If you thought The Girlfriend was building toward a tidy resolution – a protective mother finally exposing her son’s suspicious girlfriend, or a couple proving their love against all odds, think again.
Prime’s glossy psychological thriller went completely off the rails in its final episode, twisting what should have been a simple showdown into a spiral of betrayal, blurred loyalties, and one jaw dropping final act.
While it has been working the sinister slow burn angle throughout the entire series run, it’s the kind of twisted ending that has fans rabidly group-chatting, googling and asking the same thing: what on earth did we just watch?
What Happened In The Finale Of The Girlfriend?
By the final episode, Daniel (Laurie Davidson) is still recovering from his accident and caught between two forces: his fiercely protective mother, Laura (Robin Wright), and his girlfriend Cherry (Olivia Cooke), who refuses to back down from Laura’s scrutiny.
Convinced Cherry is dangerous, Laura secretly records a warning from Cherry’s own mother and in her desperation, drugs Daniel to make him hear it.
But when Cherry arrives at Laura’s home, tensions explode. Words soon escalate into violence, a knife is drawn, and the three find themselves in a frantic struggle by the pool.
In his drugged, disoriented state, Daniel believes Cherry’s life is in danger – and in trying to pull his mother away, he ends up holding Laura under the water.
The unthinkable then happens with Laura drowning at the hands of her own son.
What Is The Twist In The Finale Of The Girlfriend?
Just as viewers are reeling from the death of Laura, the series then jumps forward giving us perpetual whip-lash. Daniel and Cherry are now married, expecting a child, and seemingly living the happily-ever-after life. The very same Laura had worked so hard to prevent.
But, the illusion cracks in the closing moments when Daniel discovers his mother’s phone. On it is the recording Laura made, featuring Cherry’s mother warning that Cherry will always take what she wants, no matter the cost.
It’s a chilling sting that reframes everything we’ve just seen happen, the ultimate bait-and-switch on our own expectations of the core relationships.
Ultimately, it leaves Daniel (and all of us fans) questioning whether his new life is built on love or manipulation.
Why Was The Ending Of The Girlfriend So Chaotic?
True to its sinister genre form, nobody comes out clean. Laura lied about Daniel’s accident and crossed every line to get him back. Cherry played her own subtle but ruthless games. Daniel, in his attempt to protect someone, killed the very person who loved and raised him.
The finale denies us the comfort of the age old heroes and villains trope, instead offering up a tangle of obsession, fear and tragic mistakes.
What really adds to the chaotic pile on is the ambiguity. Cherry’s motives remain unclear, Laura’s paranoia isn’t entirely unfounded and Daniel’s guilt is set to haunt him into the depths forever. It’s less about resolution than it is about leaving viewers in a state of uneasy disbelief.
Could There Be A Second Season Of The Girlfriend?
Currently no second season has been confirmed, but the door is still open with fans hanging out for more. There are questions that still need answering, lest it eat away at us slowly and painfully:
Was Laura’s death as final as it looked? Can Daniel ever trust Cherry again after hearing that recording? And will Cherry’s true nature – a dangerous opportunist ever be revealed?
Where To Watch
If you have yet to sink your teeth into the pool-side drama of the finale, or any episode for that matter, you can tune into the entire episode drop on Prime Video.
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