Halfway through Netflix’s limited series Below, “The Ocean Will Have Us All” splits its focus between a high-stakes underwater confrontation and a growing crisis on land. The result is one of the season’s most tense hours, as Josh Hartnett’s Calvin Penney is pulled into a research vessel’s dangerous mission while the coastal Newfoundland town of Snook’s Arm contends with a toxin-driven outbreak. Directed by Helen Shaver and written by Karen Walton, the episode deepens the creature’s threat while exposing the conflicting motives of those who have come looking for it.
The episode opens with Calvin reaching Steve Bruner’s (David Wenham) vessel in search of his son Wade. Wade is not aboard; Ruth Penney had threatened to have the ship impounded if Steve involved Calvin or Wade. The situation worsens immediately when the vessel’s captain and first mate steal Calvin’s RHIB and try to flee—only for the creature to destroy them. With no one else able to pilot the ship, Calvin takes the helm and steers toward the beast, determined to end the threat. Steve and marine biologist Dr. Hugo Sayed (Alexander Karim), however, have other plans: they want to tag and document the animal rather than kill it. Steve has already disabled the radio, prioritizing the chance at recognition and financial salvation over safety.
After they successfully tag the creature, Steve insists on a dive in the deep-submergence vehicle for footage. Calvin discovers a backup radio in Steve’s quarters and attempts to call for help, only to be caught at gunpoint and forced into the dive. On the seafloor, the trio realizes they have underestimated their quarry. The creature severs its own tagged tentacle—an unmistakable display of intelligence—then attacks the sub, peers directly at Calvin (echoing his childhood encounter), and begins forcing open the hatch while drawing them toward the surface. When Steve moves to electrocute the animal, Sayed stops him and shoots him. The hatch opens, ejecting both men. Sayed is lost to the creature; Calvin washes ashore alive.
Meanwhile, back in Snook’s Arm, the contaminated ice from the harbor has triggered an outbreak of psychosis and unrelenting thirst. Dr. Fonda Howander (Mackenzie Davis) finds residents drinking from puddles and works to manage patients at the community center, including Officer Jaxon and others. Ruth nearly walks into the water under the toxin’s influence; Barry succeeds in diving in. Amid the chaos, Noah proposes to Mary with an empty ring box, and she accepts. When a distress call comes in from the research vessel, Jan sabotages the radio at the harbormaster’s station, preventing a response. The episode closes with Calvin regaining consciousness on shore as a dog licks his face, only to look up and see three figures watching him from a hilltop.
“The Ocean Will Have Us All” succeeds as a midpoint escalation. The underwater sequence is the episode’s centerpiece: claustrophobic, visually effective, and driven by the creature’s clear intelligence rather than mindless aggression. Hartnett conveys Calvin’s rising panic and resolve effectively, while Wenham and Karim make the scientists’ ambition and conflicting priorities feel credible—one driven by desperation and glory, the other by a protective scientific ethic that leads to deadly consequences. The land-based outbreak runs in parallel without undercutting the ocean tension, reinforcing that the danger is no longer confined to the water. The toxin’s effects, the ice connection, and the creature’s apparent recognition of Calvin add layers that move the series beyond a straightforward monster hunt.
The episode does not overstay its welcome; the dive feels purposeful rather than padded, and the parallel crises keep the hour moving. Minor questions remain—Jan’s decision to sabotage the radio is especially pointed—but they function as deliberate setup rather than loose ends. By the end, the series has raised the stakes for both Calvin’s family and the town while leaving the creature’s full nature and the human agendas surrounding it still partially obscured.
For a limited series already balancing creature-feature thrills with community and environmental pressures, Episode 4 delivers the strongest sustained tension so far and positions the remaining episodes to clarify who the real threats are. Below continues on Netflix.
