The Crockers want Snook’s Arm because valuable copper and cobalt deposits run beneath it. Getting the residents to leave would give the family access to that wealth. In Below, their resettlement campaign keeps the mining interest hidden while Jim Crocker uses the sea creature’s attacks to make leaving seem urgent.

Spoilers for all six episodes follow.

What Calvin Finds on Little Pot Rock

Calvin discovers an old mining permit on Little Pot Rock. The deposits extend from his childhood home beneath the ocean toward Snook’s Arm. The Crockers already pushed his family out once to get at those resources. Now they want the place where he rebuilt his life.

Their money used to come from the cod trade. As the fish dwindled, they moved into other forms of resource extraction. That history makes the resettlement offer particularly ugly. A family with enormous influence over the fishing economy gets another chance to profit from a town struggling to survive.

Jan Hickey’s role makes the deception personal. She’s the resettlement liaison officer overseeing the vote, and she’s secretly Jim’s daughter. Residents have been dealing with someone whose family stands to gain from their departure.

They’re being asked to put a price on their homes while the buyer keeps quiet about what’s underneath them. Anyone considering the offer deserves that information. Keeping it secret makes the process easier for the Crockers and leaves the locals bargaining from a much weaker position.

Calvin has spent years blaming himself for cutting the rope that held his father’s sinking house. The permit gives him something else to consider. His family was on that water because powerful people wanted their land. A child had to make the desperate decision after the adults had already arranged the move.

Why Jim Wants the Harbor Destroyed

Jim backs the proposed airstrike against Mudder. Calvin warns that bombing the creature would also destroy the harbor and prevent the residents from returning. The damage would leave the Crockers with far less resistance to their mining plans.

The attacks give Jim a frighteningly useful argument. People have good reason to fear the sea. Mudder’s behavior needs to be understood before anyone can stop the danger, but an evacuation lets him hurry the town toward the outcome he already wanted.

He can present himself as helpful while pursuing a deal that benefits from people losing their homes. Every terrified resident makes his case easier to sell.

His offer to Fonda is especially revealing. Jim promises her Mudder’s remains to study after the bombing. He assumes access to the specimen will settle her objection. Fonda has been trying to understand a living animal, and his proposed reward requires killing it.

She refuses to cooperate. For once, Jim has to deal with somebody who won’t accept what he’s offering.

What Stopping the Airstrike Actually Saves

Calvin’s rescue stops the bombing and keeps the harbor usable. That gives Snook’s Arm a practical chance to continue as a town. People need somewhere to work when they return, however relieved they are to have survived.

The resettlement vote is thrown out. Even then, the Crockers push for another one. Their interest in the minerals survives the emergency, which gives the celebration an awkward limit.

The residents have learned something useful, though. Next time they’re offered money to leave, they’ll know why the Crockers are so eager to buy. Calvin can keep fighting for his home with a clearer idea of what staying will involve. He has already watched this family benefit from one forced move. Now the rest of the town knows enough to question the next offer.

Daniel Wilson

Daniel has loved movies since he was four, when he started exploring a chest of drawers filled with VHS tapes. He writes about film with a particular interest in sci-fi, drama, and action. His favorites include the work of Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, and David Fincher, along with Terminator, Predator, Alien, and Blade Runner.