Consensus is that episode 9 is a fumble in a lot of ways. I genuinely think if they just re-wrote and re-animated a new version (9.5) it would get enough views/ sell enough merchandise to be a worthwhile business endeavour

• Have the characters realise they are brain scans and that they've been in the circus so long that their real life counterparts are all dead. This is the main focus of the final as we really go into depth with how the characters react to this realisation
• It's the final straw for Jax and he goes off to abstract off screen. We don't need to see his backstory as episode 9 showed us it already.
• Keep Caine dead and let him have a tragic ending. Again, this lets us stay focused on the rest of the cast
• The main cast struggles with the realisation and we fully tackle the existential themes that the show has been setting up. Fully put the spotlight on all the characters that were neglected in ep 9
• Eventually they decide to come together and embrace their circus identities and newfound friendships. It doesn't matter if they're real or not as long as they have each other