Warning: The following article includes SPOILERS for CompanionTheCompanionmid-credits scene is explained by director Drew Hancock. The sci-fi horror movie follows Iris (Sophie Thatcher), whose remote getaway, accompanied by her partner Josh (Jack Quaid) and their friends, quickly spirals out of control when someone dies. An early twist, spoiled by the marketing,reveals that Iris is actually a companion robot, altered by Josh to murder Sergey (Rupert Friend) for his money. Upon learning this, and that she would be taken by the company, Empathix, Iris plots her escape. This leads to more deaths and aCompanionmid-credits sequence, where she encounters another near-identical robot.
During a recent interview withThe Wrap, Hancock explained the ending ofCompanionand how it’s meant “to remind the audience that this is a lot more complicated than her just driving off.” The writer/director addedthat it is still possible for Iris to be tracked down, and that her seeing a companion robot, so similar in appearance, suggests there will be others. Read more of Hancock’s comments below:
She still has a tracking chip in her hand. She still has Empathix [the robotics company] out there. And I think that was the easiest reminder is just to show that she’s going to go into a world that there are a bunch of other women that look like her and that the world is bigger than this house in the middle of nowhere.
What These Comments Mean For Companion
Throughout the movie, Iris comes to accept that she is not human, and that none of her memories or emotions are real. Compared to Patrick (Lukas Gage),who discovered he was a companion robot on his own, she was bluntly informed by Josh, mere moments after killing Sergey. Once she gained a sense of autonomy and was granted control of her programming, Iris finally murders her boyfriend and removes the burnt skin around her arm. Bythe end ofCompanion, she takes Sergey’s money and acknowledges the other android, who seems unaware of her reality.
Companion’s Robots Explained: Where They Come From, Their Purpose & Future
The robots in Companion are uniquely designed, with a certain amount of safeguards that can actually be brought down through unique hacking.
While Iris manages to free herself from Josh and a potential reboot, which would cause her to forget that she is a companion, these comments by Hancock suggest that the road ahead will entail more challenges. She cannot avoid capture when her whereabouts are so easily traceable, and as the mid-credits scene reveals, other Iris robots exist. Considering that an Empathix employee recognizes Patrick as one of their models,Iris is bound to run into someone familiar with her appearance, making it tough to conceal her identity forever.
Our Take On The Companion Mid-Credits Scene
Iris Will Control Her Own Destiny
If aCompanionsequel does not happen,despite its ending leaving the door open for that possibility, it is worth wondering how Iris will navigate the future. She may be in control and more intelligent, but she will have to constantly dodge pursuers, or remove her own tracker. She can seemingly do whatever she wants with her life, and her reaction to that similar-looking companion robot in the mid-credits scene demonstrates how independent and accepting she has become, but Hancock’s comments indicate that to remain happy, she may need to be careful.
Companion
Cast
Companion is an upcoming psychological thriller crafted by writer-director Drew Hancock.
