Netflix's Bodies: What does 'Know You Are Loved' mean?

In the Netflix series Bodies the phrase 'Know You Are Loved' keeps cropping up, here's what the phrase means and why it's significant in the show...

'Know You Are Loved' is a pretty nice phrase on the surface, but in Bodies it takes on a rather sinister meaning as it is used as a sign-off by a group of people who are committing rather worrying acts. In the first episode of the show, we hear the phrase 'Know You Are Loved' used by the mysterious woman on the phone who tells Whiteman to pick up and move a body in 1941. We hear this phrase again in 2023 just before Syed shoots himself in the shopping centre and says as his final message to Shahara, 'Know You Are Loved'.

But why does this phrase keep cropping up in the show? What's the significance of this phrase in all of these different time zones, and what does it mean?! Here's what we know...

Warning! There are spoilers for the series in this article!

Bodies by Si Spencer £13.59 | Amazon

Netflix's Bodies is based on the graphic novel by Si Spencer. The stories are set to be released as a book on October 31 and are available now to pre-order.

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The phrase 'Know You Are Loved' is used by Elias Mannix's followers throughout time as a sign-off message. It means that they are followers of his message and believe in the importance of the time loop Mannix creates in order to make his new world.

The phrase is also representative of the new world called 'Kyal' that Elias Mannix goes on to develop in the year 2053. 

Kyal is of course an acronym for 'Know You Are Loved' and is first explored in the second episode when the show focuses on Iris Maplewood's life in this new 'United Britain' where society's focus is on ensuring that everyone follows the ideology of Mannix. In the episode, Iris is seen watching 'Kyal News Channel' at the 30-year memorial for those who died when a bomb exploded in London and killed hundreds of thousands of people.

In later episodes, it is explored that, Elias's difficult upbringing with absent parents and brainwashed foster parents led him to never feel loved. This is what spurred on his mission to create a world where he and everyone always felt loved, hence, 'Know You Are Loved'. 

In the final episode, it is elderly Elias's words of warning to his younger self that stop him from detonating the bomb and creating this world. The old Elias from 1941 warns him that he will never feel loved if he follows the path and detonates the bomb, it is this that stops him from creating the time loop in 2023. Showing that love -  or a lack of it - saves the day!

After finishing the series some were left scratching their heads and needed the Bodies ending explained to them. Particularly when the word 'KYAL' appeared on a building in the background and seemed to imply that Mannix's ideology had survived him. All we know is that Netflix has yet to announce a season 2 of the show, so we may have to sit tight for an explanation about those final moments!