“Make My Day” is the latest horror offering by Netflix and follows the story of prisoners and guards who are attacked by an unknown entity while they dig for a mineral rich in fuel in a frigid, frozen world. Here’s a detailed recap of “Make My Day,” Season 1, Episode 1.
Spoilers Ahead
Planet Coldfoot And Sig
The transmission from the prisoner transport ship J-108 sets the scene for episode 1 and introduces us to “White Prison,” located on the planet Coldfoot, a globe that is forever engulfed in a gas nebula, leading to zero visibility and a high level of electromagnetic interference. Humanity is on the brink of destruction and is in dire need of an energy source. After decades of tireless research that transcended the majority of the planets in the galaxy, humankind has finally hit a big breakthrough in the form of Sig. Sigil is a highly valuable energy ore, exceedingly rare in the galaxy, holding incalculable possibilities and, likewise, the potential for science and technology. Scientists research to no avail, and until recently, had made no discovery of a planet with significant Sig deposits. However, in the following years, humanity managed to find a clear source of energy on Coldfoot, also referred to as “the planet of hope.” Coldfoot’s bounty of Sig will propel humankind into another golden age. Now the government has colonized Coldfoot and has also turned it into a tourist spot to attract significant investments. The Garden of Sky and Land and the promise to experience Utopia, where violence and poverty are a thing of the past, attracts everyone.
The Rescue Mission
The government has been mining Sig extensively and has built a white prison for deadly criminals, who are forced to work and mine Sig to support the cause in return for a decreased sentence. The planet’s atmosphere was heavily poisonous, with a surface that was completely frozen solid, acting as a natural defense against curious criminals. Only those with a death wish would consider trying to escape, as this frozen hell would not spare lives. The government was using inmates as slave labor, making them dig for hours on end in order to extract Sig. According to them, the sigils they were mining were unbelievably more precious than their lives and would aid in the expansion of their planet. Akin more to a development that rose from the ashes of its dead. The protagonist, James, is a White Prison guard who is employed as a prison guard and responsible for transporting criminals to the White Prison. Since Sig is a rarity, lower-class people like James and Sarena are forced to work long hours to keep their houses warm on the freezing planet. James aspires to become an artist and move to Central America for a better life, but he realizes that doodling faces won’t support him and his old grandfather. Like James, Serena is also forced to work daily to care for her twins and a pregnant friend. James is a bit shy and is often picked on by his commander, Sarah, for not being fit to join the guards. In an unfortunate event, James and his comrades encounter the bodies of prison guards and are asked to put on an exo-suit to follow the first responder team down the prison. Moments before the cave, the guards received a wired communication from a stationed military unit requesting immediate military assistance. Due to low manpower, prison guards were asked to tag along on a joint rescue mission to look for survivors. However, Hicks, James’s senior, is having doubts as to why they would need machine guns for a search and rescue mission, making him think that the cave-in isn’t the only trouble out there.
Don’t Wake The Monster Up
The search party dropped down into the bowels of Clubfoot and learned that the path had been blocked due to the collapse, which had likewise damaged all the machinery. James’ sensors show him that the path is littered with gun shells leading southwest, implying that the guards down here were shooting at someone or something! The group moves further down the cave to look for survivors, with their safety off and discovers that the planet that they believe to be a barren wasteland is harboring millions and millions of eggs in its bowels. But whom the egg really belongs to is still an enigma. Thermal stats lead them deeper, and the group comes across something eerily disturbing. The sight of the melted corpses of their fallen comrades tangled in a web of blood completely swept them off their feet. Suddenly James is attacked and dragged further into the darkness, where he falls into a giant pit after unplugging himself from the drone. James pulls one survivor from the rubble of bones, who begs him to zip it off so he’ll wake the monster up.
The episode closes with a drawn-out close-up shot of the monster’s eye, suggesting there’s something more than Sig lurking in the bowels of Clubfoot.