Mysterious figures
Netflix series “1899”: That’s what the blue-green beetle is all about
Not only the silent boy is mysterious. The green beetles are too.
©Netflix
A blue and green bug and a silent boy alone on a huge abandoned ocean liner. This is the stuff the new mystery series “1899” is made of. But not only the boy has a secret, the beetle can also do something special.
“1899” is the new series from the creators of “Dark”. The two showrunners Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese want to build on the success of their first Netflix hit. “1899” is about a group of European emigrants who travel to America on the ship “Kerberos”. For example, there is a couple on their honeymoon who actually don’t like each other at all, and two dissimilar brothers. But on the way, many inexplicable things suddenly happen, such as strange weather phenomena or the encounter with the ship “Prometheus”, which had actually been missing for four months.
Two things in particular draw attention: The silent boy found alone aboard the Prometheus. And a shiny blue-green beetle. The boy carries it around in several scenes to open doors.
Warning, spoilers! If you don’t want to know the end of the first season now, you should read on later.
“1899”: A mysterious bug with a sad meaning
The little boy’s name is Elliot and he is actually the son of Maura Franklin (Emily Beecham). The blue-green beetle also has a name: he calls himself Alfred, and Elliot found him playing in his dream and wanted to lock him in a metal can, as reported by the portal “The Cinemaholic”. But Maura asked him not to do that. Because she, too, will have to let Elliot go one day when he grows up.
The beetle is a special beetle because it has magical abilities. He can not only open room doors, but also other dimensions and worlds. If he is placed on a wall and touches it, it will become liquid and all the bricks will fall off, creating a tunnel.
At the end, the viewer experiences the touching conclusion: the ships are a simulation created by Maura. When she learns that Elliot is ill and will not survive, she and her husband create some kind of artificial world where they can be with their son forever. Maura doesn’t want to lock him up, but she doesn’t want to let him go either. So she gives him Bug Alfred by the hand so Elliot can go where he wants and not be restricted by walls.
Source: “The Cinemaholic“