Mother/Android: What Happened To Sam (Is He Dead?)

Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Mother/Android.

The latest Hulu original sci-fi film Mother/Android leaves viewers asking what happened to Sam after he disappears, and more importantly whether or not he’s dead. Both Georgia and Sam face impossible odds during the film’s A.I. uprising, especially with Georgia being nine months pregnant. It’s an incredible feat that the two make it as far as they do. Between trudging through the wilderness for months, being kicked out of the first army base they encounter, and facing an A.I. showdown in the woods, it’s a miracle that either of them even makes it to Sam’s intended goal. The end of Mother/Android shows that Georgia returns from her adventure unscathed, but it’s less clear what happens to her partner, Sam.

Mother/Android has a great cast, with Chloë Grace Moretz playing the main protagonist, Georgia, and Algee Smith as her boyfriend, Sam. The film is set sometime in the future when A.I. has become commonplace in the form of robotic butlers that help humans take care of the home. The story begins with Georgia finding out that she’s pregnant with Sam’s baby, and she’s not too thrilled about it. However, they soon have bigger problems when every single A.I. malfunctions and goes rogue and the beginning of the apocalypse ensues. Sam and Georgia head to Boston after hearing that there’s an initiative to take families out of the country. After a shootout with the emotionless A.I. and a shocking twist, the two end up making it to Boston, but they have to give up their baby as the initiative is only smuggling out the children and not the parents. Georgia is shown to be alive in the end, but she’s alone and Sam’s fate at the end of Mother/Android is left ambiguous.

Sadly, Sam is presumably dead by the end of Mother/Android. After he is tortured by the A.I. and used as bait to catch Georgia, his legs are destroyed. The origins of his devastating injuries aren’t clearly stated, but he either fell off of the dirt bike during his capture or the A.I. decided to start with his legs. After Georgia rescues him and inadvertently lets A.I.-in-disguise Arthur (Raúl Castillo) into the Boston compound, the doctors amputate both of Sam’s legs at the knees. Sam’s fate is all but sealed when the Kick-Ass actress is informed that they can’t board the boat, only their baby can. Sam admits that he’s probably not going to make it through the medical procedures he still needs to keep him from bleeding out. With Boston and the hospital now overrun with A.I., it’s doubtful he can receive the medical attention he needs during this crucial hour. Ultimately, Sam’s fate as deceased is heavily indicated to the audience at the end when Georgia burns his picture and is seen walking alone.

Sam’s death wasn’t shown for various probable reasons. The scene may have been too much for audiences to handle at that point in the movie. Viewers had to go through watching the new parents give up their baby hours after its birth. Having to witness the Euphoria actor bleed out on screen while Georgia takes care of him would’ve simply been overkill in terms of tragedy for Mother/Android. It would have ended the movie on an even bleaker note, which would have undermined the message of hope in the film.

Overall, Mother/Android is a step up from previous Hulu Original films. While Sam’s death is never shown on screen this is ultimately for the better. Sam’s death wasn’t shown because it wasn’t important. As a character he had importance, but Sam’s sole goal was to protect his family and get his newborn son ont0 the boat to give him a chance at life. Once he fulfilled that promise, Sam’s story was finished; more poignant to imply his death off-screen than to undermine his noble end with a death scene. Unfortunately for Georgia, she has to go on to Portland with only the memories of her boyfriend and their child.

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