'The Institute' Season 1 Finale: Who Are the PCs & What Is The Hum, Explained

The eighth and final episode of The Institute Season 1 was released on August 24 on MGM+. It ended with an intriguing scene featuring Ms. Sigsby.

She kept the flash drive containing evidence against the Institute. Why didn't she destroy it, and what did the end of the first chapter reveal about the mysterious Hum and the PC?

Who Are the TKs, TPs And PCs?

Luke Ellis was kidnapped in the middle of the night and taken to the Institute, where its workers conduct experiments on children with superpowers.

Luke was found to have the gift of telekinesis. Children who can move objects are called TKs. There are also TPs, or telepaths – people who can read minds. "Ordinary" TKs and TPs exhibit their abilities involuntarily. There are also TK- and TP-positive kids who can use their powers at will and control them.

The Institute's leaders gather gifted children, make them docile, and use their powers to assassinate influential figures. These targets are individuals who could one day trigger global conflicts with apocalyptic outcomes.

People with the gift of foresight, called PCs (precognitive), help the Institute find potential victims. PCs are rarely born, so they are protected and kept in favorable conditions. Luke discovered the gift of foresight in himself in the series, but not in the original novel by Stephen King.

What Is The Hum?

The Institute is divided into two areas: the Front Half, and the Back Half. In the Front Half, the TPs and TKs undergo a series of tests. With their help, Dr. Hendricks enhances the children's abilities and attempts to uncover their potential to move objects and to read minds.

The Institute is convinced that if a person has one extraordinary ability, then they can develop another.

In the Back Half, the children participate in a joint "screening." They are shown footage of the victim so they can tune in to the person they need to eliminate. The minds of the "viewers" unite in the consciousness of the child chosen as the conductor.

The participants' energies merge into the Hum, a special vibration that signals the activation of the energy flow. The Hum affects ordinary people, too – you can see it in the tired, sick-looking employees of the Back Half.

According to the novel, they gradually go crazy and develop low-level telepathy during their time at the Institute. Employees use special computer programs and a sparkler trigger to turn children into weapons and arrange incidents from a distance to eliminate the victim.

The Back Half also has a rear section. After the "screening," the conductors are exhausted and plunge into a vegetative state. Only their superpowers remain active, and their consciousness switches off.

These kids become living batteries for the Institute, amplifying the Hum. Over time, the children die, and then their bodies are burned.

What Happened to The Institute?

The kids at the Institute are not told what fate awaits them. Instead, they are promised that they will be sent home. However, Luke and his friends discovered that this was not true.

As a result, Luke managed to escape, with the help of the housekeeper, Maureen. She also gave him a flash drive with footage of the Institute's illegal experiments.

Maureen committed suicide when she realized the authorities had found out about her involvement in Luke's escape. In DuPray, Luke teamed up with Tim, the ex-cop, and Wendy, the sheriff's assistant.

Then, Luke and his new friends went to the Institute to free the other children. Using his powers, Luke discovered that there were many Institutes worldwide and telepathically transmitted information to Avery, the most powerful TP in the Institute.

The kids then combined their Hum with the Hums of prisoners in other Institutes. With such a powerful stream, they destroyed the Institute in DuPray. However, Avery remained in the facility and died with the other children because he was forced to maintain the energy flow until the end. Iris died with him.

Why Didn't Ms. Sigsby Destroy the Flash Drive?

Only Luke, Kalisha, Nick, and George survived the destruction of the Institute. Dr. Hendricks disappeared before the destruction, heading in an unknown direction. Ms. Sigsby escaped in time, taking Maureen's flash drive with her.

Mr. Smith, the head of the global Institute network, ordered his people to clean out the American branch and erase all evidence of the Institute's activities.

It may seem that she didn't destroy the flash drive containing incriminating evidence because she decided to support Luke in his battle against the Institute.

However, it is more likely that she simply kept the device for her own safety. If Mr. Smith threatened her, she could protect herself by threatening to leak the information.

In the book, the flash drive was left with Luke and his friends. They put the device in a safe deposit box at the bank in case any of them were harmed by the Institute. Then, they would take the flash drive and leak the information.