The world has ended, and what's left isn't pretty.
A deadly virus called H5G9 — or "The Sick" for short — has all but destroyed humanity,
and the remaining population is struggling to survive. They're also struggling to make
sense of the strange human-animal hybrid babies that have started turning up in the decade
after the apocalyptic plague. Some, like the dangerous Last Men, seek to hunt the hybrids
down. Others take a more benevolent approach, choosing to save and shelter the poor kids.
No one seems to know what's really going on.
Such is the premise of Netflix's critically acclaimed "Sweet Tooth," a fantasy drama that's
based on Jeff Lemire's comic book of the same name. Its story focuses on the adventures
of a human-deer hybrid called Gus and his adult friend, Tommy Jepperd. They spend the
first season of the show traveling around and getting in all sorts of trouble, and by
the time the final episode ends, it's clear just how many secrets and dangers they're
up against. Let's take a look at the exciting ending of "Sweet Tooth" Season 1.
The whole season has been a never-ending series of discoveries for Gus, who started the show
with barely any knowledge of the world. Dangerous as they've been, his travels with Jepperd
have often had an air of excitement and even positivity. By the end of the season, however,
the poor kid's world has come crashing down in virtually every possible way. He now knows
that he's actually a genetic experiment, and that his supposed biological parents, Birdie
and Pubba, were actually affiliated with the laboratory where Genetic Unit Series 1 — Gus,
in other words — was created.
Of course, the show's not happy with just upending poor Gus' sense of self and turning
his childlike wonder into shock and sadness. General Abbot's Last Men also take over Aimee's
Preserve and capture its hybrid children.
"What is that thing? It's one of them. Bag it."
The kids are now prisoners, and subject to nasty experiments by the conflicted Dr. Singh,
who doesn't really like what he's doing, but remains desperate to find a cure for the Sick.
Despite all this awfulness, there is a silver lining. Gus seems quite happy to find other
hybrids, and his ability to speak saves him from the scalpel. Besides, a cliffhanger at
the end of the episode makes it pretty clear that Aimee and Jepperd are gearing up for
the mother of all daring rescue operations.
Speaking of Jepperd, the season finale is called "Big Man," and sure enough, it puts
Tommy Jepperd and his past trauma front and center. Through a combination of flashbacks
and expository dialogue, we learn that when his wife gave birth amidst the apocalyptic
chaos, Jepperd panicked and ran away from her and their child when he saw that the baby
was a human-sheep hybrid. He never found either of them again, and his cowardice and loss
weigh heavily on him. As such, part of his decision to help Gus is an attempt to redeem
his past mistakes.
"I wasn't afraid of him; I was afraid of me."
It's all very tragic, and gets even more so when the Last Men ruin the moment by shooting
Jepperd. Fortunately, Aimee is able to rescue him before he succumbs to the injury.
Like everyone else who's not affiliated with the Last Men and General Abbot's nefarious
plot to use a cure for the Sick to grab even more power, Bear has a bad old time in the
ending of "Sweet Tooth" Season 1. In her case, though, it's mainly because viewers find out
how awful her life has been. As with Jepperd, we learn a whole bunch of her backstory, starting
with her real name — Becky Walker — and the reason she ended up with the Animal Army.
Bear lost her parents to the Sick, had her hybrid little sister taken away, and wandered
around until she met Tiger and started her new life.
Fortunately, the audience learns that Wendy is Bear's long-lost sister, so there's hope
for happiness yet. Bear is also responsible for the final reveal of the season, when her
attempts to tinker with a satellite phone finally connect her to a station in Alaska
... where a very surprised Birdie answers the phone. With Gus' "mother" still alive,
it's pretty clear that the potential "Sweet Tooth" Season 2 just gained a very powerful and determined player.
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