Swarm episode 6, explained as a true crime documentary, offers a twist at the end of the series

One of the most intriguing episodes of the season is the sixth, which differs in format. For anyone who needs the ending explained, here’s what you need to know.

Swarm Episode 6: Overview explained

The sixth episode is entitled Fallin’ Through the Cracks. This is also the name of the true crime documentary that the episode presents itself as. We follow Memphis detective Loretta Greene (Heather Simms) in the documentary as she tries to piece together a string of recent murders.

In this episode, among others, the characters of Andrea and Khalid are not played by the actors we have seen before in the series. London Rose, not Dominique Fishback, takes on the role of Andrea in this episode as it serves as a documentary re-enactment of events.

We follow Detective Greene who is on the verge of solving the case and catching Dre. At the end of the episode, we learn that Dre now goes by the name Tony and has changed. We meet up with Tony in the following episode.

But things get twisted even further when Donald Glover stars as himself in the episode. In a final scene, Glover talks about “this show that I’m working on with Chloë right now [Bailey] and Damson [Idris] and Dom Fishback.” This suggests to the viewer that the Swarm episodes other than episode 6 are intended to be fictional. They are themselves dramatizations of a true crime case, in which detective Loretta Greene investigates a real case.

Explored Swarm’s End in light of Episode 6

Having a one-off documentary-style episode left many Swarm viewers upset. Its place in the context of the season has sparked much debate as to what it might mean.

A fan has an interpretation of the ending of Episode 6 that resonates with viewers. Her theory is that Dre ran onto the stage at the Ni’Jah concert and was arrested, with the true crime documentary pieced together the murders afterwards. Episode 7 then shows Dre’s point of view after she runs onto the stage and “finally locks in”. Replacing Ni’Jah’s face with Marissa’s is all part of Dre’s imagination. It comes from the intense guilt she felt after not answering Marissa’s call, and sees the killing spree as fulfilling the promise she made to Marissa that they would meet Ni’Jah. The fan also explained that watching Episode 7 before Episode 6 will help with the order of events.

Many are under the impression that Swarm’s true ending comes at the end of Episode 6.

Alternative theories from episode 6

The inclusion of a coda in episode 6 featuring the real Donald Glover has sparked most of the debate. Since this clip establishes the non-fiction documentary Fallin’ Through the Cracks, it causes Swarm viewers to question all other episodes they’ve seen up to this point.

Nabers explained: “This series is [billed as being] ‘not fiction’” and episode 6 borrows from that. “You watch actors re-enact events that happened [within] over a period of 2 1/2 years,” Nabers told the Los Angeles Times.

The parallels between the TV show and real life, particularly the parallels to Beyoncé, have had some fans wondering if Swarm’s Andrea Greene is real. Nabers and Glover drew inspiration from real events and murders, as well as rumored incidents related to “Stan culture” to write the show. So while the characters are fictional, the source material is based on some reality. Episode 6 emphasizes this idea and borders on reality.

You can now watch Swarm on Amazon Prime Video

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