The Twilight Zone: 8 Ending Explained

SPOILERS for The Twilight Zone season 2, episode 6, “8”

In season 2, episode 6, titled “8”, The Twilight Zone turns the tables on a group of explores who are researching highly-intelligent sea creatures. The story begins as viewers are introduced to Dr. Orson Rudd (Joel McHale), the leader of a team that’s looking into underwater creatures which have been harmed as a result of climate change. As the episode progresses, Rudd and other crew members prove to have secret motives that conflict with their stated goals.

Far from actually seeking to help underwater animals, Rudd and Channing (Nadia Hilker) are intent on capturing a specific type of octopus so that they conduct experiments for a pharmaceutical company. Their duplicitous actions are contrasted with Ling (Michelle Ang). For much of the episode, which clocks in at just over 30 minutes, Ling seems to genuinely care for the creatures she’s studying. However, even she turns out to have her own hidden objectives. As “8” draws to a close, it is revealed that Ling wants to create a new species which would essentially be a mashup of humans and octopuses.

The twist is that it’s the supremely smart octopuses that achieve their goals, altering its DNA so that it could be free of its watery confines and then proceed to conquer the world. Directed by Glen Morgan, who is a veteran of The X-Files and an executive producer of the new Twilight Zone, with horror scribes Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead collaborating on the script, “8” is a warning about humanity’s greed and hubris. It’s also an episode which fits quite comfortably in the horror genre, featuring a few memorable kills.

The message to audiences is made explicit, given that “8” mentions thinning marginal ice and changing sea levels. In spite of the fact that the dangers of climate change are readily apparent, world leaders of all stripes have been reluctant to mandate the kind of decisive action that the problem requires. The episode dings the arrogance of humanity, imagining what might happen if the tables were turned and our resources were exploited by far more capable species.

“8” suffers from a lack of unifying tone. At times, it seems like the setup is mainly an excuse for the explorers to be picked off one by one in a gloomy and confined setting. There are some signs which point to this, including the fact that two crew members are killed off in the opening minutes of the episode. There’s also a memorable moment, halfway through, which features a character losing an eyeball during a struggle with an octopus. In the end though, “8” concludes with Rudd, Channing, and Ling all shaken but very much alive. Jordan Peele’s closing narration notes that humanity has been toppled. But, outside of a few deaths, the implications are kept offscreen.

Still, even if it counts as a weaker installment of The Twilight Zone season 2, “8” contains a few bright spots. The voice of Rod Serling is featured in the episode, as he’s narrating a documentary about explorer Jacques Cousteau that the crew is watching. The horror elements are a similarly nice touch, given that the series has so far hued closer to drama in its presentation. But overall, “8” doesn’t do enough to bring home the urgency of its message. It ends abruptly as well, shying away from the blood-soaked finale it seemed to be building toward.

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Abdullah Al-Ghamdi
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Abdullah Al-Ghamdi joined Screen Rant in August 2019, focusing on movie and television news. In January of the same year, he wrote a 3500+ word piece on why Primo Colón is underrated. He considers it his finest work. When he’s not arguing for the merits of his favorite wrestler, he can be reached at: [email protected].

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