Netflix’s The Eternaut begins like one of those familiar end-of-the-world stories. You know the type. Strange snowfall appears out of nowhere, people start dying by simply stepping outside, and before long, society collapses into chaos. But as the episodes go on, you start to realize this show has more going on than just apocalyptic weather and a survival movie.
By the end of season one, things take such a bizarre and layered turn that you are left wondering what exactly is real, who the enemy is, and whether time itself has gone off the rails.
The story follows Juan Salvo, who is just trying to keep his family alive while the world turns unrecognizable. In the early parts of the season, the threat seems straightforward. Radioactive particles are falling from the sky, killing people on contact.
Then, as if things were not bad enough, giant insect-like creatures start roaming around. At that point, it feels like the story is headed toward a typical alien invasion plot. However, the show refuses to follow the expected route.
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Instead of giving us a direct fight between humans and aliens, The Eternaut keeps the real danger hidden. Juan and a group of survivors reach a military base called Campo de Mayo, hoping for safety. But something about the place feels off. The soldiers act strangely.
They seem overly calm and unusually focused on training young recruits. Juan starts to feel that something is wrong, but like any exhausted survivor who has seen too much, he decides to keep quiet and follow orders. At least for a while.
Eventually, it becomes clear that these soldiers and many others at the base are being controlled. Not just influenced or convinced. Fully controlled. The source of that control is revealed near the end of the season. It is a creature that looks part human and part alien, with long fingers and an ability to influence minds using some kind of eerie sound.
This being does not just command the giant beetles. It manipulates people as well. The bugs were just tools. The real threat is this intelligent, music-loving alien that wants more than just territory.
At the same time, Juan is dealing with something personal and disturbing. He starts having visions. Not dreams. Not memories. Actual repeated experiences that make him feel like he is reliving the same moments over and over again. At first, it looks like trauma. After all, he is a man watching his world collapse.
But as the visions become more precise, it feels like something deeper is going on. Juan begins to believe that he is somehow caught in a loop, stuck in time, or at least able to see it in ways most people cannot.
This concept might remind viewers of the film Arrival, where the main character experiences past, present, and future as one timeline. Juan’s condition seems similar. He is not just haunted by memories.
He is possibly seeing into the future and revisiting events in different ways. It becomes a metaphor for grief and trauma, but also a possible clue that he may be the only one capable of changing what is coming.
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That brings us to Clara, Juan’s daughter. Near the end of the season, Juan sees a vision of her standing among the alien-controlled human soldiers. She is holding a weapon, following orders, seemingly lost. There were hints earlier that something was wrong with Clara.
When she returned to her parents, she could not explain how she got back or what had happened to her friends. Later, she says her friends are waiting for her and she made a promise to help them.
That kind of vague storytelling usually means one thing. She is already under the alien’s influence. Maybe not fully, but enough to raise concern.
What caused this whole apocalyptic nightmare?
The alien species did not start with ships in the sky or dramatic attacks. They played the long game. They shifted the Earth’s magnetic poles, which caused radioactive particles to enter the atmosphere.
That wiped out much of humanity and cut off all modern communication and transport systems. Then came the bugs to finish off the scattered survivors. After that, they moved into phase three, which is full-scale mind control.
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By the time the season wraps up, nothing is really solved. There is no final victory or clean resolution. Instead, the story leaves you on the edge, uncertain about what happens next. It is a bold choice. Some viewers may find it frustrating, but others will appreciate how the show avoids easy answers and leaves room for the story to grow.
If Netflix decides to move ahead with season two, there is plenty left to explore. We need to understand what is really happening with Juan’s time visions. We need to know what the alien wants. And of course, we need to see if Clara can be saved.
Actor Ricardo Darín has hinted that future episodes would take the show to even greater heights. So hopefully, this strange, cold, mind-bending world will return soon.
Whatever happens next, The Eternaut stands out not because of its monsters or disasters, but because of how it deals with loss, control, and the question of who we become when everything falls apart.
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