Spoilers ahead for the Mint ending!
BBC One’s Mint has had our hearts firmly in its grip for weeks. What began as a modern-day Romeo and Juliet-style crime drama — more Taylor Swift Love Story than Shakespearean tragedy, at least on paper — quickly spiralled into something far darker.
It’s been a packed few weeks of streaming, with Netflix’s Unchosen ending, The Capture wrapping its third season, the Number One Fan finale landing, and that wild twist in Beef season two. Thankfully, there’s still plenty to keep us glued to our sofas, including the new season of Celebrity Traitors.
But before we move on and collectively cry ourselves to sleep, let’s talk about that Mint ending.
Mint follows Shannon (Emma Laird), the daughter of a dominant local crime family, who lives in the long shadow of her father, Dylan (Sam Riley). Desperate for something beyond violence and control, she falls head over heels for Arran (Benjamin Coyle-Larner), a member of a rival crime family newly arrived in town. Their relationship quickly deepens into something intense and all-consuming, shifting the balance of power around them in ways neither fully understands.
Over eight episodes, the series builds a tense world of loyalty, jealousy and revenge. But nothing could have prepared us for that Mint ending. Let’s break it down.
Why did Sam kill Arran?
Shannon’s father had stepped back from the day-to-day running of the family “business,” leaving long-serving member Sam (Neil Leiper) in charge. It quickly became clear that Sam had no interest in rules or restraint, relying instead on brute force and escalating violence to maintain control.
Things came to a head in the final moments of episode four, when Sam murdered Arran as Shannon looked on, helpless to intervene. Even though he was in disguise, there was no mistaking who was responsible.
Sam’s motives were rooted in obsession. He harboured unrequited feelings for Shannon and resented her relationship with Arran, a rival from the opposing crime family. Jealousy, plain and simple, drove him to act.
Why did Shannon get together with Sam?
Given that Sam killed her true love, Arran, it initially feels shocking to see Shannon seemingly in a relationship with him in episode eight.
The episode opens with Shannon running into Sam at a club, where she asks him to dance. He is visibly surprised by her sudden warmth and even questions it, but she frames it as respect for his leadership and the protection he’s provided her family. She flirts with him further, all while briefly hallucinating or imagining Arran’s presence, suggesting her grief is still very much unresolved. Or guilt at flirting with his killer?
We can't wait to get stuck into this torrid crime drama.
In reality, Shannon is performing. In a calculated move to protect her family from Sam’s increasingly unhinged behaviour, she fakes affection for him. What looks like romance is actually strategy: she is keeping him close, controlled, and contained.
At her birthday celebration with her family, Sam is present as her guest, and to the outside world, it appears the two are a couple. Her grandmother, Ollie (Lindsay Duncan), and mother, Cat (Laura Fraser), are not impressed and question her actions.
For a moment, viewers fear Shannon may have surrendered completely, wholly committed to sacrificing herself for peace between Sam and her family. We feared she didn't have a bigger plan.
But, as it turns out, we should have known our girlie better.
Did Shannon get revenge on Arran's killer?
At the end of the rather anxiety-inducing dinner party, Shannon leaves with Sam despite the concerned looks from her mum and grandmother.
Back at Sam’s house, as he begins to undress, she quietly retrieves a gun from her handbag and raises it, taking aim.
In the final moments of Mint, a single gunshot is heard. We don’t see Sam fall. Instead, the camera stays with Shannon, catching the brief spark of muzzle flash reflected in her eyes. This is her moment, and the focus remains entirely on her.
The aftermath is left deliberately unseen, but the implication is clear. What matters is not the body, but the choice. But no dead body can be a bad omen in these kinds of shows, so we have to hope her aim was true.
What happened to Shannon?
The episode ends with Shannon shooting Sam, leaving his fate deliberately unresolved. All we can do is hope she killed him.
What happens next is left hanging. Does she go to prison for it? Possibly, especially given her final phone call, in which she mentions seeing her father “in a couple of days,” which could very easily be interpreted as a visit after she is arrested.
Will there be retaliation from the gang? It seems unlikely. Shannon is Andy’s own family, and several members of the organisation have already begun to turn against Sam. On top of that, Cat and Ollie would almost certainly do whatever it takes to protect her.
Either way, she got justice for Arran.
What happened to LiAngelo?
LiAngelo (Connor Newall) is deeply affected by the death of his brother, Arran, who had only become involved in the business because of him.
In episode eight, we see LiAngelo return to the shop intoxicated, before being startled by a noise in the distance. He rushes inside and retrieves a gun.
That shocking twist unpacked.
What happens next is left entirely unclear. Did he take his own life? Did he use the weapon on someone else? Or did he pass it to Shannon to use against Sam? The outcome is left deliberately — and frustratingly — vague.
Who took over the Evans family business?
So this is one of the key loose ends left hanging in the Mint ending. With Dylan gone and Sam (presumably) dead, the question becomes: who actually takes over the family business?
There’s a power vacuum at the heart of the gang, and very little structure left to hold it together. At least half the group had already walked out during Sam’s reign, unable to tolerate his increasingly violent and impulsive leadership.
Which raises the question: Does the gang even exist anymore? Or is there another option?
Early in episode eight, Eddie (Gordon Brown) suggests to Cat that she take over running things temporarily until the situation stabilises. Cat doesn’t shut the idea down outright. Later, she approaches Andy (Clive Russell) directly, trying to make him see that Sam has become uncontrollable. He remains largely unsympathetic, but she proposes a compromise: she runs things day-to-day, with Andy retaining final say. He says he will “consider it”.
Cat later tells Ollie she believes Andy may agree. Ollie, however, urges caution and insists Shannon must be kept out of it entirely, warning that the situation with Sam is far from over.
At the birthday dinner, Sam reveals that Andy has already informed him of Cat’s plan and has decided to keep the status quo. He also makes a chilling remark, saying he is “glad” Shannon has found a man to take care of her. Ooft.
But if Sam is dead, perhaps Andy will reconsider the offer.
Did Shannon forgive Dylan?
Shannon grew up believing her parents had a fairytale marriage, an ideal that ultimately drove her own pursuit of love. However, she soon discovers that reality was far more complicated.
Her father, Dylan, had been hiding his sexuality for years, secretly living a double life. Shannon learns that Dylan’s father, Andy, had effectively pressured him into taking over the family business, stripping him of any real choice. He hadn’t even chosen his wife, as Andy had arranged Dylan and Cat’s match when they were teenagers, treating it as a strategic alliance for the family.
In this sense, Dylan had been just as trapped as Shannon or Cat within the same controlling system.
Eventually, Dylan walks away from the business — and from his old life — to be with his partner Tom, as Tom undergoes cancer treatment and chemotherapy.
Over the course of Mint, Shannon matures significantly and comes to understand the weight of her father’s choices. She forgives him for finally choosing his own path and for living authentically, recognising the value of true love beyond obligation and expectation.
Shortly before confronting Sam, Shannon smokes a cigarette and calls Dylan. She tells him she understands why he left, and why he has made the choices he has. She says she forgives him, and simply wants him to be happy.
You can watch Mint on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
