Warning: The following article contains major spoilers to The Sinner season 4.
If you avidly watched every season of The Sinner since its Jessica Biel inception, you’ll no doubt have felt invested in the explosive events and revelations that led to the final episode of season four.
Yes, the season (and series) finale was a real mind-bender, with detective Ambrose finally getting to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Percy Muldoon, a resident of the sleepy Maine-based village where the series is set.
And while all the answers were seemingly revealed in that epic finale, there was an awful lot to take in at once. Here, we recount exactly what happened, and what it all meant.
What happened at the end of The Sinner season 4?
Season four’s plot began with detective Ambrose (Bill Pullman) finally choosing to hand in the tools and take a breather after a whirlwind (not to mention exhausting career) solving crimes, and particularly in order to deal with Jamie Burns’ death in season 3—something he continues to feel guilty about.
He travels to a quiet town in Maine where he hopes to find some peace and quiet. But it seems the mystery follows Ambrose more than he chases it, because he quickly becomes involved in another potential crime.
This time, it surrounds the disappearance of local woman Percy Muldoon (Alice Kremelberg).
As it turns out, Percy’s wider family have a whole stash of secrets to add to the mystery. As Ambrose speaks to the ghost of Percy (who is a figment of his imagination), he learns that the Muldoon’s were involved in a human trafficking ring.
In the final episode, it is revealed that Percy had shot dead Bo, the eldest son of rival family, the Lam’s. Bo had been stealing from the Muldoons, and when he got into a violent altercation with Percy’s family, she saved them by shooting him dead.
The Muldoon’s tried to keep Lam family quiet about the murder by giving them fishing permits. They also offered up their own fishing island as a gravesite for Bo.
But two years later, Percy remained wracked with guilt. It’s here that we learn she chose to end her own life by throwing herself off a cliff. In the final scene, Ambrose is seen talking to the woman in his subconscious as he stands on the same cliff.
The Sinner season 4 ending explained
Once it’s confirmed that Percy died by suicide, the final scene reveals Ambrose and Percy (who is still a figment of his imagination) having a final chat at the cliff.
Ambrose is still deeply effected by his own past and guilt, however his location and discussion with Percy isn’t a sign that he intends to meet the same fate as her.
When Percy asks him if he could see another way to deal with his guilt, Ambrose tells her that he can. It’s a symbolic full-circle moment ultimately proving that he is beginning to move on and process everything that’s happened.
Speaking to TV Line, the show’s executive producer Derek Simonds explained that he had always imagined this would be how Ambrose’s story came to an end.
“Season 4 was a welcome opportunity to fully complete Ambrose’s journey… I always imagined that Season 4 would close his trajectory in a (hopefully) satisfying way. That was always the intention,” he said.
Simonds continued: “In Season 4, I was very interested in crafting a season around the theme of guilt—what we do with it and how it festers if we don’t process it… the weight on Ambrose and what ultimately will shake him out of that burden and redeem him.”
Will there ever be a season five of The Sinner?
The show hasn’t been renewed and Simonds has confirmed that he’s not working on another season, but (and this is a big but), he isn’t saying no to revisiting Ambrose’s life a few years down the track.
“I could definitely [revisit] the show. I think that would be a fun experience, after some time, to revisit the character,” he told TV Line.
However, he did reiterate that if there were more seasons straight after the most recent one, the show would be in danger of repeating itself with “diminishing returns”.
He then added: “But I love the idea of working with Bill again, and revisiting this world that I’ve lived in for the past five years and have really cherished, so I’m always open to that.”
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