And this is where things get really optimistic. The final scene reveals Dr. Brand Jr. did indeed reach the planet where her lover Edmund (who it appears has died) initially landed. Clearly the slingshot around the black hole and jettisoning of TARS and Cooper gave the Endurance the boost it needed to make it to the final prospective planet. And, unlike Waterworld or Hoth, this third time proves a charm; it boasts a breathable atmosphere (Brand is helmetless in the final scene) and suitable gravity, with the astronaut having set up a sizeable colony (something Mann couldn't on the ice world). Ultimately the Endurance mission has proven a success, with the only thing needed now for humanity to arrive. No doubt some people (probably those who believed Bruce Wayne in that cafe at the end of The Dark Knight Rises was in Alfred's mind) will suggest that this ending is all Murphy's wishful thinking, with Brand's actual fate and the viability of Edmund's planet up for debate. As enticing as this may be, the resoluteness of the rest of Interstellar's ending means that this happy final shot can be taken at face value.
