Break out some string and your best conspiracy board, because the ending of Pieces of Her is mindboggling. The new Netflix series is based on the Karin Slaughter book of the same name, but even if you've read the thriller, the story is headache-inducing. Are you still trying to figure out what exactly happened? Allow me to help. From why Laura/Jane was in witness protection to who is really responsible for John Locke's — er, make that Martin Queller's — death, let's breakdown the ending of Pieces of Her (to the best of my ability, because trust me, I'm still confused too).
The series kicks off simply enough: the unassuming Laura Oliver (Oscar-nominee Toni Collette) is having lunch with her 911 operator daughter Andy (Bella Heathcote) when a disturbed young man opens fire in the restaurant, killing his ex-girlfriend and her mother. He then turns his gun on Andy, believing she's a police officer, which prompts Laura to attack him. He plunges a knife into her hand, and she promptly cuts his throat with it.
Since this is 2022, every terrifying moment is recorded on cellphones, and soon Laura is all over the news. This in turn leads her to send her daughter away in hopes of protecting her from a long-held family secret — they're both in witness protection. But that's just the beginning of the twists in store for this mother-daughter duo.
Who Is Laura Really?
Laura is actually Jane Queller, the daughter of the ultra-rich pharmaceutical company CEO Martin. As a young woman, she was a concert pianist until the enigmatic cult leader Nick entered her life. Once she became involved with Nick and his anarchist organization Army of the Changing World, Jane's life became increasingly more complicated. With her boyfriend out to make an example of her father, Jane was caught between the two toxic men.
At the same time, she was trying to protect her brother and fellow cult member Andrew. After their father was killed on stage at the Oslo conference, they both took part in Nick's ransom scheme which involved holding Professor Maplecroft hostage. Nick killed Maplecroft in the same manner that Jane would go on to kill the active shooter. Andrew was shot as they fled the scene, and it was his death that prompted Jane to turn herself in to the FBI in exchange for serving a short sentence and being placed in witness protection along with her unborn daughter.
What Was Up With Andy's Recurring Dream?
Throughout the series, Andy has a recurring dream about hiding in a fort on a snowy day. In the penultimate episode, it's revealed that Andy spent the first few years of her life living with Jane's friends Eli and Clara while Jane was in prison. When her mom was finally released from prison, Andy didn't want to leave the only parents she had ever known, so she ran and hid in her fort. In the end, her dream was actually a memory of the traumatic day when she was taken away from Eli and Clara and returned to Jane.
What Happens To Nick?
After causing the car crash that killed Charlie, Nick took Andy back to the cabin where she spent her early years with Clara and Eli. It's there that he reveals to Andy that he's her dad and lures Jane back into his orbit. It turns out he's been after the briefcase full of money that Jane sent Andy off with in the premiere this whole time.
But he doesn't want the money, instead he wants a tape that's hidden in the suitcase. The tape has been Jane's trump card for 30 years, because of a damning conversation between Nick and her older brother Jasper. The recording features the two conspiring to pull off the events from the Oslo conference in order to install Jasper as CEO of the Queller family's pharmaceutical company. Nick wants to use the tape to blackmail Jasper, who is running for Vice President, and gain a pardon.
At this point, Andy realizes her bio dad is responsible for the car crash, and she sets a fire as a distraction. Nick then shoots her in the arm, before Jane drags her daughter out of the house and goes after Nick. Before she can kill him, the police arrive and at long last take him into custody.
Who Is Really Responsible For Martin's Death?
The finale's big twist is reserved for the final moments. During their cabin confrontation, Nick wants to know how the Oslo conference went so wrong. He and Jasper had only planned to have their plant, Grace, hit Martin with a dye pack to demonstrate how he had blood on his hands. Instead, Grace killed him and then herself.
Ultimately, it was Jane who gave Grace the gun and asked her to murder Martin. After discovering she was pregnant, Jane's father had tried to poison her to induce a miscarriage, and she knew she and her daughter would never be safe as long as Martin was alive. Jane smuggled the gun into the conference, and gave it to Grace, who agreed to kill Martin both because of his role in her husband's death and because she was a mother herself.
In the end, Jasper reveals he knows his sister is responsible for their father's death, but because of his political ambitions, he agrees never to reveal her secret. Andy also figures out her mother had Martin killed, but since the season ends with the two walking together on the beach, she seems to have made peace with her mother's past.
Could There Be A Pieces Of Her Season 2?
Maybe? There are plenty of loose ends left at the end of Season 1, the most glaring of which is what was up with Paula? But since all of the major storylines are wrapped up, this one's most likely a one and done, even though there are lingering questions about Jane's time with the Army of the Changing World.
The Pieces of Her ending was more than a little bit confusing, but no one can say this story of a daughter unraveling her mother's past didn't deliver on the twists and turns front.
Images: Mark Rogers/Netflix; Netflix