Boy Swallows Universe ending explained: What happens to Eli?

The seven-part series of the same name follows Eli Bell, a child living in the outer suburbs of Brisbane and grappling with a number of obstacles, including having a recovering drug addict mother and drug dealing step-father.

The show traces Eli's tumultuous childhood from the age of 12 right through to his later teenage years, where life seems to be looking up.

Of course, the series undergoes a massive change to the lead character, with Felix Cameron being replaced by Zac Burgess in the last two episodes of the series.

We see Eli grow from bounding young tween to a teenager intent on making life as good as possible for his mother Frankie (Phoebe Tonkin).

The penultimate episode wraps up with a surprise appearance from Eli's long-term pen pal saving the day, but how did things end for Eli?

Read on for a full breakdown of the ending of Boy Swallows Universe.

Boy Swallows Universe ending explained: What happens to Eli?

Alex Bermuda (Alex Briggs) comes in and saves the day from Frankie's violent boyfriend Teddy (Ben O'Toole), who the boys believe gave Lyle (Travis Fimmel) up and led to his disappearance.

In the finale, Alex gifts Eli a tape recorder so he can get his journalism career kickstarted and with it, Eli records Alex's life story and takes it to local newspaper editor Brian Robertson (Rob Carlton). Brian finally takes him more seriously and after showing his worth, offers Eli a small job.

Gus (Lee Tiger Halley) and Shelley (Millie Donaldson) are nominated as Queensland Champions for their work raising money for disabled children and Eli learns that the ceremony will be hosted by Tytus Broz (Anthony LaPaglia), Lyle's former boss at the prosthetics factory.

After expressing an interest in wanting to interview Tytus, Caitlyn (Sophie Wilde) questions Eli why he wants to speak to the businessman, who is known to have had some previous dodgy dealings. Eli comes clean and tells Caitlyn about his past, his step-father's disappearance and the fact that Ivan Kroll (Christopher James Baker) chopped off his finger.

Caitlyn does some digging and finds evidence linking Tytus and Ivan so brings her findings to detective Tim Cotton (Toby Schmitz), who denies all knowledge of the connection. Of course, Cotton is corrupt and later informs Ivan about Caitlyn's findings but Ivan pushes him to his death and buries Tim's body using a truck load of cement.

Tytus then personally requests for Eli to interview him, leading to the teen being sent to Tytus's house in Brookfield with Caitlyn (posing as a photographer) on the day of the Queensland Champions awards ceremony.

At the same time as travelling there, Gus collapses after having visions of a bloody attack. In the vision, Gus answers the red phone downstairs and wonders if it's him from the future calling but doesn't get a clear response. He worries that the vision is a snapshot of the future and that the knife attack could involve Eli.

At Tytus's home, the businessman gets chatting to Eli but they're interrupted by a dying bird that flies into the window. It reminds Eli of "your end is a dead blue wren", the saying that Gus had written out for him in the first episode, which made little sense then.

The pair leave after Tytus confronts Eli about knowing exactly who they are and why they're really there. Driving away, Caitlyn tells Eli they should wait until Tytus leaves for the ceremony so they can have the chance to search his home and surrounding grounds. But on the way out, Tytus spots the pair and phones Ivan with an order to get rid of them.

Eli and Caitlyn make their way into Tytus's research facility and find that Tytus is keeping dead bodies and body parts as a strange kind of illegal farm. Eli sadly sees the head of Lyle being used in Tytus's weird research and takes it as evidence, proving that his step-father didn't just disappear.

Just as they're about to leave, Ivan enters the bunker and tries to shoot at Eli and Caitlyn but they trap him in the door, with Caitlyn using an axe to wound Ivan's foot. The pair eventually manage to escape and drive off, with Ivan hurt but getting back on his motorbike to follow them.

Eli and Caitlyn make their way to the awards ceremony, where Eli storms the stage holding up Lyle's head to prove what Tytus has been doing. The police arrive to arrest Tytus and Caitlyn spots Ivan who rushes over and stabs Eli then slashes Robert's (Simon Baker) neck. Eli struggles to run away up the stairs, leaving a blood trail behind him which Gus and Ivan separately follow up to the clock tower.

Eli collapses on the floor, seeing a blue wren to his side, which Ivan steps on and kills. Ivan is about to stab Eli again but Gus storms in, pushing Ivan out of the clock tower and through the glass to his death down below.

Who dies at the end of Boy Swallows Universe?

Ivan is, of course, dead after that major fall from the clock tower and, despite a fatal wound to the jugular, Robert's fine and recovered well.

While there's a scene of the red phone ringing and Tytus picking up a scalpel about to enter Eli's hospital room, it turns out to just be a dream. Actually, in spite of also being fatally stabbed and looking as though he wouldn't make it, Eli is fine.

In the hospital, Eli wakes up to Caitlyn by his side and the pair almost share a kiss until the rest of Eli's family walks in.

The final scene is of Eli, Gus and their parents Frankie and Robert having dinner, with Eli finishing off the manuscript for his book, Boy Swallows Universe.

Who was on the red phone in Boy Swallows Universe?

Speaking about the red phone, Dalton previously told The Townsville Bulletin: "All I’m doing in the 407 pages is fantasising about who’s on the end of that phone line."

He continued: "I’m very interested in the child brain and the way it processes its trauma.

"Across a period of about 15 years, I kind of saw a mess of drug abuse, domestic violence, alcohol abuse and anxiety."

He added: "I’ve always wondered, some things I’ve seen growing up, what did it do to you and how have I processed that?"

In other words, the conversations are a figment of Eli and Gus's imaginations, and a way for them to escape their bleak reality.

Boy Swallows Universe is available to stream on Netflix. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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