Netflix’s new political thriller Zero Day, starring Robert De Niro as a former U.S. president turned special commission investigator, delivers a climactic closing speech in its final scene that gets to the heart of the show’s message about truth in today’s world.
The six-episode series follows Mullen as he attempts to track down the perpetrators of a nationwide cyberattack that briefly crashed the US power grid and caused thousands of fatalities. However, Mullen is also dealing with his own demons, including lapses in memory and auditory and visual hallucinations, making him question his judgment.
In the finale, Mullen finally uncovers the truth behind the Zero Day attack and publicly divulges the identities of those involved. Despite personal, professional, and national consequences at stake, Mullen chooses to reveal the truth, hoping it will lead to a new chapter for America and help rally the people against a common enemy.
The ending has sparked debate over whether the show’s message about the importance of truth is too simplistic or not controversial enough. Critics argue that the show avoids offense by focusing on bromides about truth and liberty instead of more specific insights.
Ultimately, Zero Day delivers a satisfying conclusion to its tale of De Niro’s aging leader being summoned back into action, but raises questions about the complexity of real-life solutions to America’s polarization issues.
Source: https://time.com/7258333/zero-day-ending-explained