The Night Manager season 2 ending explained as fans left ‘heartbroken’ over deaths
The BBC drama came to an explosive end that perfectly lined up series 3
The Night Manager series two finale did not disappoint. Nearly a decade after season one’s explosive ending, the Tom Hiddleston thriller came to a dramatic conclusion that saw several characters meet their deaths.
The gory finale saw Jonathan Pine, played by Tom Hiddleston, watch in despair as his carefully curated plan came crumbling down when his nemises, Hugh Laurie’s Richard Roper, worked out his devious scheme and took out his own son, Diego Calva’s Teddy Dos Santos, for plotting against him.
Meanwhile, back in London, Olivia Coleman’s Angela Burr was also murdered in the last few minutes of the show, but what does the ending mean, who killed Angela, what happened to Pine and what was the meaning behind the red rose in the final scenes? Here’s everything you need to know.
The Night Manager season 2 ending explained
Much of the final episode was based around Pine and his team, Teddy included, planning Roper’s downfall in the hopes of diverting his purchase of an electromagnetic pulse bomb meant to plunge South America into chaos, but in a 10-minute showdown in a Colombian forest, it’s revealed that Roper was one step ahead of them the whole time.
After working out their plan to divert the electromagnetic pulse device away from him and his Colombian co-conspirators, Roper reuses his famous line from season one and tells Pine to “watch the cups.”
Viewers then witness in horror as Pine’s allies, who were waiting at San Marcos airfield, find a single red rose inside the decoy package, instead of the weapon, which was delivered to Roper in the jungle.
In a shocking moment, Roper then steps towards his son Teddy and tells him: “When you were a baby you had the face of an angel… I forgive your immortal soul, but not your mortal one,” and proceeds to shoot him in the head. He then turns to a devasted Pine and says: “Just so you know Jonathan, my offer was real, we could have done so much together.”
It looks like Roper is also about to kill Pine when private detective Martin, played by Diego Santos, turns up and gives him the chance to run, but not before he is shot a few times by Roper. Martin is then killed in the getaway car while an injured Pine manages to escape. The jungle scenes end with a bleeding Pine looking on in despair as he hears the gunshots ring out that kill Martin. It seems it’s winner takes all, and Roper is the winner.
In the last few minutes of the finale, the show cuts back to Angela, who is at home with her young daughter and can be seen leaving a voicenote for somebody on her phone, telling them she has been “digging into some files, and there’s something beyond Roper, there’s a bigger game plan, and I have the name.” The name is not revealed and seconds later Angela is found shot dead in the snow outside her home with an unknown killer walking away in the background.
Will there be a third season?
Richard Roper, played by Hugh Laurie, came out on top during The Night Manger series 2 final(Image: BBC)
The question mark around Angela’s last few moments and her killer is the perfect set up for season three, which the BBC has confirmed is already in the works. You can read more about series three here.
Speaking to RadioTimes about the ending, writer David Farr said of the rose: “It relates back, I suppose, to the rose that Teddy leaves at the grave of his mother. At that point, of course, Roper knows the truth. He realises the betrayal. I think he’s done it instinctively, which is kind of how I did it, to be really honest.”
While director Georgie Banks-Davies added: “A rose is so contradictory, because it’s actually saying, ‘I love you all – well done, touché, that was a good game of chess. I’ll shake your hand’.”
David also explained that Angela’s “legacy will continue” in series three, telling the publication: “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.”
What have viewers said?
Reacting to the finale on social media, one viewer wrote: “Oh my gosh!!! The final of The Night Manager Series 2 was amazing!!! I was in tears though during one particular scene! It was heartbreaking!!! I cannot wait for Series 3!!! Tom Hiddleston an Diego Calva are such amazing actors!!!”
While another added: “Absolutely broken nobody kills Olivia it was a traumatising ending.”
And a third said: “The Night Manager had one of dramas great finishes. It really was one you’ll never forget. The cliffhanger of hangers.”
The Night Manager series one and two is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.
