The Watcher is a tense Netflix series from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan that's based on a gripping true story. It tells the chilling tale of the Brannock family as they become stalked by a mysterious letter writer after moving into their new home.
As Dean (Bobby Cannavale) and Nora Brannock (Naomi Watts) desperately try to find out who their stalker is, their lives in Westfield, New Jersey leave them feeling even more unsafe than when they lived in New York. Between unwelcoming neighbors and threatening letters from "The Watcher", the Brannocks are at a loss as to what to do.
The show explores many potential suspects as it dives into the past of their house at 657 Boulevard. While Dean becomes obsessed with finding the identity of the Watcher, Nora comes to the conclusion that they must sell their dream home. But what happened in the last episode of the series? Is the true face of the Watcher revealed?
Read on to find out everything you need to know about the ending of The Watcher, but beware of spoilers ahead.
The Watcher ending explained: What happened to the Brannock family?
After the Brannocks finally deemed the house at 657 Boulevard unsafe for them, the series finale shows them back in their old home in New York. They seem happier, although Dean and Nora’s marriage still bears the marks of what the events in Westfield did to them, especially as Dean had sent the final Watcher letter himself to try and scare Nora into selling the property.
Their former dream house is up for sale but struggling to find a buyer until a mysterious LLC makes an offer to the Brannocks. It is well below market value, but the family cannot wait to be rid of the house and take it. Nora’s pottery career picks up and things seem to be getting better for the Brannocks... until Nora finds Dean tweaking the suspect board once more and cooking up another theory about the identity of the Watcher.
In the last moments of the episode, we see Dean in therapy, where he's trying to get a handle on his continued obsession with the Watcher. However, he quickly starts talking about 657 Boulevard, unprompted by his therapist, showing that the stalker still has a grip on him. Later, we find Dean standing outside the property, gazing at the house and its new owners, unable to let go. When he leaves, we find Nora there as well, and it seems like the mystery of 657 Boulevard will continue to have a strong hold on the Brannocks.
What happened to Theodora in The Watcher?
In the series finale, Dean and Nora learn that Theodora’s (Noma Dumezweni) health has taken a turn for the worse. During a hospital visit, Nora confided in Theodora, telling her that Dean was still trying to figure out who the Watcher could have been even though the family had left the house and tried to move on.
A few days later, Theodora called Dean back to her bedside where she confessed that she was the Watcher all along! She explained that she had been the previous owner of 657 Boulevard but had been forced to sell it to settle some financial difficulties from her divorce and to start paying for her medical bills. Later, she discovered her former partner had hidden more than $1 million away, so she hatched a scheme to get the house back from the Brannocks.
She claimed to have made up the story of John Graff, that she was the one who'd typed up all the Watcher's letters having been inspired by the "Ode to a House" letters that were distributed around Westfield, and that she had hired actors to help sell the story to the Brannock family.
It all sounds rather convincing, but her story is soon unraveled. Dean went to see Mo in person to make his apologies, and she revealed that Theodora had never lived at 657 Boulevard in the 25 years she'd lived next door to the house, and Theodora’s daughter revealed that Theodora had made the whole thing up in the hope of giving the family some peace of mind.
Who bought the house at 657 Boulevard?
Nora’s former friend and realtor Karen (Jennifer Coolidge) turns out to be the buyer behind the LLC's purchase of the house at 657 Boulevard. She promptly decides to undo the renovations the Brannocks did to the kitchen and has her own new pink marble countertops put into place instead.
Nora goes to confront Karen about the property, but Karen dismisses both her and the "big stink" the Brannocks had made about the letters they'd been receiving; it's clear she's not nearly as concerned about the Watcher as Dean and Nora were.
Predictably, things soon go south for Karen. As she gets ready for bed one night, she hears noises in the house and becomes quite concerned she might not be alone in there. After finding a letter from the Watcher in the dumbwaiter, she also finds her dog lying dead downstairs. Terrified, she runs out of the house, as a shadowy figure emerges from underneath the staircase behind her.
657 Boulevard soon finds a new owner, and a fresh family moves in whilst the whole neighborhood everyone in the neighborhood (plus Nora and Dean!) watches on. They also have children, and they seem delighted to settle into suburban life. That delight is sure to be short-lived, though, as the new owner Ben pulls a Watcher letter from the mailbox. Will they uncover the Watcher's identity? Who knows...
Who is The Watcher?
Just like how the real case remains unsolved, the identity of the Watcher is not revealed at the end of the Netflix series. However, viewers do catch a glimpse of the fictitious version of the mysterious stalker. Cloaked in dark clothing, they rise into frame behind Karen when she discovers her murdered dog and flees the home. Who the Watcher is is a question that will probably creep into her mind as much as it did for the Brannocks.
In the end, none of the neighbors are completely in the clear, but no tangible theory seems to hold up. Mo (Margo Martindale), Pearl (Mia Farrow) and even Roger (Michael Nouri) continue to keep a watchful eye on 657 Boulevard, but no one sits in front of a typewriter on camera. Similarly, the identity of the girl in the pigtails who snuck into Dean’s bed as he slept remains a mystery that will haunt his dreams forever.
The Watcher is available to stream exclusively on Netflix.
