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Boy Swallows Universe, which premiered on Netflix on January 11, 2024, became the talk of the town with its hard-hitting narrative and engaging screenplay. The coming-of-age series centers on Eli, a teenager who enters Brisbane's underworld to protect his family from grave danger.
Based on Trent Dalton's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, the show features a haunting sequence where Gus tells his brother, "your end is a dead blue wren." The cryptic message, where Gus tells his brother, "your end is a dead blue wren," foreshadows the hardship the protagonist, Eli, faces after his mother is arrested for drug possession."
Boy Swallows Universe is created by John Collee, known for his acclaimed work on the Oscar-nominated animated film Happy Feet. He also serves as an executive producer on the show with Andrew Mason, Troy Lum, Sophie Gardiner, Toby Bentley, Kerry Kohansky Roberts, Joel Edgerton, Bharat Nalluri, and Trent Dalton.
Boy Swallows Universe: What is the meaning of "your end is a dead wren"?
In episode 1, Gus spelled out the message "your end is a dead blue wren" to warn Eli about an impending threat to the family. However, the teenager couldn’t make much sense of this message at the time.
The brothers then suffer a major setback when a group of thugs attacks and abducts Lyle, their stepdad, for his misdeeds. Additionally, their mother was arrested for drug possession.
Following this, Eli and Gus reunited with Robert, their alcoholic father. However, their problems continued as they lost their family friend Slim. Meanwhile, Eli tries to track down the drug dealer, Ivan, to save his family. He soon contacted Caitlyn Spies, a reporter, to inform her about a 'crime story.'
This eventually led him to Tytus, a businessman with a murky past. Eli soon learned that Ivan worked for Tytus. Caitlyn and the teenager then tried to expose the two. Eli secured an interview with the businessman, and Citylyn agreed to accompany him.
A blue wren appeared during the interview, much to Eli's horror. Following this, Ttytus asked them to leave, but they stuck around to search for the property. However, the plan fell apart when Ivan got wind of their actions and tried to kill them. This forced them to flee.
Meanwhile, Gus fainted after a vision of his brother being stabbed. In his unconscious state, he answered the red phone and requested the caller to explain the vision but received no answer.
The focus then returned to Eli and Caitlyn as they arrived at a public function to expose Tytus. However, Ivan spotted them and stabbed Eli in the neck. The teenager fainted after spotting a blue wren, which the drug dealer 'killed.' Gus reached the venue in time to save his brother and kill Ivan.
Viewers then learned that the wren wasn't dead. In the final scene, Eli is reunited with his family and enjoys dinner with Caitlyn.
In these events, the blue wren represents Eli, who nearly meets his 'end' due to his inquisitive nature but manages to survive against the odds.
Meet the cast of Boy Swallows Universe
Felix Cameron headlines the Boy Swallows Universe as Eli, and Lee Tiger Halley as Gus, his caring elder brother. Travis Fimmel joins them as Lyle, their stepfather. Fimmel is best known for his work on Vikings.
He has also appeared on shows such as Black Snow, Raised by Wolves, The Beast, and Chase. His film credits include Warcraft, Finding Steve McQueen, and Kandahar.
The cast also includes:
- Simon Baker as Robert
- Phoebe Tonkin as Frances
- Bryan Brown as Slim
- Sophie Wilde as Caitlyn
- Adam Briggs as Alex
- Christopher James Baker as Ivan
- Anthony LaPaglia as Tytus
The series holds an approval rating of 82 percent based on 11 reviews. However, the critic's consensus isn't available as there aren't enough reactions. It will be updated once more reviews are in. Similarly, Boy Swallows Universe holds an impressive IMDb rating of 8.2 based on 4,407 votes. It also has a Metacritic score of 68, indicating a 'generally favorable' response.
All seven episodes of Boy Swallows Universe were released on Netflix on January 11, 2024.
