MovieChat Forums > 3% (2016) Discussion > The final twist(?) SPOILERS

The final twist(?) SPOILERS

posted 8 years ago by princess_irulan
6 replies | jump to latest

So, apparently the big twist in the end is that you can't have children if you get to the offshore.

Now, is it me or did anyone else realised this very early on in the series? In fact, when I started watching, I assumed that their are no children in offshore or even if people offshore have children, they were raised inland. The reasons are:

1. The Process wouldn't be fair if you can just be born into it
2. Mathematically, you can't maintain the 3% number if you let people offshore reproduce and then also add 3% of the inland population every year.
3. If the whole fabric of offshore society is based on the fact that only the best of the best get in, then obviously you can't have children grow up there since there is no way to ensure that your children grow to be the best of the best.

In fact, the first time a character mentions having children after getting Offshore (can't remember exactly when or which episode), I just found the notion odd - I thought it was a plot hole.

Did anyone else feel that the "twist" wasn't really a twist?

[–] MaraudersFan 8 years ago

Honestly, I didn’t even think of there not being children there until they were informed they’d have to be sterilized. But it then did make sense because the people earn their place in the offshore by going through the processes to be born in it wouldn’t be them earning their place there.

That’s true they obviously would not be able to maintain a 3 % if they are having children in the Offshore and bringing in 3 % of the citizens. It also explains why Ezequiel was surprised when his wife told him she’d had a child. Then she had to say well it was before she’d gone through the process.

[–] princess_irulan 8 years ago

This is what has thrown me - it wasn't at all a surprise for me that there were no children offshore. Like I said before, I was surprised when a character mentions having children offshore. I'm sure there was at least one person out there who had the same thought. Anyone???

[–] E_nineteen 8 years ago

Yeah - it really bothered me when Rafael says to Joana - we will be neighbours, my children will play with your children. I was thinking, come on, there's no way they'll let children hang about on the Offshore. But I thought maybe they might be taken at a certain age and get planted back on the Inland. OR they'd have to go through the Process regardless to prove they're worthy to stay. But then they would have something of an unfair advantage ...

[–] princess_irulan 8 years ago

Thank you - that is exactly the moment where I first went WTF. And I thought that too - that obviously, all children had to grow up inland, which meant that offshore parents have to give up their children. Frankly, this is worse than never having a child so if anything, the sterilization should come as a relief!

[–] info-4737 8 years ago

I'm only a few minutes into the first episode and had the same questions. I didn't guess they would be sterilized, but I wondered if children born offshore would be sent inland, because, as you said, you can't maintain the three percent if offshore people can reproduce. I think this is going to be an interesting show, but I was curious about that right away. I came here looking for the answer to that problem, so thank you!

[–] princess_irulan 8 years ago

No, thank you for existing. I thought I was going insane. It was just so obvious to me (no children bit, not the sterilization bit) that I was confused with everyone else's reaction.