Ending explained for Netflix's The Boroughs and what it could mean for its future19:06, 26 May 2026Updated 19:07, 26 May 2026The Boroughs official Netflix trailerNetflix's replacement for Stranger Things leaves a lot of unanswered questions.‌Viewers have been gripped by the latest sci-fi mystery thriller The Boroughs since it landed on the platform. The eight-part series is executive produced by the Duffer brothers, famed for creating other Netflix hit Stranger Things.‌They have even claimed that the new show shares the same spirit as their 80s inspired adventure.‌The Boroughs is set in a seemingly perfect retirement community, a grieving newcomer’s monstrous encounter inspires him to join a misfit crew of unlikely heroes who uncover a dark secret that proves their “golden years” are more dangerous, and they are more formidable, than anyone expects.Many fans have whizzed through the entire series, and at the time of writing, it currently holds the top spot in the most watched series chart. However, the final episode has left viewers with many questions.One in particular is what is the meaning behind a mysterious occurrence in the very final scene. Here's all you need to know.‌*Warning - this article contains major spoilers for The Boroughs Season 1 finale*Why did Sam glitch at the end of The Boroughs?A lot happens during The Boroughs' final eighth episode. That includes Sam rescuing the being known as the Mother and taking her back to where she was born - the mysterious cave - to die. She says that her 'kids' have been preparing for the moment.‌He also takes out owner of the Boroughs Blaine, who has been using Mother's blood to stay young, along with his wife and closest allies. His wife is killed by Sam's weaponised televisions, and Blaine's allies run away while he is left crumpled on the driveway. Although we see his hand move slightly.After all this over, Sam and his friends try to go back to some kind of normality. They are all attending a barbeque at Sam's house along with his daughter. In the show's final moments, Sam goes to the bathroom.Despite Mother's explosive death and taking her kids out with her during the dramatic finale, it seems some of her supernatural side remains. As he is knocked out by the explosion, Sam wakes up back on the day that his wife died.‌However, this is not just a memory. Mother has sent him back in time to relive the moment as a gift for helping her. He dances with his wife again before waking back up in the present.Later, Sam replaces the bandage on his head injury. As he does so, he looks away from the mirror but the viewer sees his reflection begin to glitch like the monsters did earlier in the series when captured on video footage. But what does it mean that he is glitching?Is part of him trapped in another time? Has he been given another 'gift' by Mother like one of her powers after he witnessed her death? Is something else from the cave trying to communicate?‌At this moment in time, all we have are theories. The creators behind the show say they know what it means but they are keeping it secret for now, in hopes of a second season.Jeffrey Addiss told Netflix's Tudum website: “Sam glitching in the mirror is a hint at where we hope to go next. We wanted to have some fun.”Article continues belowAddiss does explain earlier instances of glitching: “Mother puts out a signal, a sort of SOS, and that message gets picked up by people who are sensitive to it. Mother is transmitting a signal, and that’s why we played with the idea of old TVs and this idea of transmission. There’s something happening, something going through the air.”He also confirms that the moment is a “little bit of an homage to Stranger Things . ” It is their version of Will Byers vomiting a slug at the end of the Season 1. In the same way that was a consequence of his time in the Upside Down, Sam’s glitching in The Boroughs finale alludes to potential effects from his time in the Cave of Wonders.The Boroughs is streaming on Netflix