Warning! Contains spoilers for Sweet Tooth season 3.

Summary

• Sweet Tooth's ending ties up character arcs in a heartwarming way, despite leaving some questions unanswered.
• Season 3 softens the original comic's dark arc by adding narrative changes and exploring the origins of hybrids.
• The show's message on humanity's fate and the inheritance of Earth by hybrids serves as a metaphor for climate change.

Netflix Sweet Tooth's ending does not explicitly answer every underlying question but closes each character's narrative on a satisfying and heartwarming note. Although Sweet Tooth season 3 adapts one of the darkest arcs of the original comic book series' storyline, it softens its tone by bringing many narrative changes to it. In its initial episodes, the third installment of the Netflix series unfolds more as a journey where Gus, Big Man, Bear, Wendy, and Dr. Aditya travel to the Great North to find answers about the "sick" and the origins of the hybrids.

However, it soon turns into a game of cat-and-mouse between Gus' team and Zhang's men as both parties race to reach the Alaskan cave where Sweet Tooth's explorer James Thacker first triggered the events that led to the arrival of the hybrids and the "sick." Towards the end, many innocent humans like Birdie sacrifice their lives to protect Gus from the evil ones like Zhang. However, it is all eventually worth it when Gus understands the truth about the hybrids' purpose on Earth.

The Antler Tree & Blood Of The Earth Explained

James Thacker's Story Reveals The Truth About The Inception Of The Outbreak

Gus and Dr. Aditya's narrative in Sweet Tooth season 3 primarily revolves around finding the cave where James Thacker's actions marked the inception of the sick. Both characters see visions of the cave, believing they have been prophesied to save the world from the "sick." However, Dr. Aditya's vision of the cave slightly differs from Gus'. He envisions that sacrificing Gus inside the cave would eventually free the human world from the "sick" and even end hybrid births. When Sweet Tooth's main characters finally reach the cave, they discover a sacred tree with massive antlers growing out of its stem.

...the inception of the outbreak and the emergence of the hybrids were two sides of the same coin

Sweet Tooth season 3 does not explain the tree's origins, but James Thacker's backstory suggests all lifeforms are somehow connected to it. James Thacker had shoved an axe into its stem and extracted its red sap, believing it would not only cure his degenerative disease but also free humans from all diseases. He even stored the sap in a tiny bottle, labeling it the "Blood of the Earth." However, to his dismay, the tree's sap seeped into Alaskan snow and infected him and his crew with the "sick" instead of curing all diseases.

Years later, Birdie and her team of scientists found the virus and discovered that the inception of the outbreak and the emergence of the hybrids were two sides of the same coin. Both happened after James Thacker's greed got the best of him, and he messed with Mother Nature in his pursuit of finding the fountain of youth. James Thacker's backstory also reveals that Gus was not the first hybrid in the world. Long before the virus reached America, Thacker had already let it out in the world by hitting the antler tree with an axe. His actions let the virus loose and even led to the birth of the first hybrid: The Caribou Man.

Humans Go Extinct, Hybrids Inherit The Earth

Sweet Tooth Season 3's Ending Is A Thoughtful Metaphor For Climate Change

In Sweet Tooth season 3's final arc, Gus hits the tree after growing increasingly frustrated about losing his human friends. Consequently, he suddenly finds himself in the astral realm, where he meets Pubba. Pubba encourages him to turn the page and accept the uncertainties that come with it. As a result, Gus burns down the antler tree and lets nature decide humanity's fate. To everyone's surprise, burning the tree kills the virus, and everyone infected by it gets rid of the sickness. However, moments later, Zhang's daughter gives birth to another hybrid, establishing the hybrids will eventually inherit the planet.

The half-human, half-animal hybrids in Sweet Tooth symbolize how humans can only survive if they become one with nature instead of destroying the delicate ecological balance.

Sweet Tooth's portrayal of humanity's extinction and the hybrids' inheritance of Earth serves as a parable to real-world climate change concerns. It highlights how humanity's negligence towards the environment will eventually lead to its downfall, but the younger generation (represented as the hybrids in Sweet Tooth) can still pave the way for a better future. The half-human, half-animal hybrids in Sweet Tooth symbolize how humans can only survive if they become one with nature instead of destroying the delicate ecological balance.

Old Gus Is The Sweet Tooth Narrator

Old Gus Teaches Young Hybrids The Value Of Respecting Their Dual Heritage

Sweet Tooth season 3 ends on a bittersweet note where humans, including the ones Gus loved, perish. However, Gus, Wendy, and all the other hybrids live to make the world a better place. In its closing arc, the show reveals that the narrator was an older version of Gus all along, reciting his tales and his adventures with Big Man to a group of young hybrids. This brings a well-rounded closure to the Netflix series, confirming that the world is now in safe hands. Even though many innocent humans lost their lives because of the outbreak, hybrids like Gus keep them alive through their stories.

Old Gus Is Played By James Brolin In Sweet Tooth

Since Sweet Tooth season 1, James Brolin has been the voice behind the overarching narrator for the series. The show's finale also reveals him as the older version of Gus, who uses his stories and experiences to help young hybrids understand the significance of balance and coexistence on the planet. Outside his Sweet Tooth role, James Brolin is best known for his portrayal of John Blane in 1973's Westworld, George Lutz in 1979's The Amityville Horror, and Zurg's voice in Lightyear.

What Happens To Big Man Jepperd

Jepperd's Fate Remains Ambiguous, But That's Okay

After killing Birdie, Zhang also stabs Jepperd inside the cave. Although Jepperd and Gus make it out of the cave before it collapses, Big Man Jepperd's injuries start slowing him down, and he settles down for a break. After asking Wendy and Bear to leave, Gus and Jepperd spend time together as Jepperd gradually seems to succumb to his injuries. However, surprisingly, when older Gus starts telling his story of the "Big Man," he recalls him making it with him to Pubba's cabin and living his remaining years with him and the rest of the young hybrids.

This suggests Big Man likely died outside the cave and could not return home with Gus. However, as his experiences taught him, Gus tried to get something positive out of Jepperd's demise and kept him and his legacy alive through his stories. Gus' recollection of his time with Big Man parallels how Netflix portrays the original Sweet Tooth comics. It stays loyal to its primary story beats and characterization and does not change Big Man's fate. However, instead of negatively portraying the character's death, it leverages the power of positive storytelling to leave a lasting impact on audiences.

What Is The Meaning Of Sweet Tooth?

As Fantastical As Sweet Tooth's Story May Seem, It Holds A Mirror To The Real World

Sweet Tooth villains like General Abbot and Helen Zhang were deadset on wiping out the hybrids and sustaining "pure" humans. However, in this mindless pursuit, they failed to recognize that the hybrids' lives were no less valuable than theirs. When James Thacker's actions released the virus into the world, nature itself created a cure for it by bringing the hybrids. However, humans like Abbot and Zhang were too consumed by their fear and prejudice to see the hybrids as the solution rather than the problem.

All Sweet Tooth seasons are available on Netflix for streaming.

When Gus finally lets nature decide humanity's fate in Sweet Tooth season 3's ending, it neither spares nor destroys humanity. It only restores balance where humanity continues to live, but not in the way human supremacists like Abbot and Zhang had envisioned. The burning of the antler tree eradicates the "sick" and gives the remaining humans a little more time to embrace their life on Earth. However, it also signals a shift in the world order where a new species, which understands the importance of co-existence, environmental stewardship, and harmony, takes control over Sweet Tooth's colorful world.