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The Electric State ending explained: Is Christopher alive?

BBG News

The Electric State ending spoilers follow.

Millie Bobby Brown reappears on Netflix with a new science fiction hit, “The Electric State,” which is inspired by the graphic novel of the same title by Simon Stålenhag.

The story unfolds in an alternate timeline of 1994 following a war between humans and intelligent robots who once served them, resulting in the robots being forced into exile. Meanwhile, humanity has become enslaved to technology that enables them to manage drones for their daily chores.

Michelle Brown, an orphan who isn’t tech-savvy, finds herself unwillingly embarking on a journey alongside a friendly robot named Cosmo. Cosmo asserts that he knows the whereabouts of her supposedly deceased brother Christopher. Joining them on this road trip is Keats, portrayed by Chris Pratt, who seems to have a questionable background in smuggling activities.

Instead of delving into the mysterious conclusion of “The Electric State”, let’s shed light on what exactly happened to Christopher and unravel the meaning behind its final scene.

Major spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen the movie yet.

The Electric State ending explained: What happened to Christopher?

Michelle’s quest to find her long-lost sibling brings her to the doorstep of Dr. Amherst, the very physician who informed her that her brother, Christopher, had perished following their family’s automobile collision during the war.

It is disclosed that the head of Sentre, Ethan Skate (portrayed by Stanley Tucci), who resembled an unscrupulous Steve Jobs in character, perceived an opportunity in Christopher to bring an end to the conflict. In a state of unconsciousness, Christopher’s mind was exploited by Sente to develop their Neurocaster technology – a device that enables users to control robot drones.

In order to operate our network, we required a level of computational power that seemed unattainable. However, your brother’s unique cognitive abilities provided the solution Skate had been seeking to connect the Neurocasters and drones,” Dr Amherst explains to Michelle. “His mind was the key to saving his life.

In a surprising turn of events, it transpired that 13 months after Sentre had Dr Amherst deceive Michelle about her brother’s death, her brother, Christopher, unexpectedly regained consciousness while managing the Sentre network.

Doctor Amherst aimed to sever his ties, but Skate warned that he would harm him. However, before departing from the organization, the physician managed to create a modest link between Christopher and the external world: “He could mentally break free, despite his physical confinement.

In the beginning of the film, it’s explained that although Christopher’s physical body remains at Sentre’s headquarters in Seattle, his consciousness had bypassed their security systems, a state that is crucial for Sentre’s network to function properly. Without Christopher, Sentre’s entire system and thus the company could crumble.

Skate instructs Colonel Marshall Bradbury (Giancarlo Esposito) to seize the Cosmo bot, also known as Christopher’s consciousness. His mission is to retrieve the bot and bring it back to Sentre. Successfully capturing Cosmo, Skate operates a drone that ends up killing Dr Amherst in the process.

Fortunately for Michelle, the doctor owned a drone named PC, brimming with knowledge about his actions. Together, they devised a strategy to infiltrate Sentre, where Michelle would rescue Christopher. Meanwhile, Keats and the robots were tasked with engaging the drones in an extensive fight outside, providing a distraction.

In the virtual realm, the Neurocaster gets activated and Michelle meets up with Christopher again. However, he doesn’t give her the response she’s hoping for. He clarifies that there’s no way out for him, as his link to Sentre is symbiotic – if he were to leave, they would perish.

In the open air, the conflict isn’t favoring our side as the robots are succumbing to a larger drone controlled by Skate. However, Bradbury undergoes a transformation, showing more humanity than even a robot, and offers assistance to Mr. Peanut, the pioneer of the original robot uprising, by revealing Skate’s location.

Despite running short on time, Michelle must sever her brother’s connection from the network as a last resort to halt Sentre, which would unfortunately result in his demise.

After some persuasion, Christopher manages to convince Michelle to go along with his sad scheme, for without it, Sentre could prolong his life for a century. In the end, Michelle shuts down Christopher’s life support system, and outside, we observe all the drones powering down.

In another turn of events, Skate found himself surrounded by Mr. Peanut, yet Mr. Peanut did not harm him. Subsequent news broadcasts disclosed that Skate was apprehended following the release of footage exposing his experiments on Christopher to the media.

But wait, is Christopher really dead after all that?

Is Christopher alive at the end of The Electric State?

In the concluding part of “The Electric State”, Michelle records a video message that urges everyone to step outside and interact with one another in person.

If they’re alone, she extends a warm invitation for them to become part of the new community she, Keats, and the robots are establishing. Essentially, she says, “We’re in this together – let’s make this fresh start as a team!

It seems likely that a well-known character will reappear in the film, as the scene transitions to a junkyard where old metal pieces are discarded. One of those scraps turns out to be the deactivated Cosmo robot, following Michelle’s shutdown of Christopher’s life support.

However, as a dog approaches and drinks from a small pool of water, the Cosmo bot appears in the water’s reflection, tilting its head to look at the dog, marking the end of the film.

There’s strong evidence suggesting that a piece of Christopher persists and will eventually meet Michelle, possibly in robotic form. If my assumptions are correct, he might have transferred his consciousness into the Cosmo bot once more, just as Michelle was disabling the life support system.

It’s possible that there will be a follow-up, but for the moment, let’s settle for the satisfying conclusion.

The Electric State is now available to watch on Netflix.

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2025-03-14 13:19

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