The Night Manager season 2 finale spoilers ahead.
The Night Manager season 2 finale was nothing short of devastating. And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. After a gripping season of seductive twists and turns that had us perched on the very edges of our seats, things came to an epic conclusion with a showdown that was practically Shakespearean in proportion.
The first season of The Night Manager saw Tom Hiddleston's Jonathan Pine taking down international arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie) in a thrilling spy adventure. The second season, which picked up ten years later, saw Pine unexpectedly find himself embroiled in a new spy caper. This time, his investigations took him to Columbia, where he found himself dealing with Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva) and Roxana (Camila Marone), who seemed to be involved in an underground arms-dealing conspiracy. And, of course, it was Roper – come back from the dead – who was ultimately behind it all.
The unforgiving, brutal finale was just as painful and heartbreaking as it was exhilarating. Here's what went down.
The Night Manager season 2 ending explained
The explosive finale begins with Pine, Sally (Hayley Squire) and Martin (Diego Santos) ready to expose and end Roper's Colombian arms deal. At this point, the trio have a plan: the plane full of Roper's weapons (which is meant to be on route to a secret exchange in the jungle) has actually been diverted to be discovered by Columbia’s attorney general along with members of the media.
Pine makes one final plea to Teddy. “You can be free. But not with him alive,” he tells a willing Teddy. The “him” in question is, of course, Pine's nemesis and Teddy's father, Richard Roper.
Inside all of the breathtaking Night Manager filming locations.
As the arms deal plot fast-approaches, Roxy and Roper have a moment – she reveals that Teddy has switched to the other side before Roper takes a moment to reveal his villain origin story – something about boarding schools and mummy issues.
Pine and Teddy continue to get closer. Teddy, still pretending to be team Roper, watches on as Pine is beaten by Roper's men, before cleaning his wounds. Teddy seems to know this won't end well…
Teddy's tragic end
The Night Manager season 2 finale was nothing if not bold in its choices. This is a show where people are driven to horrible acts and the unimaginable plays out in cold, unforgiving detail – and naturally, we're unable to tear our eyes away from the screen.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy of the season was the death of Teddy Dos Santos. Although he was initially painted as the season's villain, he eventually became the antihero we couldn't help but root for – especially considering his beautiful, soulful connection to Pine. We let out a cheer when Pine managed to convince Teddy to turn against his father, Roper. But, in a merciless twist, Roper proved to be more cold-blooded than we could have imagined. In an epic showdown in a Columbian forest, Roper puts a bullet into his son's head: “I forgive your immortal soul. But not your mortal one," are his final words to Teddy.
“For Roper, obviously, it's a massive demonic decision that he takes. So I didn't enjoy it, but I never had a moment's doubt in my head that that was the thing that had to happen,” writer David Farr told Esquire of the brutal twist. “Literally, it was the thing I knew from the very, very, very beginning of the writing.”
Did Jonathan Pine survive?
As if all of that wasn't enough, our hero, Jonathan Pine, also ended the season on a bit of a low. During the jungle showdown, Pine is shot in the arm – Roper would have killed him, of course, but Martin arrived on the scene to save the day. Pine is left bleeding in the Colombian forest, running for his life. Martin was less fortunate, and was killed in his car.
It's certainly not the most hopeful ending for Pine. Roper is back at large, Teddy and Martin are dead, and Pine himself has certainly been taken down a peg or two.
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What happened to Angela Burr?
In yet another tragic twist, Olivia Coleman's Angela Burr also met a bloody end in the finale. It seems she knew too much about the Roper conspiracy. In her final moments, she is seen anxiously recording a voice note about “bigger plans" before being assassinated in her home. Her body was left to be found by her young daughter.
“[Coleman] expressed how bittersweet it is. And that it's sort of a heroic ending in that way,” said Georgi Banks-Davies to Esquire. “She is literally the sacrifice for the cause, in a sense. She's so iconic in the show and as the character that she plays and how fundamental she is to Jonathan Pine's character and his whole journey. But Olivia will always support the most radical creative choice.”
Undoubtedly, Angela's mysterious death will be something to explore in season 3 of the show (and, yes, a third season is officially on the way.)
“The choices behind [her killing] and the reasons behind it... Those absolutely count,” Farr told Radio Times. “So her death will absolutely figure very strongly as an ignition point for the next season, because we're going to follow on quicker this time. There will be consequences.”
Inside all of the breathtaking Night Manager filming locations.
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