Warning: major spoilers ahead for the first season of Peacock's Brave New World.
Brave New World made its long-awaited TV debut with the launch of Peacock as an adaptation of the Aldous Huxley novel of the same name. That said, the TV show available on the new NBCUniversal streaming service goes far beyond what happened in the book, and the events of the finale leave the door open for Brave New World to potentially continue into a second season or beyond. Joseph Morgan of The Originals fame, who played an Epsilon by the name of CJack60 for Brave New World, spoke with CinemaBlend about the bloody climax of the finale and what he'd like to see in another season.
The climax of the finale was a long time coming, although the Alphas and the Betas of New London clearly weren't prepared for it. Fueled by John's (Alden Ehrenreich) encouragement to rise up against their oppressors, the Epsilons staged a revolution and began killing just about every non-Epsilon they could find. While John, Lenina (Jessica Brown Findlay), and Bernard (Harry Lloyd) all survived, many weren't so lucky, and the fact that the soma had run out only made everything worse.
CJack60 was pulled away from the slaughter to help Mustapha Mond (Nina Sosanya) stop Indra, but the damage was done as soon as the killing began. According to Joseph Morgan, however, filming the quiet build to the bloody Epsilon revolution was a lot of fun, and he shared why:
Yeah, [the Epsilons] were quietly becoming revolutionary, weren't we? It was interesting. It was a nice arc leading up to the violent finale. Pretty fun… Honestly, it's one of my favorite parts. [laughs] Because I had a lot more to do in the finale, which was fun just in terms of sort of really feeling like a part of it. And then also feeling like it was this, like you say, this kind of quiet journey, this arc that has been slowly spreading underneath the whole thing, coming to a head and just exploding across the finale like that. It was a lot of fun. Like I say, my favorite part.
Joseph Morgan's burn as CJack60 was quite slow, and it took the better part of nine episodes and several encounters with John before he was ready to lead the revolution. Once the fire started in the Epsilons, there was no stopping it, and the massacre saw the Alphas and Betas learn for the first time that the Epsilons were more than nameless servants to do their bidding and the grunt work.
The finale was when everything came to a head for the entire Epsilon tier, with CJack60 at the forefront. Joseph Morgan, who got to enjoy a lack of inhibition on Brave New World after years spent on The CW, elaborated on why the Epsilons' shocking rise from the background against the Alphas and Betas was so effective:
Basically, you know, don't talk to [the Epsilons]. Didn't even acknowledge them, just assumed they were there to pick up the shit laying around, sort of service them, service these other characters. And all of a sudden they were there in their faces. So it was was nice. I loved how it panned out. I was very very excited when we got the script for the finale and felt like okay, this is where it was all heading.
While a lot of people in Brave New World were dead by the end of the finale, CJack60 was still standing. The final episode didn't spend much time on the new status quo following the Epsilon uprising, but it's clear that everything is very different.
Will the people in New London find a way to replenish the soma stock enough to keep everybody satisfied and submissive? Does soma matter anymore? What is Bernard up to with Helm (Hannah John-Kamen) and the gold box at the Savage Lands? How will Lenina handle her new position? Can John emotionally recover? And what of CJack60?
Unfortunately, Peacock hasn't announced whether or not Brave New World will return for Season 2, but the ending was open enough that it's not difficult to imagine more episodes picking up where Season 1 left off. Joseph Morgan shared what he'd like to see happen for his character in a second season:
I think that there's there's a massive arc to be explored to see CJack60. He's just started to learn how to process these emotions which are completely new to him. And to feel empathy with other characters, including the Alphas. So there's a whole world out there, and emotions for him to explore. And it's a turbulent world, it's a changing world, as we saw at the end of the finale. So I would like to see CJack60 at the forefront of that, probably with John. He seems to have a nice rapport with John. So that would be nice to go further there. And to see how that wave affects all of the Epsilons.
For now, we can only wait and hope that Peacock announces a second season of Brave New World. The show has already surpassed the events of the novel thanks to the fates of John and Bernard, so there is no book blueprint for what happens in Season 2.
The first full season is available streaming Peacock now. Joseph Morgan shared that Brave New World is an ideal show for binge-watching, and its stands as Peacock's big-ticket original series at launch. That said, it's definitely not the only exciting original on the way to Peacock.
If you're in the market for some additional viewing options sooner rather than later, check out our 2020 summer TV premiere schedule. Our fall 2020 TV premiere guide can help you plan ahead, and Netflix is a resource for more of Joseph Morgan while we wait for news about a future (or lack thereof) of Brave New World. All five seasons of The Originals, starring Morgan as Klaus, can be found on the streamer, as well as the full run of The Vampire Diaries. Don't forget to vote in our poll below about whether or not Brave New World should get a Season 2!
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