Inside Man Ending Explained (In Detail)

This article contains discussion of child abuse, suicide and domestic violence.

The ending of Inside Man explained a lot but still left some threads dangling in its final episode. Steven Moffat's Inside Man's central conceit is that "anyone can be a murderer" given the right circumstances. This theory is explored through the surprising connections between Jefferson Grieff, a convicted murderer on death row in the US, and vicar Harry Watling in a sleepy English village in the UK. When Harry's son Ben is unwittingly implicated in possession of child pornography, Harry makes a series of decisions to protect his son that have fatal consequences.

Putting a dark spin on a recurring Steven Moffat sex joke in Time Traveler's Wife about internet history, Ben's math tutor Janice (Dolly Wells) wrongfully believes Ben downloaded child pornography from the internet. In reality, Harry's troubled verger Edgar (Mark Quartley) gave the vicar the memory stick. In an attempt to protect his son and a troubled member of his congregation, Harry only makes things worse, eventually holding Janice prisoner until he can convince her of Ben's innocence.

It's this decision that catches the attention of Beth (Lydia West), a journalist who brings the vicar into the orbit of Jefferson Grieff. Beth becomes a key part of the ending, which leaves some folks in prison and others on the outside. Despite this, many of the biggest questions of Inside Man still remain unanswered four years later.

Where Is Grieff's Wife's Head In Inside Man? The Question Remains Unanswered

Steven Moffat's Inside Man ending explained that criminologist Jefferson Grieff is on death row for the brutal murder of his wife, and, due to his societal position, is allowed to consult on cases of moral worth. Stanley Tucci's Sherlock Holmes-esque character is repeatedly asked about this murder, and he is reluctant to explain his motive. One of the most horrifying aspects of Grieff's crime is that he beheaded his wife after death, and buried the head in a secret location. It's hoped that Grieff will give the family of his victim some closure by revealing its location, something he appears to have finally agreed to do in the Inside Man finale, when he offers the location in exchange for a stay of execution.

However, the location is a ruse by Grieff to deploy a team of men, in the employ of his father-in-law, to Harry Watling's house to rescue Janice before she too is murdered. He's successful in this, but the question of why Grieff murdered his wife remains unanswered, while the location of her missing head is still unknown. In the final scene, Grieff tells David Tennant's character Harry via video link that one day he may tell the vicar all about the circumstances of his wife's murder.

How Grieff Found Janice He Used His Immense Wits

Steven Moffat's Inside Man ending explained how Grieff found Janice. He simply guessed. However, this sells the ace criminologist a little short. Grieff explains he deduced the missing math tutor's location because a missing persons report wasn't filed. This enabled Grieff to narrow down Janice's location to either her own home or Harry's home, where she was due to have tutored Ben. Despite being a prisoner on death row, Grieff still clearly has strong connections with law enforcement, emphasized by his strange relationship with Casey, the prison warden.

Grieff initially sends Beth to Janice's home, where she discovers Harry's wife Mary (Lyndsey Marshal) attempting to return the tutor's missing laptop. This leads to a confrontation between the two that results in Harry's wife walking into the path of an oncoming bus, which is the biggest death on his conscience. Confirming that Janice isn't at home, Beth then arrives at Harry's house by the process of elimination, just in time to stop him from finishing the murderous job his son Ben had already started.

What Happened To Ben In Inside Man He Faced No Charges

At the end of Inside Man episode 3, Harry accidentally locked his son Ben (Louis Oliver, from the cast of Mike Flanagan's Midnight Mass) in the cellar with Janice. After a furious confrontation between the pair, Ben lashed out at his math tutor with a hammer, seemingly murdering her. Still intent on protecting his son, Harry agreed to take the blame for Janice's murder, calling the police and awaiting arrest. However, as Janice comes to, Harry realized he had to finish what Ben started so she couldn't tell the authorities about Ben's attack or her wrongful belief about his possession of child pornography.

Ben was last seen not far from the family home, covered in blood and traumatized by his ordeal. He collapses to the ground and vomits. In the conversation at the end of the Steven Moffat show, Harry confirms that Ben has not faced any charges for attacking Janice, nor is he under suspicion of being a pedophile. He's living with his uncle, "recovering" from his ordeal, and the loss of his mother. Steven Moffat's Inside Man ending explained that Harry held his hands up to everything, including the accidental attempted murder of his son.

What Harry Was Sent To Prison For In Inside Man There Are Several Options David Tennant looks serious in Inside Man

It's not explicitly stated which of the many crimes committed by David Tennant's village vicar put him in prison by the end of Inside Man. It's most likely the attempted murder and false imprisonment of Janice. In his video call with Jefferson Grieff, the killer references Harry's attempted murder of his son but concedes that it was accidental. It's unclear whether this factored into Harry's prison sentence. David Tennant's character swears he's not a villain, but Grieff reminds him of the people who lost their lives due to his actions: Edgar and Mary.

"There’s no dramatic shift in tone or sudden heel turn. Instead, Tennant tightens every scene with internal conflict. His face carries the burden of a man who still wants to believe he's good, even as circumstances prove otherwise." – Rob Sperduto's review of Inside Man for ScreenRant

It's not confirmed whether Harry was sent to prison for being in possession of Edgar's child pornography. However, given that the troubled verger left a suicide note stating that the vicar wasn't a pedophile and was covering for someone else, it's likely that this particular crime was expunged from his record.

It could easily be argued that forcing Edgar to confess his sins to God drove the troubled man to take his own life. Harry is guilty of either incitement or manslaughter. Whether Harry is serving time for Edgar's life is immaterial, as he clearly feels immense guilt over it, and will do so for the rest of his life.

What's Going On With Janice In Inside Man's Post-Credits Scene? It Only Adds To The Show's Many Lingering Questions

Steven Moffat's Netflix thriller has a post-credits scene that throws up more questions than it answers. Steven Moffat's Inside Man ending explained that Jefferson Grieff only has roughly a fortnight to live. So it's a huge surprise when Janice visits him on death row in the post-credits scene. Given her brutal ordeal at the hands of Harry and Ben, she recovered remarkably quickly to be able to board a transatlantic flight.

Presumably, Beth told her friend about how Grieff aided in her rescue, but Janice isn't visiting to thank him, she's visiting to offer him a very different case from the ones he's consulted on thus far. She asks him to help her with her husband's murder. The only catch is that Janice's ex-husband isn't dead, and rather than being a case for this death row Sherlock Holmes, she wants to consult him on how to commit the perfect murder. Strangely, Janice's husband hasn't been mentioned at all prior to this, which is strange given how much she clearly hates the man.

There are some moments in earlier episodes of Inside Man that, in retrospect, could hint at Janice's unhappy marriage, and possibly even a history of domestic abuse. She lives alone and has regular Skype calls with her sister, suggesting that she has a concerned family member who perhaps wants to ensure that Janice is still safe and well.

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When Janice is first introduced in Inside Man episode 1, she steps in to rescue Beth from a leering drunk on the London Underground, confidently stating to the man that his harassment is being broadcast online. This implies that Janice has first-hand experience of how to deal with abusive men who overstep boundaries. Moffat's history of presenting domestic abuse on-screen could give viewers pause if this is the direction the story is heading in.

However, he has already proved that Janice is no victim and is a fascinating and nuanced character who stood up to Harry right up until she was freed. Perhaps her ordeal with Harry and her second chance at life sparked her decision that her husband deserves to die.

The Real Meaning Of The Inside Man Ending A Father Will Do Anything To Protect His Son David Tennant as Harry Watling in Inside Man

Harry was a good man who was pushed to do bad things, and the central point of the series is that labels like "good" and "bad" may be too simple to apply to people. As a father, when he saw that Janice was going to ruin his son's life, all over a misunderstanding, he ended up realizing that he had to do some very bad things to save his child. Harry's actions were horrifying but well-intentioned, and he ends up sacrificing his own life to protect his child, which further complicates the narrative of good or bad actions. He was going to become the ultimate villain himself just to ensure his son had a life to grow up in, despite his boy never really doing anything wrong to begin with.

Harry's plan to take his own life also shows just how far the character could be pushed. He planned to kill Janice to ensure that nothing came back on his son and then kill himself. As a vicar, he knew that this would doom his soul, but he felt that protecting his son was what was more important.

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Inside Man also makes the point that this is not simply an isolated incident, but an example that could apply to anyone. A well-meaning vicar feels like a character who would be unlikely to become a killer, but he's not the only one who does. Grieff's story isn't explained in detail, but his actions to save Janice show that he's not a pure villain, and it's hinted that his story may parallel Harry's. That he has reasons for committing murder. Furthermore, Janice ends the series with the revelation that she intends to kill her husband. Like Grieff, the details of her motivations are not revealed, although it is suggested that she may be in an abusive marriage.

Between these three stories, Inside Man serves to look at ethical questions of justifications for murder, and to make the audience question themselves. It asks questions about what would make someone condone murder and what circumstances may drive seemingly "good" people to do heinous things.

Will There Be An Inside Man Season 2? The Chances Of Another Season Are Low

The Inside Man ending hints that there's another story to tell with Jefferson Grieff and Janice Fife. The mystery surrounding Grieff's wife certainly sets up David Tennant's return as a confidante in a potential season 2. Creator Steven Moffat even offered a hopeful update a few months after the first season's release. He seemed optimistic about the idea, as he revealed Inside Man performed extremely well. He and the BBC even discussed possible directions.

Unfortunately, the chances of Inside Man season 2 at this point are very, very low. The BBC didn't officially cancel the show. However, it has been four years without any update. What's more, Moffat, David Tennant, and Stanley Tucci have moved on to other projects. As such, viewers will be left with unanswered questions, and they can fill in the blanks however they want.

Release Date 2022 - 2022-00-00

Network BBC One

Directors Paul McGuigan

Writers Steven Moffat

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