Warning! This article contains spoilers for A Murder At The End Of The World.
Summary
- "A Murder at the End of the World" keeps viewers guessing about Andy Ronson's character and motives, but recent episodes may have revealed important details.
- The show cleverly misdirects viewers with red herrings, making it difficult to identify the prime suspects in the murder mystery.
- The emphasis on climate change suggests that a world-ending disaster is imminent, and Ronson may have predicted it using his AI technologies.
A Murder at the End of the World maintains an air of ambiguity surrounding Andy Ronson's characterization, but new developments in the show's episodes 3 and 4 might have given away everything about him and his motives. Unlike Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling's The OA, A Murder at the End of the World does not establish clear lines between its good and evil characters. It just reveals that Emma Corrin's Darby is its protagonist, who will likely solve the overarching murder mystery in a seven-episode runtime.
Although narratively, it would make sense for the show's central billionaire character, Andy Ronson, to be the villain, A Murder at the End of the World cleverly misdirects viewers with red herrings, making them constantly reconsider who the central killer could be. Owing to this, it will be challenging to narrow down the prime suspects in A Murder at the End of the World murder mystery until the show makes it quite evident. However, it seems like the show might have already disclosed some important details about Andy Ronson's characterization.
The World Is Ending, & Andy Ronson Knows It
Many subtle details in A Murder at the End of the World’s initial episodes suggest that the world in the show’s universe is about to end. In his opening speech, Andy Ronson expresses his concerns surrounding climate change to his guests. He opens up about how he wishes to use the power of technology to save humanity from potential environmental disasters, hinting that he may be preparing for something imminent. In another scene, climatologist Rohan tells Darby about his growing anxieties about the irreversible harm that humans cause to the environment.
A Murder at the End of the World’s emphasis on climate change suggests that an environmental world-ending disaster is about to happen soon in the show’s storyline. Andy Ronson has likely predicted it using his AI technologies, which would explain why he is making his insect-like robots build underground bunkers. He called guests from diverse fields to his retreat because he would ultimately need everything from relevant funding to healthcare facilities, from entertainment to law enforcement in his underground bunkers. A Murder at the End of the World's episode 4 also reveals that the whole world is being affected by a superstorm that also eventually catches up with Darby and Sian, seemingly suggesting that a world-ending disaster is around the corner.
The above is only a running theory based on the plot developments in A Murder at the End of the World's first four episodes.
Ronson Wanted To Send Darby Back Out Into The Apocalypse
In A Murder at the End of the World’s episode 3, Ronson asks Darby to leave the retreat because she questions his guests and even gets skeptical about his motives. If an apocalyptic event is around the corner in the show’s universe, Andy Ronson tried to send Darby out to kill her, establishing he can become. While watching the world burn from a distance is immoral enough, Ronson proves his cruelty by sending Darby back home despite likely having enough room for her in his post-apocalyptic underground bunkers in A Murder at the End of the World.
New episodes of A Murder at the End of the World release on Tuesdays at 3am ET/ 12am PT on Hulu.