While the world still mourns Joel’s gut-wrenching death from The Last of Us Season 2, the ever-expanding landscape of streaming television has created another dystopian and post-apocalyptic show to cater to the needs of those who enjoy the much-loved genre and thought-provoking narratives. Similar to Apple TV+’s Silo, which recently enthralled viewers with its claustrophobic society and deeply buried secrets, Netflix’s new sci-fi show with a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes is perfect for cooling down the specific hunger of the viewers.
Based on a revered 1950s graphic comic novel by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and the artwork by Francisco Solano López, and helmed by acclaimed Argentine director Bruno Stagnaro, Netflix’s new sci-fi drama series has already garnered impressive reviews and a swift Season 2 renewal. While it shares thematic DNA with hits like Silo and The Last of Us, The Eternaut carves out its own distinct and haunting space through its grounded portrayal of an inexplicable cataclysm, its culturally rich South American perspective, and its focus on ordinary individuals grappling with an almost elemental, unknowable threat.
The Eternaut is a Tale of an Argentine Apocalypse Steeped in History
The Eternaut starts with deceptive normalcy – a hot Buenos Aires summer thick with the tension of power outages and street protests (cacerolazos). Then, the unexpected occurs: flashing lights, a total blackout, and a silent, beautiful, deadly snowfall that kills on contact. The vision of director Bruno Stagnaro was clear: He wanted to ground the bizarre cataclysm in the immediate, intimate horror experienced by Juan Salvo (Ricardo Darín) and his friends, trapped during their weekly card game.
As soon as the group realizes that snow is the killer, they try to warn a neighbor across the street before they open a window to the lethal snow, which immediately establishes the stakes. By the end of episode one, there is no face of the enemy, but the audience is left with a city turned into a white graveyard. This initial focus on contained survival within Alfredo Favalli (César Troncoso) home, with danger lurking just outside, echoes the central premise of Silo.
The Eternaut carries unique historical baggage and to truly understand it is to acknowledge its source material. The 1957 comic El Eternauta by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and artist Francisco Solano López is a cultural touchstone in Argentina. Critically, the original comic has long been interpreted allegorically, reflecting anxieties about oppressive forces and societal control, meanings tragically amplified when Oesterheld himself became one of the many who «disappeared» because of the military dictatorship two decades later.
The word Eternaut is formed by combining ‘Eternity’ and ‘Astronaut’. It refers to a person who can travel through time and dimensions.
While the Netflix adaptation, created in consultation with Oesterheld’s surviving grandson, doesn’t foreground overt political commentary in its initial episodes, this historical weight adds an undeniable layer of resonance. The alien snowfall and the subsequent breakdown of order carry ghost of the past national traumas, suggesting the series may explore deeper fears about insidious threats, both external and internal.
The Extra-Terrestrial Enemy Stays Hidden Till the End
Survival Takes Center Stage in the Initial Episodes of The Eternaut
With the immediate threat established, The Eternaut‘s focus shifts compellingly to human dynamics fracturing and re-forming under pressure. In the initial episodes, the audience witnesses the usual trope of survival narratives where the survivors must innovate, crafting DIY survival suits from household items to brave the snow-covered city. The series, however, quickly complicates simple survival tropes by introducing internal dissent and the terrifying possibility of human-derived threats.
Arguments erupt within the initial survivor group about the ethics of helping strangers versus prioritizing their own limited resources as paranoia creeps in. At one point, one character even hilariously says “Now comes the part where we kill each other for resources, like those sh…y shows you like.” The show for most of its plot surrounds Juan, and his quest to find his daughter Clara (Mora Fisz). Desperate to see her, Juan gears up in a protective suit and braves himself to step out to face the falling white enemy.
During his journey, he goes to great lengths along with his ex-wife Elena (Carla Peterson) to make sure that their daughter is alive and, during all the chaos, he experiences a prophecy-like vision, almost hitting like a déjà vu. Juan is left confused by these visions and what they mean, but shifts focus to finding Clara. In his quest, which pans multiple episodes, he and his allies are exposed to the unimaginable realities unfolding in the city.
The true horror escalates when they realize the threat isn’t just environmental. The discovery of a family killed by gunfire, not the snow, signals that societal breakdown is yielding human predators. Masked figures appear and collaborate with the unseen enemy and, most disturbingly, the revelation that seemingly ordinary people are being subjected to mind control chillingly confirms this.
Lucas’s erratic behavior and tragic suicide speak cryptically of surveillance («the phones are tapped») before leaping from a rooftop, and the inexplicable return of Clara points towards an invasion far more insidious than mere physical destruction. In cinema, films showing outright mind control during alien invasions, such as elements within Invasion of the Body Snatchers or even the subtle manipulations in They Live, similarly explore the terrifying loss of individual autonomy.
The Eternaut blends the immediate climate threat with mental subjugation, creating a distinct premise where the enemy isn’t just an external force but potentially the person standing next to you. This loss of agency differentiates The Eternaut from zombie or pandemic post-apocalyptic shows, pushing it into a territory of paranoia that feels particularly unsettling. The show transforms the conflict from a simple «us vs. them» (humans vs. aliens) into a more terrifying internal struggle where anyone might be compromised.
The Eternaut’s Cliffhanger Ending Leaves Viewers With Questions
The first season of The Eternaut, while slowly but masterfully, builds its mystery, eventually revealing the shape and form of an enemy. The initial alien encounters involve terrifying, insect-like creatures, almost like a beetle encountered during Juan and Favalli’s desperate journey to the blockaded capital. These creatures, capable of encasing victims in webs like spiders, hinting towards a hybrid figure, represent a visceral physical threat. However, the season finale unveils a higher power.
Following the strange blue light Lucas saw before his death, Juan witnesses controlled humans and alien insects moving like an army under the direction of a distinct, unsettling silhouette: a multi-fingered entity (known as “The Hand” in the comic) orchestrating the invasion from a stadium bandstand. At this moment, Juan has a devastating epiphany, realizing his daughter Clara is almost certainly under this entity’s control, leading to the chilling final understanding that this is just the beginning.
The season concludes with this intense cliffhanger, cutting to Clara at an army base, her face set with unnerving seriousness as she learns to shoot. This powerful ending, confirming the mind-control plot, left the viewers with many unanswered questions. Given the vast narrative of its source material, the premise of the next chapter is filled with possibilities and assumptions. Those who have read and are loyal fans of Oesterheld’s expansive graphic novel will assumingly expect the show to lean into the comic’s plot.
Fortunately, fans can rejoice as Season 2 of The Eternaut is already confirmed. While speaking to Deadline, producer of the show Matías Mosteirin said, “We believe that we will manage to close the whole story in a beautiful way, with probably eight more episodes.» The show’s leading star, Ricardo Darin, has also promised that they will “aim higher” for the second season. Regardless of what comes next, The Eternaut is now streaming on Netflix as a landmark moment in Argentine television.
Its premise may mirror several existing post-apocalyptic shows, yet the series is on the way to carving its own distinct path through its specific brand of sci-fi horror centered on psychological control. The Eternaut is a slow burn, with impressive performances and has the potential to leave a mark on international television.
