Goodbye Earth explores the run-up to a devastating event that will end life on Earth, which doesn’t lend itself especially well to Season 2. Indeed the K-Drama ends with its entire cast — and indeed all of humanity — being wiped out by an asteroid, so in this case the limited series label very much applies.
Season 2 Is Unlikely To Happen Due To The Ending
While film and TV may have conditioned us to expect happy and contrived endings, Goodbye Earth sticks to its guns. In the finale, the asteroid that everyone had been worrying about for twelve episodes hits Earth.
This was always the intention of the story, which is why it’s explicitly about how the characters deal with their impending demise rather than work to stop it (Bruce Willis is, unfortunately, nowhere in sight.) This means that the finale not only provided a logical conclusion for all of its core characters but also removed the possibility of a second season entirely.
For once, there is no scope or intention for a Netflix series to continue beyond its sell-by date, and that can only be seen as a good thing. If only more shows had the confidence in their storytelling to actually end when they were supposed to.
An Asteroid is an Apocalyptic Event
As far as calamitous disasters go, an asteroid is as big and as bad as it gets.
Goodbye Earth reiterates there is no doubt the asteroid is going to end life on Earth, and we see the world through the eyes of various characters who are doing their best to survive and help others ahead of the impending tragedy.
The show ends with the apocalyptic event taking place, leaving no doubt that the worst has happened. There is no ambiguity. From a writing point of view, the characters receive a satisfying arc, with their stories concluding. The asteroid drives the narrative forward and eventually ends it in the most conclusive way possible, which was the point of the whole exercise.
Critical Reception Round-Up
Goodbye Earth has received mixed reviews so far.
Heaven of Horror seemed to enjoy it, although did note that a lot is going on in the show making it “a lot to keep track of.” Meaww was also on board, praising the technical aspects of the show, and the characters, but felt that the length of the season — there are twelve episodes — led to pacing problems.
OutlookIndia agrees with that review, also mentioning the show’s thrilling but slow-paced delivery.
Our review of Goodbye Earth cited the same problems but we ultimately ranked it an impressive four out of five stars, saying:
Being overlong and occasionally distracting-looking are minor quibbles about what is otherwise an excellent and engaging drama. Goodbye Earth isn’t perfect, and the required investment will be off-putting to some, but it’s a compellingly human take on the disaster format.
