s stunned expression and reveals that this footage is actually coming from a television screen. We find ourselves in a room with nine TV screens on the wall. Other characters have their own screens, including Maura, Mrs. Wilson, Jerome, Daniel, Ling Yi, and the boy. The series, which is set in the year of our Lord 1899, is somehow linked to the present day or at least the latter half of the 20th century. This is a truly shocking twist ending that just baffles the mind. How are the creators going to explain all this? I don’t know, but I am definitely going to stick around to find out.
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