The Signal – Season 1 Episode 3 “Black Box” Recap & Review

Black Box

Episode 3 of The Signal begins with Sven reminiscing about the time he spent with his wife before she went to space. Sven pleads with Paula to reconsider, but she refuses, saying her research is going to change the world.

The scene cuts to the present, and we see that Charlie has disappeared. Sven returns home, and after going through Charlie’s diary, he realizes that she was telling the truth about talking to Paula. Sven also finds an address on one of those pages. 

We’re given a glimpse of the past events, where we see that Paula has realised that there’s more to the story than Hadi is letting on. She contacts Benisha, informing her that Hadi is looking for the signal, unbeknownst to everyone.

The same day, Paula hears the signal again and realizes that it is much closer to them than the last time. Paula shares this with Benisha, who in return asks her not to share her findings with anyone. 

As Sven exits his house, he is stopped by a couple of federal agents who want to know what exactly he took from Rainer’s house. Sven reveals to them that the government is hiding something and also shares the file with them.

The contents of the file suggest that something is hurling towards the Earth. Inside the file, there’s a paper with numbers scribbled over it, implying that they may be coordinates. This means the signal Paula received in space was most likely coming from an alien ship or UFO. 

As the episode progresses, Sven arrives at the address he took from Charlie’s diary and encounters the same strange old woman he saw at the airport. The old woman appears to be hysterical, suggesting her choice to install landmines around her cottage.

The woman takes her to Charlie, and also reveals to them the “Hello” signal Paula found in space. When Sven gives her the file, she screams, “Aliens are coming!” However, the cops swarm the place, and the father-and-son duo have to escape. Unfortunately, they’re found soon after. 

Detective Friedereke goes through the flight list and finds that someone from the passenger’s list never boarded the plane. However, before they can dig any further, a truck runs Friedereke and her partner off the road. 

The scene shifts to the past, and we learn that Paula has figured out where the UFO is going to land. Hadi asks her nicely for the coordinates, but she refuses, forcing Hadi to trap her in the airlock.

With oxygen running low, Paula eventually gives up the coordinates. As promised, Hadi lets her out, but Paula refuses that no matter how hard he tries, the truth will come out. 

The army leads Sven and Charlie to Rainer, who has willingly turned himself to the government. Rainer explains that the government is trying to hide the knowledge about the UFO to avoid any political disaster, especially with an election on the horizon.

Rainer also reveals that the government is planning to shoot a UFO. Rainer says the world is simply not prepared to face extraterrestrials. In the very next scene, we see the German Air Force blowing something to bits. 

The Episode Review

We’re in the endgame now, and the show is starting to put all its cards on the table. It’s becoming clear that the government has been trying to keep the truth under wraps all this time. Paula knew about it and was gearing up to spill the beans to the entire world.

To potentially dodge a massive uproar and a barrage of questions, it seems like the government decides to take drastic measures – blowing up the plane and sending it plunging into the Atlantic.