Quick answer: Mackenzie Davis is one of Below’s strongest assets because she plays marine biologist Fonda Howander as curious, practical, and quietly courageous—not just as a character who explains the monster. Her scientific focus grounds the Netflix thriller as the mystery around Snook’s Arm grows stranger.
A giant sea creature, a struggling Newfoundland fishing town, family grief, and a corporate buyout give Below a lot to juggle. Davis helps hold those threads together. Fonda is a visiting marine researcher trying to understand a threat while the people around her are running out of time.
Fonda is more than the scientist who explains the monster
Creature features often use a scientist to translate danger into tidy explanations: identify the animal, explain its behavior, then tell everyone how to stop it. Fonda starts with the same instincts—she wants evidence, asks questions, and studies the water—but she is never omniscient. She must work with incomplete information in a place where local history, environmental change, rumor, and fear overlap.
Her training gives her a method, not a magic answer. Davis plays Fonda as focused without being cold and skeptical without dismissing residents whose lives are at risk. The people of Snook’s Arm are trying to protect their homes and livelihoods; Fonda has to earn their trust as well as investigate the mystery.
She gives the horror a grounded center
The creature in Below is deliberately extreme, and the show shifts between maritime dread and dark humor. Davis provides a counterweight. Rather than playing every discovery as a cue for a dramatic gasp, she lets attention do the work: Fonda studies what she sees, weighs possible explanations, and recognizes that every clue could affect people who have already lost too much.
The restraint makes the danger more immediate. If the scientist cannot confidently explain what is happening, the audience has even less reason to feel safe. Fonda’s uncertainty is not a weakness; it is part of what makes the situation believable.
Her partnership with Josh Hartnett adds another layer
Fonda’s partnership with Calvin Penney (Josh Hartnett) creates tension between lived experience and scientific observation. Calvin knows the town through family history, grief, and suspicion. Fonda approaches it through research. Neither perspective is enough by itself, and the investigation works best when they listen to each other.
Davis also avoids making Fonda a simple romantic reward or a sidekick who exists to validate Calvin’s instincts. She remains a professional with her own priorities. The tentative warmth between them grows through small, awkward beats—a good fit for a story where people have little time for polished declarations.
The environmental theme works because Fonda asks practical questions
Below links its supernatural threat to a community under economic pressure and an environment that is becoming harder to predict. Fonda makes that connection concrete. She is not there to lecture about climate change; she investigates what the water, ice, and creature might be telling the characters.
The town sees the ocean as a source of work and identity, but also as something capable of turning dangerous without warning. Fonda represents the impulse to study those changes rather than look away. The horror comes partly from the possibility that nature is no longer following the rules residents expect—and that human decisions may have helped create the conditions for disaster.
Why this role fits Davis
Davis is effective as a character whose intelligence does not erase vulnerability. Fonda is capable, but she cannot control the sea, the town’s politics, or what other people reveal. She must decide when to trust data, when to trust people, and how to act when the evidence points toward something that sounds impossible. Her composure becomes a form of courage rather than proof that she is unafraid.
The performance strengthens the ensemble. Hartnett’s Calvin carries the weight of personal history; Charlie Heaton’s Wade brings volatility and unease; Fonda supplies a steady, questioning point of view. Davis does not have to dominate every scene to become essential to the whole.
Does Mackenzie Davis steal the show in Below?
That depends on what viewers come for. Creature-feature fans may remember the grotesque reveals and ominous icebergs; viewers drawn to family drama may connect more strongly with Calvin and Wade. Davis supplies a key ingredient that lets those strands coexist: a believable person trying to make sense of a world that refuses to make sense.
Fonda’s job is to investigate, not promise that every mystery can be solved. Davis makes that uncertainty feel genuine, which is why her scenes linger after the shocks have passed. The series may be built around an outrageous monster, but its emotional stakes depend on people who feel real.
What to know before watching
- Series: Below, a six-episode Netflix limited series.
- Davis’s character: Fonda Howander, a marine biologist investigating the mystery threatening Snook’s Arm.
- Setting: A Newfoundland fishing community facing a sea-creature crisis and pressure to leave its home.
- Best reason to watch: The contrast between grounded character work and increasingly strange coastal horror.
Frequently asked questions
Who does Mackenzie Davis play in Below?
Mackenzie Davis plays Fonda Howander, a marine biologist who works with fisherman Calvin Penney to investigate the mysterious threat facing Snook’s Arm.
Is Fonda Howander important to the plot?
Yes. Her research helps the characters interpret the creature’s behavior and connect the mystery to the changing marine environment.
Is Below a horror series or a drama?
It is a thriller that blends creature-feature horror with family drama, community conflict, and environmental themes.
Will Mackenzie Davis return for Below Season 2?
Netflix describes Below as a limited series, and no second season has been officially confirmed. The finale leaves mysteries open, but that is not the same as a renewal announcement.
Where can I watch Below?
Below is available on Netflix’s official title page.
Sources and further reading
- Netflix Tudum: Below cast guide
- Netflix Tudum: Below first-look photos and series details
- Reuters: Below cast on Newfoundland and the show’s themes
By Shivam Das
