Boris - Ending Explained

Across the first three seasons, the central plot follows the production of the abysmally bad soap opera "Gli occhi del cuore 2" and its successor, "Gli occhi del cuore 3." The main twist comes at the end of Season 2 when the show is cancelled, only to be resurrected. In Season 3, René and his crew are given the chance to produce a supposedly high-quality show, "Medical Dimension." The major reveal is that the network executives intentionally set them up to fail, wanting to prove that cheap, traditional soap operas are what the public truly wants. The season ends with René receiving a call to direct "Gli occhi del cuore 4," implying his return to the cycle of mediocrity.

Boris - The Film (2011) follows up on this. René quits television to direct an ambitious, socially conscious art film based on the book "La Casta." However, due to production hell, financial pressures, and the incompetence of his old crew whom he is forced to re-hire, the project is a disaster. In a final, soul-crushing twist, the producers re-edit his footage behind his back and release it as a vulgar, commercially successful Christmas comedy titled "Natale con la Casta." Defeated, René returns to directing a cheesy TV show about the young Pope Ratzinger.

In Season 4, set over a decade later, the landscape has changed to streaming. Alessandro, the former intern, is now a powerful executive at a major streaming platform. He reunites René's old crew to produce a new series, "Vita di Gesù" (Life of Jesus), conceived by and starring Stanis La Rochelle. The season's conflict revolves around the crew's struggle to adapt to the new, absurd rules of the platform, dictated by a mysterious "Algorithm." The major twist is that René, disillusioned with the project, begins secretly filming his own movie on the side, using the platform's resources. The series concludes with René seemingly succeeding in getting his own artistic film, "Io, Giuda," released, a final, ambiguous act of rebellion against the system he has fought his entire career.

The primary area for alternative interpretations lies in the finale of Season 4. After René is caught using the platform's resources to make his own film, he faces down the executives. What follows is a surreal sequence where he breaks into a dance (a reference to Flashdance) and seemingly wins them over. The crew is later seen at the premiere of his successful film, "Io, Giuda."

One interpretation is that this is a straightforward, optimistic ending. René finally triumphs, using the system against itself to create a true work of art, representing a victory for creative integrity.

A more critical and widely discussed interpretation is that the entire dance sequence and the successful premiere are a fantasy—a dying dream or a surreal hallucination in René's mind at the moment of his ultimate professional defeat. This reading aligns more closely with the show's pervasive cynicism, suggesting that in the real world of "Boris," such a victory is impossible. The true ending, in this view, is René's failure, and the fantasy is his only escape, making the conclusion far more tragic and poignant.