As fan theories continue to build on TikTok and the first wave of Emmy campaigns roll out, Swarm has left audiences with more questions than answers.

Thats by design, according to showrunner and co-creator Janine Nabers. Swarm follows superstan Dre (Dominique Fishback), who was on a killing spree the entire season, ignited by her late sister Marissas (Chloe Bailey) death and the extreme lengths she went to show her devotion for NiJah, a Beyonc-inspired superstar. Nabers calls the series a post-truth story loosely based on separate real-life events throughout two and a half years about a Black woman whos been slipping through the cracks in society.

We were just always interested in telling the story of a Black woman whos a serial killer. When we looked into it when we researched it, we found one, Nabers said of the process with co-creator Donald Glover. I think theres something thats so fascinating when you look at Black women in America and how they go missing left and right. Its unreal, and no one ever talks about them. So if thats the case, if theres a Black woman whos killing... people arent talking about her. That is also another extreme thats fascinating to us.

In the finale, Dre kills her girlfriend the only other relationship we see her embrace after Marissas death for brutally rejecting the NiJah tickets Dre puts herself in debt to purchase for them. Dre then burns her girlfriends body, tickets included, breaks into the concert that night, and rushes onto the stage during NiJahs performance. Then, in what appears to be Dres dream, Marissas face is superimposed onto NiJah as she whisks her away into an SUV and embraces her in her bosom. Nabers, who gave birth to her now 9-month-old son during the finales filming, revealed that NiJah and Marissa offer a sense of belonging and self-identity for Dre.

The limited series didnt end with a bang. It didnt even end in a way in which audiences could be sure that it actually happened in Dres world. Nabers said shes never been interested in telling others how to feel about the series, especially in work that deals so heavily with the psyche. Instead, she encourages people to take what they get from the final moments.

Some people see Marissas face at the end, and some people dont see it. Thats the point, she said. Thats the way that we constructed that ending to be; you either see what she sees, or you dont see what she sees, and thats it.

Interestingly enough, Nabers view of a certain aspect of Dres story changed while working on the show. She was pregnant during filming, flying from the set in Atlanta to Los Angeles, where she is based, to give birth during the finale taping. She then returned to Atlanta to reshoot afterward and said motherhood made it harder to see how Dre was treated, specifically by her parents. However, she said being surrounded by mainly supportive Black women on set helped her carry her dream out to the finish line. Creating the show, she said, was nothing short of a miracle.

If Nabers nabs an Emmy nomination for Swarm, she will become the first Black woman recognized as showrunner of a limited series in this way.

For I Run This, Nabers discusses that ending, creating subversive and unique content about Black women and she even teases her new HBO comedy with Insecure showrunner Prentice A. Penny.