What George Mullen Burns At The End Of Zero Day

George Mullen uses his free time to write a memoir about his life and experiences throughout Netflix's Zero Day, but by the end of the political thriller series, he makes the decision to destroy it. Zero Day, which stars Robert De Niro, is about a cyberattack that occurs all over the United States. Although the attack only lasts a minute, it kills thousands of people and brings the country to a complete halt. In order to take charge of the Zero Day Commission and identify the attacker, George Mullen, played by De Niro, is called out of retirement.

The characters that Lizzy Caplan, Gaby Hoffman, and Matthew Modine play in Zero Day are ultimately shown to be connected to the cyberattack. Despite receiving mixed reviews, critics praised Zero Day for its portrayal of mystery, family, and treachery as well as its performances and the way it consistently changed throughout the investigation. As the series goes on, George Mullen has to cope with his deteriorating health, betrayal, trauma from the past, and blackmail, which ultimately cause him to destroy what was once intended to define his legacy as a prominent American politician.

At the end of zero day, George Mullen burns his memoir manuscript.

In Zero Day's first episode, journalist Anna Sindler (played by Hannah Gross) visits George Mullen and asks how his unfinished memoir is coming along. Anna finds a shelf full of labeled journals that record every event that happened during Mullen's tenure as President of the United States when she first arrives at his office in the opening scene. Mullen says that his journals enable him to "see something in a way [he] had missed or in a way that never even occurred to [him]." Mullen tells Sindler that "the draft is coming very soon" in terms of the development of his memoir during their conversation.

Mullen is depicted reading the draft of his memoir and thinking back on his time as president while doing research into the Zero Day Attack's cause. Mullen's grief over his son's death, which haunts him through the "Who Killed Bambi" song in Zero Day, is one of the reasons he tells Sindler that he is behind on turning in the draft. When Mullen burns his memoir manuscript at the end of the series, Sindler's statement that "[she doesn't] believe he has it in him to finish," made in a call prior to her death, turns out to be accurate.

The Significance of George's Memoir Burning

It is revealed throughout Zero Day that Mullen was well-liked while serving as President of the United States. According to Sindler, Mullen was "the last president [...] to consistently rally bipartisan support" during their meeting, and his memoir could "make a real difference" in the country and cement his legacy. By the end of Zero Day, however, Mullen has come to the realization that any legacy he hoped to leave behind is meaningless because he chose to defy convention and expose the truth to the public by naming all of the participants in the cyberattacks. Mullen's decision to burn his memoir demonstrates his lack of concern for protecting his priceless legacy.

Mullen's decision to burn his memoir indicates that he recognizes that everything he has gone through makes his draft "obsolete," according to Noah Oppenheim, the creator of Zero Day, in an interview. Mullen has lost everything; his daughter Alex (Lizzy Caplan) has been arrested, his son and bodyman have died, and his secret daughter with Valerie (Connie Britton) has been exposed. Mullen knows he has nothing left to lose and would prefer to speak the truth than leave his memoir with an obviously manipulated legacy, which is why he revealed all the names at the press conference. Mullen's choice puts Zero Day on a positive note by enabling him to retire with confidence that he made the right choice.