Maniac: Alternative Ending Explained: Are They Still In The Machine?

Recently I discussed the Ending of the new Netflix show, Maniac. Whilst I gave a surface level account of the show’s final episode, it’s clear that there were deeper things going on in the closing scenes.

Throughout this article, I will be discussing my Alternative Ending Theory on the show as well as the evidence to support it. There will be heavy spoilers so it may be worth skipping this video for now if you’re yet to finish the show.

With that out the way, I’m Deffinition and this is my Alternative Ending Theory on Maniac.

Still Just A Hallucination?

Maniac’s ending wraps the storyline with a nice little bow that sees our heroes ride off into the sunset. It’s the perfect finale for what our two protagonists have just went through and will leave many with a smile on their face.

But did it actually happen?

Fans of films such as Inception and Total Recall know that when a piece of media contains skews on reality that it can often be difficult for characters to discern what is real and what is fake by the end and Maniac is no different. Throughout the show we get little hints that the two characters, Annie and Owen, may be still living in a dream world.

The biggest red flag is that the finale is a fantasy that Owen described to Annie earlier in the show and it seems unlikely that something he envisioned would come to fruition, especially with the poor situation that he finds himself in at the shows close.

Another signifier that this is all a dream is the fact that we see two parked cars in the close which are the same ones, even down to the license plate that Bruce and Owen drove in their simulations.

We also witness Annie sign her name as Wendy Lemuria which is a reference to Wendy the lemur. The name Yurick also appears further up the list which is of course a pull from the Elfin fantasy that Annie was a part of.

Some have argued that the machine was pulling in elements from the real world, however, the point I have just mentioned makes it impossible in my eyes and confirms that the entire event was just a simulation.

There are also elements like the door code being correctly guessed, even though it appeared in the simulation first and reality later.

One of the most incredible fan theories also comes from the fact that Owen witnesses trembling in the real world and then later during the simulation which could hint at the fact that all of the events of the show, including the introductory episodes are all part of a simulation.

Unfortunately, with this being a strictly limited series, it is unlikely that we will ever get conclusive answers but it is still fun to speculate on exactly how the show ended and I can’t wait to unpick it in greater detail.

Your Thoughts

So, what did you think of Maniac? Are they still in a simulation or did everything end as perfectly for the characters as they perceived?

Comment below and let me know and I just want to give a huge thank you to all those who left their thoughts on my last article. It massively helped in putting together this one so make sure you check that one out linked at the end of this one.