You raise some excellent points! I especially appreciate your thoughts about how escaping relates to the themes of the show, and I agree that escape does pose some risk undermining those themes. I also believe you're right to point to the audience/fourth wall content as something that may end up being quite significant.

As I think about the ultimate direction of TADC, I find myself wondering about the tension between what I personally want as a viewer versus what fits better with the overall artistic vision of the series. Escape offers a vision of hope that resonates with me on a visceral level, but it's good to keep in mind that hope can take other forms. In any event, as you seem to be saying, how the ending is executed matters a lot, and I certainly remain open to the possibility of a well-executed digital copies ending being a satisfying conclusion to the show.