You probably remember the bare minimum from your high school reading of Lord of the Flies, but if you want a moralistic story without references to Piggy or conch shells, Netflix's newest series The Society might be for you. Featuring a group of teens who end up in a strange place resembling their hometown and missing their parents, Season 1 of The Society ended with a cliffhanger that had the people of Reddit investigating. If you can't wait for a second season's explanations, Reddit theories about The Society may keep you satisfied for now.
This post contains spoilers for the entire first season of The Society. As of June 4, the mysterious drama has yet to receive a second season renewal from Netflix, but as The Society only premiered on May 10, it's still a little early for the streaming service to decide the show's fate. Until then, fans' online chatter ensures that The Society's addictive combination of Lord of the Flies-meets-Lost has captured audiences' attention.
In the show's first episode, teenagers from West Ham, Connecticut, were sent away on a camping trip as their town experienced a pungent smell plaguing its air. When the teens are forced to return halfway through their bus ride due to a blocked road, they find their town deserted and their parents nowhere to be found. They eventually come to the conclusion that a man named Pfeiffer took them to a completely confined parallel universe resembling West Ham as a result of their parents' mistakes.
The season finale detailed a coup as leader Allie (Kathryn Newton) was wrongly accused of trying to steal a mayoral election, but the real twist came when The Society confirmed that the kids' old world still exists. While the teens are building their own civilization in New Ham, West Ham residents are mourning the loss of the 200-plus students. If you can't get over that ending, check out these theories about what it means. But if you're looking for guesses about other aspects of the show, the Reddit detectives have got you covered. Here are some noteworthy theories to keep in mind for Season 2:
As Season 1 came to an end, the kids were concerned about having enough food and electricity to last the winter, but they might be hunting down farmland and sharing houses for no reason. Reddit user ViktoriaaKills points out that if New Ham is definitely a parallel universe of West Ham, perhaps the teens will always have enough resources as long as their parents keep paying their bills in the old world. Food may be exempt from this theory since Allie and Will (Jacques Colimon) have maintained an inventory showing when their supply will run out, but the show hasn't really addressed the group's long-term plans for having enough electricity.
Becca (Gideon Adlon) refused to identify her baby's father in fear of forever being known as the girl who got pregnant at a party. So she and best friend Sam (Sean Berdy) put on the front that he's Baby Eden's biological dad despite everyone knowing that Sam is gay. Becca parallels the biblical figure Mary in the sense that she's parenting a baby with a man who is not its father and has willingly accepted the role anyways.
Fans could also read this similarity as Eden being a savior of sorts, but one Reddit theory focuses on what this says about Eden's real father, as the true father of Jesus was God. A video on the show's Instagram account has fueled speculation that Campbell (Toby Wallace) is the dad, and a Reddit user's suggestion of the father being "god-like" actually fits the psychopathic character. "His psychopathic behaviors... [and] displaying the "god-like" characteristic of determining salvation would translate to him being the father," user fiaxbia writes.
The ending of The Society shows Allie and Cassandra's mom reading Peter Pan to a group of adults and small children in front of a "We Remember Them" plaque. Shots of the names on the plaque seemingly confirm that the West Ham teens are now considered dead or at least missing, and everyone in the scene wears yellow memorial ribbons. A Reddit thread focuses on the plaque's detail of upside-down torches, which can mean that a soul is "still burning in the afterlife." Could fans interpret this as parents knowing that the kids are in some kind of purgatory?
In the United States, yellow ribbons also have a history of representing support for hostages, which could suggest that the adults are aware that Pfeiffer (Chaske Spencer) has taken the teenagers elsewhere. There are also theories that because of the plot's similarity to the Pied Piper story, Pfeiffer is also in New Ham with the kids (more on this later), which would definitely back up a hostage situation.
New Ham is suspiciously devoid of pets except for this dog that Elle (Olivia DeJonge) names Charlie. Although it was heavily implied that Campbell murdered him, that all-telling final scene offered a major clue about the dog. As Allie and Cassandra's mom approached the West Ham library, the dog was outside the building, suggesting that he can cross between universes. A Reddit user even sees an equivalent of the dog in the Pied Piper legend, writing, "There was one kid left behind in the original story. Since we see this dog disappear and reappear every so often, and because...he appears in West Ham in the last scene, he likely is The Society's interpretation of that kid left behind. Of course, assuming he can travel between worlds, he would be a modified version."
There are also beliefs that Charlie is a spy for Pfeiffer or even Pfeiffer himself.
Becca told Sam that the father was no one he knew, but Reddit thinks otherwise. While many fans consider Campbell the likeliest possibility, others have also weighed in the chances of the dad being Luke (Alexander MacNicoll). But a particularly detailed Twitter thread in support of Becca and football player Jason (Emilio Garcia-Sanchez) having hooked up is gaining traction on Reddit. Seeing as Becca didn't really interact with any boys except Sam, all daddy theories feel like a bit of a stretch, but consider these tweets as valid receipts.
As the fan explains, Becca's pics from before New Ham include a goofy snapshot of Jason. Sure, the photo was taken on the bus ride to the foiled camping trip when kids from various cliques were in close proximity. But did you have your own personal photos of a popular athlete if you were more on the shy side in high school? The thread also picks up on several moments in which Jason's eyes appear to linger on Becca and she avoids his gaze. These clues are subtle but still substantial.
Becca's hesitance to speak about Eden's dad has caused some fans to believe that she was raped, but her party hookup story doesn't quite ring true for some viewers. Although Becca was very secretive about her pregnancy until Thanksgiving, it's likely that if one of the teens was the dad, he would've done the math once Eden was born and talked to Becca about it. Seeing as no one came forward, what are the chances of the dad being a West Ham adult?
This puts an even bigger stigma on Becca's situation, explaining why she's been so quiet about the truth. The biggest theory about an adult wonders if Sam and Campbell's dad is the father, which definitely feels a bit extreme right now. The case for Becca being sexually assaulted is strong, however, with one Reddit user writing, "Becca got pregnant during a party, which is why she doesn't like partying anymore and always stands out shooting [photos] instead. She might have been taken advantage of, [or] in other words, raped when she was intoxicated."
In the original Pied Piper tale, the Pied Piper lures children away from their village and disappears with them. This has strengthened the Reddit theory that Pfeiffer is hiding somewhere in New Ham, perhaps even as a god-like figure. As an unknown number sent Elle a video of Helena (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) sleeping, viewers are also considering the idea that as creator of New Ham, Pfeiffer has access to everyone's houses and may even have an alliance with Campbell to maintain control. The concept of this mystery man working with one of the kids still feels a little far-fetched. Would Pfeiffer actually want to come clean to someone if he intends to punish the West Ham adults and, by extension, their kids?
The Society is currently streaming on Netflix.
