As we learn throughout the season, after a bus ride goes horribly wrong, a few dozen kids are dropped off but their parents aren't around to collect them. Their parents aren’t home, and they’re nowhere in the town. Aside from the group of them, no one else is actually in the town. Fearing the worst — and there are varying degrees of “the worst” for everyone — they form their own society with rules and laws until that is turned completely on its head, which becomes Lord of the Flies meets Riverdale. And just when things really start picking up, we’re pulled out of New Ham. So what’s going on in New Ham, where are the kids, are their parents still alive, and is The Society happening in another dimension ? Those are just a few of the things that need a deeper explanation.<doc-sep>[Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Society.] If you're anything like us, then you've already finished The Society, the latest teen drama from Netflix. Kathryn Newton stars in the addicting thriller as Allie, one of many teens who find themselves mysteriously taken to an exact replica of their Connecticut town -- only their parents are gone, and so is everyone else. Throughout the 10-episode first season The Society's focus wavers between the socio-political drama as Allie attempts to build a functioning new world and the supernatural mystery of how these 200 or so teens got transported to a parallel universe -- by bus no less -- and why they were taken to New Ham to begin with. TV Guide spoke to creator Christopher Keyser about all of the biggest twists and lingering questions, including what fans can expect of a potential second season. Check out everything he revealed in our interview below! Now that Allie and Will (Jacques Colimon) have been locked up and Campbell (Toby Wallace) is in a position of power, how much danger are they really in? Christopher Keyser: I think the show suggests that it could be really serious danger. After all, it would not be entirely outside the realm of what even Allie and Will had decided they needed to do in terms of consolidating power. I think the show suggests that people are willing to go to pretty dark places in order to protect themselves. I'm not saying that's going to happen, but I don't think anyone should feel like anyone is safe. The Meanings Behind 16 of The Society's Most Essential Cultural References Although Lexie (Grace Victoria Cox) and Harry (Alex Fitzalan) are co-mayors, Campbell has leverage on both of them. How will that dynamic play out moving forward and will anyone actually be able to maintain any control over New Ham? Keyser: I think that's actually really the point. That's what I'm really interested in. I'm interested in the idea of this triumvirate, none of whom really trust the other two entirely, and they have good reasons not to. And yet somehow, together, they've got to make decisions. And it's true that making decisions can be dangerous, but it's also true that not being able to make decisions, particularly in light of everything they're going to face -- the winter and the requirements that they begin to produce their own food -- I think that's the real question, as to whether they can do that and whether they turn against each other or [if] there's a kind of a gridlock there. It's a little Roman to have these triumvirates of power and you can't tell who's going to turn on whom. Netflix We didn't really learn too much about where New Ham is or how the kids got there this season. Did you purposefully want to hold out on revealing too much too early? Keyser: It's going to stretch out over the course of, if we're lucky enough, a reasonably long series of stories [and] seasons of the show. But yeah, there are lots of questions still left to be answered. I think you're beginning to get hints because the story of what happened that you saw in the first episode, about the way in which that smell, the bus driver, and all that are connected. But the question of what the crimes are of West Ham and what that means, and whether those kids are being punished or saved, or exactly how they could get back or if they ever will, those things are all questions that will get played out over time. ... There are deep levels to those mysteries but these kids have a lot on their plates in addition to trying to figure out what exactly happened to them. Are you planning on providing answers to all the questions eventually or will some things be left more ambiguous? Keyser: It's hard to say. We have answers to the questions. Whether we decide at some point, for dramatic purposes, it's more interesting for the kids to be, not entirely in the dark but not entirely certain either. ... Certainly, I think the signs of [how they got there] will always be somewhat opaque to them, even if they can figure out how that might get reversed or if it might ever be reversed. Those things aren't easily revealed. But we do have a sense of where we're going and it's not to keep anyone in the dark entirely. I don't know yet. Some of this ... is that the fun is in exploring it as it goes along. We have a very clear plan going forward, but we're also flexible enough to say, "What shows up along the way that's really interesting?" And that diverts us for a while. "Where did we not expect to spend so much time but we're going to?" The Society Review: The Mysterious Thriller Is Netflix's Best YA Drama Yet Is there anything you can say about Pfeiffer's role in all this, and how the smell might be connected to what brought them to the new world? Keyser: I prefer not to do too much of that. Those who recognize the Pied Piper element of this -- a town that has a problem, hires somebody to take care of it and refuses to pay, and it loses its children -- it's not a story that we push forward; that is for a viewer to either know or not know. But the question of whether that smell is just literal or metaphorical for something else is a thing that we're going to explore. We know that there was a thing and that they did renege on a contract. The question "would you be punished for reneging on a contract or not?" is exactly the question that all of our citizens deal with. But I think there's more than a possibility that that smell is both literal and metaphorical. Netflix When Sam (Sean Berdy) and Campbell find the broken contract with Pfeiffer, they say it was signed by their dad and Uncle Rogers. Does that mean Cassandra (Rachel Keller) and Allie's parents were involved directly in what seemingly was the catalyst to this entire situation? Keyser: Well that's something that you're going to explore a little bit more because there are some family dynamics there. And Cassandra and Allie's mom, who's related to that family, is in some ways meaningfully different from either Campbell and Sam's parents or Harry's mom, all of whom have a certain social class in the community. So class will come into play there again in a way. I can say that. So whether they are involved or whether they are on the other side is one of the questions that we will explore. The dog Campbell kills was also at the scene of Cassandra's murder and then we see it again in West Ham outside the Peter Pan reading. Right now, the dog is the only thing we've seen that exists in both worlds. What can you say about the significance of the dog and what all of its appearances mean? Keyser: I think I can say that it means something that it appears in both places and that we're not clear about whether it's alive or dead in the world from which Elle and Campbell exist in. ... I don't want to give that away because I think that's one of the clues and I didn't want to unravel it entirely too soon. But it is certainly meaningful. That is not without a point. Netflix The finale posed the interesting question that the kids might actually be the ones who were saved. What can you say about introducing this alternate perspective at the end of the season and how that question will continue to be explored? Keyser: [The question of whether or not they're being saved or punished] may not fully be answered, but they will go back and forth because New Ham is not clearly a better place. It may turn out to be a place as bad or worse than the world that their parents made.<doc-sep>Who killed Cassandra in 'The Society’? The real killer is probably not who you think it is By Sam Prance One of the main storylines in Netflix's 'The Society' revolves around who killed Cassandra... The Society has left one question on Netflix viewers lips. Who shot Cassandra? Was it Dewey, was it Harry, was it Allie? The Society ending explained: The meaning of the season 1 finale plot twist Set in the fictional town of West Ham, The Society tells the compelling story of a group of teenagers who return home from a school trip only to find out that the rest of the town has gone missing. Not only that but West Ham is now surrounded by forest and the group are unable to escape. Confident teenager Cassandra (Rachel Keller) quickly takes charge but in episode 3, she is shot dead and it doesn't take long before a main suspect comes forward. Did they really kill her though? Who shot Cassandra in 'The Society' on Netflix? Who shot Cassandra in The Society? Was it actually Dewey? Picture: Netflix Following the shock murder of Cassandra, West Ham is sent into chaos. Cassandra's sister Allie (Kathryn Newton) goes into mourning. Meanwhile, many of her acquaintances begin to fear for their lives. Intelligent wizkid Gordie becomes hellbent on figuring out who killed her though. He persuades Allie to take on Cassandra's leadership role. They then confiscate guns in the town and Gordie searches for one whose bullets match the ones which killed Cassandra. In episode 5, Greg Dewey, an awkward teenager who lives in Harry's house, confesses to Harry that he shot Cassandra. He says: "Someone had to teach that cunt who's boss. I finally got you some peace and quiet like you wanted." Scared, Harry tells Gordie, who informs Allie and the others. Luke, Grizz, Clark and Jason then search Dewey's room and find a gun and, sure enough, the bullets are a match. The boys then lock Harry in a wine cellar. Later, the town holds a court hearing to find out if Dewey actually did it. The jury find him guilty. Dewey says: "Cassandra was a fucking bitch, so are all the women here." He adds: "Fucking bitches who won't give us the time of day who think we owe them everything. I killed Cassandra for everyone because she had it coming, because the night we were all at prom, we were at Harry's house and he said "he wished she were dead". Dewey also says: "Campbell helped me plan it. He was there." Allie arrests Campbell but considering that there's no actual evidence against him, she sets him free. She decides to execute Dewey though. He begs for his life and wets himself but, together with Luke and Jason, she shoots him. Still, seeing as we never actually see who shot Cassandra, there's still a chance that he didn't kill her. In fact, there's actually huge evidence that someone else did it. Who shot Cassandra if it wasn't Dewey? Did Dewey shoot Cassandra in 'The Society'? Was it Allie's mum? Picture: Netflix Of all the characters, Campbell seems most likely but he was literally having sex with Elle when the shooting happened. He could have orchestrated it though? Otherwise, Lexie is a potential suspect, simply because she clearly wants to take over the town herself. In terms of the main characters, there doesn't seem to be a good reason why anyone else would have wanted to kill Cassandra. Given how season 1 ends though, there's another suspect. In episode 10, we see a mysterious blonde woman in the real West Ham reading to children in the school library next to a board memorialising all of the characters in The Society. It looks like all the teens in New Ham may be dead (in hell?) but what if they are in some sort of experiment set up by their parents and the government? Eagle eyed fans of the show will notice that the mysterious woman is actually Allie and Cassandra's mum who waves them off in Episode 1. Not only that but she is the owner of the dog who strangely appears in New Ham right before Cassandra is killed. If that weren't enough, you can hear heels approach Cassandra before she is killed and she looks very shocked by who kills her. Why Allie and Cassandra's mum (Amanda), would shoot her own daughter is completely unclear. Was she disrupting the experiment the children are in? Is she just evil? Is it a mix of both? We have no idea but we're pretty sure that she did it. Who do you think shot Cassandra?<doc-sep>
The Society ending explained: The meaning of the season 1 finale plot twist By Sam Prance Netflix's The Society ends with a massive plot twist but what does it mean? The Society on Netflix has the wildest ending. Here we've explained exactly what happened and all of the theories about the meaning of it. Netflix's The Society: Will there be a season two? It's no secret that teen dramas and dystopian universes make for great television. Netflix's The Society is a mixture of both genres and we're already obsessed. The series is about a group of teenagers who find themselves stuck in an alternate version of their town, without any parents, after they return home from a school trip. There is murder, mayhem and a whole lot of mystery. What actually happened to West Ham though, how did the series end and what are all the theories? What happened in 'The Society' ending on Netflix? The Society ending explained: The meaning of the season 1 finale plot twist. Picture: Netflix After Cassandra is shot in episode 3, the entire town is thrown into chaos. She effectively governed West Ham and it isn't able to run in the same way without her. Her sister Allie steps in to replace her and manages to keep things in order for a while. However, she later decides to hold an election so that she can be made a democratic leader. This works in theory but a girl called Lexie decides to run agains her and expose her wrongdoings. As leader of the town, Allie ignored the ways in which her guards (Jason and Clark) mistreated Lexie (Lexie was arrested on suspicion of poisoning the town and Jason and Clark made her get changed in front of them while on her period). Lexie makes the whole town question their trust in Allie and it's essentially confirmed, via public opinion, that she will become the town leader before the election even takes place. However, it wasn't just Lexie running against Allie. Harry was running too. Knowing that he will lose, Campbell persuades Harry, Luke, Clark and Jason to take matters into their own hands. He also persuades Lexie that, even if she wins, she won't be able to lead the town without their support and muscle power. Together they frame Allie and Will for voter fraud, arrest them and become joint leaders of the town. Meanwhile, Grizz, Bean and a team of explorers, unaware of what's happened, find new land outside of New Ham, which is perfect for farming. They return shocked to see Allie and Will being imprisoned. In season 2, they will likely work with Sam, Becca, Helena and Gordie to help free Allie and Will and take down Campbell and Harry. They may even relocate to the farming land they've found. What does 'The Society' plot twist mean though? The Society ending explained: The meaning of the season 1 finale plot twist. Picture: Netflix The final scene of the series changes everything. In season 1, Gordie worked out that the teenagers weren't in the actual West Ham because of the placement of the moon, hence Allie calling it New Ham instead. In the last scene, the series suddenly switches to the real West Ham. We see a blonde lady (who is Allie's mum from episode 1) reading to children in a school, next to a memorial with the names of all the teens on it. In other words, it looks like the teens could have died in an accident on the buses for their school trip and be trapped in some sort of after life. However, that may be too simple. Throughout season 1, there are weird circumstances which suggest that something else is afoot. The smell, the writing on the wall, the mysterious bus driver? It seems like the teenagers are very much alive. One of the theories seems to infer that the characters are part of some sort of experiment which is probably organised by their parents and the government. There's evidence which implies that Allie's mum at the end was the person who killed Cassandra (you can hear heels in the shooting scene, and her dog appears in New Ham after it happens). Something fishy is going on. It seems likely that we won't figure out exactly what the parents are doing, and why they are doing it, until season 2, at the very earliest, but we're excited to see it unfold.