Finch Ending Explained: Is Finch Dead? Jeff & Goodyear Will They Survived?

Finch is available on Apple TV+! If you want to know the explanation of the end read on! Welcome to the last post-apocalyptic world on screen, this time caused by a cataclysmic solar event that left the world fallow. Finch a robotics engineer, is one of the few survivors and has lived for ten years in an underground bunker with his dog Goodyear.

After an opening that showcases the perilous daily work he has to do to stock up, we see Finch working on a robot that will take care of Goodyear when it can’t. But his plans fall apart when an unexpected weather event forces Finch to leave his bunker and embark on a perilous journey across America. In this desolate world, Finch wants to show his robot what it means to be alive, as well as the importance of going looking. But on a challenging journey, will Finch manage to bring Jeff and Goodyear together before it’s too late? 

Finch Ending Explained: Is Finch Dead? Jeff & Goodyear Will They Survived?

Eventually, Finch and Jeff manage to get rid of their stalkers but damage the motorhome in the process. At this point, the protagonist’s health began to deteriorate sharply, and he is seen coughing up blood several times. While still several miles from their destination, Finch collapses after a coughing fit. Jeff, who’s driving, notices a butterfly on the windshield, and the dying man orders him to stop. The two then sit outside their vehicle and observe the stark scenery as Finch tries to teach Jeff how to play ball with Goodyear. But it soon becomes too weak to move and dies.

Jeff then loads the camper van and completes the trip to the Golden Gate Bridge, and the movie ends with him and Goodyear walking past the historic structure. As expected, Finch dies and leaves his beloved dog in Jeff’s care. From the few details we are given about his condition, it appears that Finch is suffering from acute radiation poisoning.

This is due to its repeated exposure to sunlight, which has become fatal due to the Earth’s severely damaged ozone layer. This means that the journey across the country he takes is not about saving himself but about saving his dog, Goodyear. So, Finch dies in the end but his legacy and teachings survive in his robot, Jeff.

Finch ends on a dark but hopeful note, with Jeff and Goodyear walking the Golden Gate Bridge together. So it seems that Finch’s two companions have survived and that they get along much better than when they started. Even though Goodyear refuses to play ball with Jeff, he ends up realizing that Jeff doesn’t mean any harm to him and that the machine is interested in Finch. The film therefore ends with a friendship between the two.

What State Is The Planet In?

There are still parts of the world where the ozone layer is intact. San Francisco is apparently one of those places, which is why Jeff sees a butterfly as they begin to approach the city.

As we also see grass growing around Finch’s grave and knowing that the place where he died was arid at the time of his death, we can also infer that the ozone layer is renewing itself. Finch therefore ends on a note of hope, not only for Jeff and Goodyear, but also for the planet.