The final episode of Alice in Borderland Season 2 commences with a harrowing glimpse of the devastation wrought by the King of Diamonds. Akane and Aguni cling to life by a thread, teetering on the brink of death, while Ann's fate is hermetically sealed. Kuani , Chishiya, and Niragi watch helplessly as the ominous blimp looms overhead.
And so, we arrive at the climactic game. Arisu, Usagi, and the enigmatic Queen of Croquet, Mira, find themselves in a pivotal moment. The game's premise is deceptively simple: Arisu and Usagi must complete three sets of croquet without withdrawing. Victory isn't required; merely finishing the game suffices. But surely, there's more to it than meets the eye?
Each team is armed with two balls, tasked with navigating them through six hoops in a prescribed order, ultimately striking a finishing peg to secure victory. The Queen breezes through the first set with ease, while the second proves to be a grueling test of endurance. Usagi's waning health, with blood seeping from his wounds, hints at this being part of the Queen's grand design.
Arisu eventually prevails in the second round, but just as they prepare for the decisive third set, the Queen suggests a tea break. Over tea, she subtly alludes to a deeper understanding of their surreal world, spouting predictions about humanity's advancements over the millennia. Could Arisu really be in therapy, or is the Queen's narration a cunning facade?
Arisu's suspicions are aroused when he spots a camera hidden in the foliage, realizing that Mira's tales of aliens, androids, and a virtual reality game are mere fabrications. With a gun trained on Mira's head, she confesses that their entire experience is an illusion conjured within Arisu's mind. The games he's been playing are products of his psyche, meticulously crafted to lead him to this pivotal point. Mira reveals herself as his psychiatrist, and their therapy sessions have been the backdrop to this surreal journey—a reality Arisu has forgotten.
Her narrative weaves an incredibly realistic tapestry, complete with vivid recollections of Chota and Karube being struck down in Shibuya Square and Arisu himself, grieving in a hospital bed. Usagi's dramatic entrance, pleading with Arisu to awaken, prompts Mira to pose a poignant question: Does he wish to surrender?
In the throes of the game, Usagi's deteriorating condition becomes dire, his body collapsing as he bleeds out. She frantically halts his attempt to take pills, even resorting to self-harm by slitting her wrists, desperate to snap Arisu out of his trance. Confronted with his inner demons, Arisu stands at a crossroads, the fate of his reality hanging in the balance.
How does Arisu manage to break free? The most arduous conflict Arisu faces is the one waged within his mind, and it is Usagi's influence—paired with their profound love for one another—that serves as the catalyst to shatter the Queen's mental clutches. Together, they push through the mental shackles, emerging once more into the Croquet game atop the rooftop. "Game on," Arisu declares, resolute in his refusal to surrender.
With renewed determination, they return to the table, Arisu cradling Usagi, whose wrists bear the tragic marks of self-harm. Mira, moved by the poignant display of affection, lends them a helping hand. The trio proceeds to play the decisive set, with Mira emerging victorious. Yet, by completing all three sets and enduring to the end without relenting, Arisu and Usagi triumph by default.
Do Arisu and Usagi emerge unscathed from this ordeal? Mira vows that Arisu will soon uncover the truth behind the mystifying events, hinting at an impending choice that will unravel all. Shortly thereafter, Mira perishes, marking the conclusion of the final game. In a dramatic twist, the Queen of Hearts' blimp is obliterated, igniting a spectacular fireworks display across Tokyo's skyline.
The surviving players are now confronted with the very choice Mira foretold. They stand at a crossroads, deciding whether to accept or decline permanent residency in this surreal world. Agune and Akane opt out, as does Kuani, amidst a sea of players making their fateful decisions across the landscape.
What unfolded in Tokyo was nothing short of breathtaking. Our narrative leaps back to Arisu, back in the realm of reality, accompanied by the still-living Chota and Karube. They implore Arisu to embrace life with fervor, urging him not to squander a single moment. Gathered in Shibuya were all the characters who had declined the mysterious invitation, yet this time, the scene unfolded through a different lens.
As Arisu and his companions descend into the bowels of the train station to take refuge, an astronomical event of catastrophic proportions occurs: a meteor streaks across the sky and collides with Tokyo, reducing the metropolis to rubble in an instant. Miraculously, Arisu survives the apocalyptic blast and awakens to find himself surrounded by medical personnel who are scattered everywhere, striving to aid the wounded and assess the devastation.
How does Alice in Borderland Season 2 conclude? Two days have elapsed since the meteorite's explosive descent over Tokyo, leaving a 10-kilometer radius in complete ruin. Karube, Chota, Tatta, Shibuki, and several others are tragically pronounced dead. Arisu himself had been clinically deceased for a full minute, his heart having ceased to beat during that harrowing period. Amidst the chaos, Chishiya stands with Niragi, while Akane and Agune cling to life. Ann, too, is resurrected from the brink of death, albeit temporarily, as she undergoes surgery.
Kuani is joyfully reunited with her parents, while Arisu gazes out the window, observing the familiar faces of the season's characters, either recovering in hospitals or being comforted by their loved ones. Lastly, our focus shifts to Usagi. In this reality, the characters remain strangers to one another, yet the bonds they have forged over time—both in the real world and within the game—remain unbreakable, transcending the boundaries of time itself.
When Arisu and Usagi intertwine their fingers, a sense of déjà vu washes over them, as if they have known each other from another lifetime. They decide to embark on a stroll together, stepping into the unknown. Arisu gently urges her to cling to him as they venture outside. The camera sweeps across to a table where a deck of cards lies. One by one, the cards vanish, leaving only the Joker behind. As the camera homes in on the lone card, the screen fades to black, leaving a poignant and enigmatic ending that lingers long after the credits roll.
What is the significance of the Joker card? While it could merely be a chance occurrence or a playful teaser for a potential new season, "Alice in Borderland" has never been about mere happenstance; everything within its narrative is meticulously orchestrated. The appearance of the Joker card at the climax often functions as a wildcard, introducing an element of unpredictability. Perhaps it serves as an allusion to "The Fool," suggesting that the entire finale might be a fantastical construct, another layer of the same game we've witnessed, yet distinct from what came before. Alternatively, the Joker might embody sudden shifts in fortune, symbolizing Arisu's triumph over destiny, his good fortune emerging from the midst of despair. The ambiguity of its meaning leaves the door open for both positive and negative resolutions—a matter left for your interpretation!
What lies beyond the veil of the game world? Did a meteorite truly plunge from the heavens? Various theories swirl around the final act, with the most compelling suggesting that these characters' souls were transported to the game world rather than their bodies physically relocating. These life-or-death games mirror their desperate struggles to cling to existence following a catastrophic event. The game world functions as a nexus between life and death, with the so-called "fireworks" actually sparks from the meteor's fragmentation and impact on Earth.
The game world offers souls a choice: to accept their fate and embrace death or to find a path back to their bodies. Those who elect to remain in the game world indefinitely may be deceased or trapped in a coma. Time within this realm stretches far beyond real-world measures, echoing the dreamscape of "Inception" where dreams feel eternity-like. Arisu's heart ceased beating for an entire minute before he awoke, hinting that this minute equates to the entirety of the game world's timeline.
Thus, the meteorite did strike, and those who endured the game's trials until its conclusion must make their choice and seek a return to reality. While it seems the game has concluded, the possibility of another twist remains.
