Zero Day: Who killed Bambi song's meaning and significance in the Netflix thriller, explained
Zero Day is a political thriller developed by Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, and Michael Schmidt for Netflix. The limited series, directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, was released on February 20, 2025.
It is a political conspiracy thriller about a catastrophic cyber attack that kills thousands of citizens and brings the country to a halt. George Mullen, a beloved and widely regarded former US president, is the focus of the limited series as he battles his own personal problems and leads the investigation into a nationwide hack.
Throughout the series Mullen hears the 1980s rock song Who Killed Bambi, representing his trauma of losing a young son.
Michael Schmidt, Eric Newman, and Noah Oppenheim are among the executive producers of the series, which stars Robert De Niro, Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Joan Allen, Connie Britton, Bill Camp, and Angela Bassett in prominent roles.
Who Killed Bambi is frequently played in Zero Day
A normal day in the life of the citizens of the United States of America turns into an apocalyptic nightmare when a cyber attack cuts off all communication lines, electricity, and power for one minute. As a result, over 3400 civilians lost their lives in a matter of minutes and countless others were affected by the panic aftermath.
George Mullen, a former President is tasked with heading the investigation at the newly formed Zero Day Commission. However, soon after the attack, Mullen began to hear the 1980s song Who Killed Bambi by the rock band S*x Pistols.
When he hears it for the first time, he orders the staff to shut the music down. But the staff member stares at him with a perplexed look. It is then that Mullen realizes that the music is not real and he might be having hallucinations.
Who Killed Bambi was playing when George Mullen's son died
Before heading to the Zero Day Commission office, Mullen checks a notebook with 'Who Killed Bambi?' written all over it like a question. In the corner of the page, we see the answer, 'I killed Bambi.'
As the pressure to catch the perpetrators of the cyber attack intensifies, Mullen's condition becomes concerning for his colleagues and wife. He agrees to go through a psych evaluation to prove his mental soundness but hides the song when asked by the psychiatrist.
It is later hinted that the song might be a part of his trauma of losing his son. As the song was playing on the music player when he found his son dead in his room. He had overdosed on drugs while Mullen was still in office. This event prompted him to not run for office for a second term and quit public service.
Why does George Mullen keep hearing Who Killed Bambi in Zero Day?
George Mullen may be hearing the music for one of two reasons. First of all, he might just be mentally deteriorating. Given his advanced age, it would be reasonable for the former president to be experiencing some kind of neurological condition that is forcing him to relive his son's death.
The alternative is that the covert NSA project Proteus is to blame for the song and the other negative consequences. Proteus was a neurological weapon that was intended to destroy brains remotely, and some of George Mullen's symptoms are similar to those of Proteus' victims. However, Zero Day never explicitly discloses if Proteus was used on George Mullen.
Stay tuned for more news and updates on Zero Day and other such films and TV shows on Netflix as the year unfolds.
