And so, we reach the end of Apple TV Plus' British police procedural show Criminal Record, which explores problems with policing in modern London and stars Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi.
For nine episodes we've followed June Lenker (Jumbo) as she investigates an alarming 999 call, which leads to her unpicking a past murder case for which an innocent man may be in prison.
This has put her up against Daniel Hegarty (Capaldi), who led that previous investigation, and in the penultimate episode The Sixty-Twos we learned why he ended up putting an innocent man behind bars.
But now the final episode Carla has aired, and it brings with it some unexpected twists and a creepy final scene that may have you rethinking the series.
So let's dig in and explain the Criminal Record ending. As you can imagine, spoilers ensue.
Who killed Adelaide Burrowes?
Errol Mathis was falsely jailed for killing his partner Adelaide Burrowes, but Lenker is convinced that she's innocent, despite Hegarty's insistence. And in Carla, we learn that Lenker is right... the murder was really a Stefan Ash (Paul Thornley).
Ash owned some properties in the same tower as Mathis, and also frequented the man's apartment for haircuts, which is how he knew Burrowes and had access.
We've met Ash occasionally through the series, because he's an informant for Hegarty and his peers, and so a blind eye was turned to most of his criminal antics. However, murder is one step too far, so after a manhunt, he's finally arrested.
What happened to Ash?
Unfortunately, as Ash was being taken into police custody for questioning, the van he was in was attacked in a drive-by shooting, and he was killed. Hegarty was shot too, though he survived.
We can probably point the finger for this at Kim Cardwell (Shaun Dooley), as shortly before the van departs, Hegarty's henchman calls someone to let them know.
In fact, Hegarty's other henchman Tony Gilfoyle (Charlie Creed-Miles) thinks Hegarty in fact organized this, to cover any past misdeeds the trio (known as the Sixty-Twos) got up to.
Was Errol Mathis let off?
Yes! After the police realize that Stefan Ash was the murderer, they finally free Errol Mathis, who has a teary reunion with his son.
Mathis eventually creates a memorial to Burrowes as well as his mother, who was killed during the investigation.
What happened to Lenker's family?
A sub-plot through Criminal Record is about Lenker's home life: her mother is suffering from dementia, her partner seems to be harboring many racial prejudices that are threatening their relationship, and her son is targeted by the Sixty-Twos to get to Lenker.
However these sub-plots aren't really mentioned in the final two episodes. You'd be forgiven for thinking you'd missed something, but you didn't, the series forgets this aspect of Lenker's life.
Aside from a short throwaway line to Hegarty near the end of the episode, about how her son was dealing with the police ordeal, we don't know what happens to her mother or partner.
What happens to Hegarty's family?
Another sub-plot through Criminal Record looks at Hegarty's family: his daughter Lisa (Maisie Ayres) is a drug addict who seems to resent her father, while the detective also acts as a surrogate father figure to Mathis' son Patrick (Rasaq Kukoyi).
By the final episode, Lisa has moved out to live with Patrick, but it sounds like she no longer hates Hegarty, and is worried when he's shot.
If the police take issue with Hegarty taking under his wing the son of a man he falsely convicted for murder, who lives in a home that was acquired presumably-illegally by the actual murderer, it's never mentioned.
What does that final scene mean?
Criminal Record ends on an important scene: Lenker has been re-listening to a young Patrick Mathis' recorded interview with Hegarty, when the child talks about how Errol shouted at Burrowes...
...until Lenker realizes that this is simply another case of Hegarty leading on his interviewee! Patrick isn't quoting what his two guardians shouted at each other, but what a cartoon animal is shouting on the TV in the room!
Before this scene, Hegarty had been showing some remorse for his actions, and even went so far as to admit that unconscious prejudice may have swayed his hand in the initial investigation against Errol Mathis.
However when Lenker calls Hegarty to confront him, the older detective only seems bemused, and happy with himself for having tricked everyone into thinking that he was reformed. The show ends with Hegarty smirking and hanging up the phone — was our seemingly happy ending actually just a case of Hegarty successfully hiding more secrets?
It lends credence to what Tony suggested, that Stefan Ash's death was organized by Hegarty to keep the secrets buried. Maybe a second season of Criminal Records will have to continue this conflict between Hegarty and Lenker!
