What Just Happened? Unpacking the Chaotic Ending of ‘The Last Thing He Told Me'

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Apple TV+’s latest mystery drama, The Last Thing He Told Me, has been making headlines for weeks leading up to the stunning season finale that dropped May 19. The series—which is an adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name—stars Jennifer Garner and Angourie Rice as a mother/stepdaughter duo trying to unravel the mysterious disappearance of Owen, their husband/father, respectively. In classic mystery form, the finale has left viewers with questions. Namely, “what the hell just happened?” and “will there be a season 2?!” Let’s talk about it.

In the weeks leading up to the finale, viewers saw Hannah (Garner) and Bailey (Rice) get closer to answering their question “where did he go, and why?” The unlikely duo field rumors of his involvement with a start-up business scam, remaining confident all the while that this simply could not be the case. Desperate to uncover the truth, the pair venture to Austin, Texas, where Bailey lived with Owen as a young girl before he met Hannah.

While revisiting Owen’s history, they learn he was once married to the daughter of a corrupt and powerful attorney tied up in organized crime. As a consequence of Owen's life in crime, he finds his wife murdered and chooses to flee with their daughter, changing their names and starting over. He begins working with the police to take down the crime syndicate, sending many of the associates to prison. Of course, not all made their way to prison, leaving quite a few hungry for revenge against Owen, forcing him to remain in hiding indefinitely.

When the aforementioned start-up scam makes major news, Owen knows his new identity will be leaked, jeopardizing his own safety as well as his daughter's. In an effort to keep her safe, he leaves her in the care of Hannah, who obviously has no idea about any of this.

With all of this on the table, Hannah is left with a choice: Does she enter witness protection with Bailey and hide for the rest of their lives, hoping Owen returns to them? Nah. Instead, she arranges a meeting with Nicolas, Owen’s former father-in-law, to propose a deal. Knowing they will never be safe alongside Owen, Hannah promises to keep herself and Bailey far away from him forever, as long as Nicolas can promise their safety. Part of the deal also involves Bailey forging new relationships with her estranged family, which sounds like fruit for a sequel.

Fast forward five years, and Hannah and Bailey are safe and happy. Hannah, an artist, is hosting an exhibition, where in the crowd she spots Owen. He walks toward her and whispers the last words he would ever tell her (get it?), “The could-have-been boys still love you.”

If you don’t remember, the “could have been” reference is a call back to a previous conversation between Hannah and Owen, when they discuss their past lovers and what could have been. Heartbreakingly, this has become the state of their relationship–what could have been between them. They still love each other, but they can’t be together, as all good romance dramas end.

'The Last Thing He Told Me' is currently streaming on Apple TV+

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