Newly released into open water, Marcellus initially sinks like dead weight before his limbs reawaken. Aware that death is near, he chooses to savor his brief freedom and the enveloping darkness that suits him. He swims from the rocks to a drop-off and descends toward the deep where, as a juvenile, he once found a key and where he intends to lie beside the long-disintegrated bones of a beloved son.

Marcellus reflects that nearly four years in captivity taught him to expect death within glass walls. Instead, he unexpectedly experiences the comfort of home: the vast sea. He feels lucky and grateful to die free.

Thinking ahead, Marcellus imagines Terry cleaning and remodeling his old tank for a new exhibit, complete with a sign reading “UNDER CONSTRUCTION: NEW EXHIBIT COMING!” The former enclosure will be transformed without secrecy.

On his way out, Marcellus visited the barrel of the newly rescued octopus. She is young, badly injured, and understandably terrified. He takes solace knowing she will have a friend in Tova, whom he trusted with his life and his death. As he descends into darkness, Marcellus concludes that while humans are often blundering, they can also be remarkably bright.