A Murder at the End of the World season 1, episode 3, titled “Chapter 3: Survivors,” follows Darby Hart (Emma Corin) as she attempts to blend in with the other guests in order to get more clues about Bill’s (Harris Dickinson) death.
The episode starts with a flashback: Darby and Billy approach the house of the only survivor of the serial killer they have been tracking. Returning to the present, Darby attempts to extract information from one of the servers, Thomas. He discloses that he was bringing three teacups to Billy’s room.
Darby tasks Ray, the AI butler, with researching connections to Bill Farrah. She learns that Oliver doubts Bill’s artistic prowess, viewing him as a failed programmer. Some guests have distant ties to Billy, with Lee (Brit Marling) having visited Bill’s artificial insanity art exhibit. After contemplation, Darby follows a masked figure in Iceland, witnessing a communication via Morse code.
Returning to her room, she discovers her temperature has dropped, and Ray helps her warm up. Flashing back, Darby and Billy head to the house of the only survivor of the serial killer they are tracking.
Returning to the present, Lee knocks on Darby’s door and enters with Zoomer (Kellan Tetlow), her child. Darby shares her findings from the video file, revealing the masked man- which Lee recognizes as an anti-artificial recognition mask. Lee discloses that she encouraged Bill to attend the retreat but denies any affair. Lee admits to a past hookup with Bill six years ago, before she and Andy got together, and proposes hiring Darby to uncover the masked figure, but Darby refuses payment.
The next morning, Darby receives a gift from Andy: an invitation to join the group on a summit hike. Darby speaks with Rohan, who knew Bill before the retreat. They arrive at the summit, and Darby discovers Andy’s new robotic creations. Inside the lab, Darby finds out the boots of the man she followed earlier in the episode belonged to Rohan. Rohan indirectly confirms his presence the night Bill died but denies harming Bill.
Back at the hotel, Darby talks to Andy about Walt Disney’s influence on him. Andy tells her she’s being sent home from the retreat for interrogating staff and guests. Andy claims Bill overdosed before the masked figure’s arrival and confiscates Darby’s key ring.
Darby listens to a radio broadcast about Bill’s death as she packs, triggering a flashback as they speak to the survivor and get another clue about the serial killer. In the present, Darby leaves Andy a message saying she’s keeping her room. Darby approaches Rohan’s room to try and talk to him. She is then approached by the head of security to take her to the plane. Darby and him go back to her room, and as he waits outside for her to gather her belongings, she begins to make an exit through the back door.
That is when she gets a phone call from Rohan, who tells her that Bill and him were uncovering something big at the hotel. When Rohan approaches to get information from him in person, he was high and wasted, so he left, but Rohan now realizes he had been drugged. Just then, Darby hears falling and clattering over the phone and bursts through the front door, running to Rohan’s room, but he is not there. All of the guests converge and find Rohan dead in the dining room. Andy asks Todd, the head of security, to get everyone underground, leaving us with a cliffhanger.
In episode 3 of A Murder at the End of the World, Brit Marling and Zal Batmahgjil do a solid job of maintaining the mystery. This episode does come in a bit on the slower side, but it leaves us with an ending with the audience asking what is happening.
Rating: 7/10