The Couple Next Door ending explained - What does Evie's final smile really mean?
Let's break it down.
In the final episode of Channel 4 thriller The Couple Next Door, tensions reached breaking point when the two central couples were forced to confront the chaos unfolding before them.
Evie had shunned Pete in pursuit of Danny, the father of her baby, which caused him to suffer a complete emotional collapse as all of their lives changed forever.
But how did this whole sorry saga wrap up? Read on for a comprehensive breakdown of where we left Evie, Pete, Danny and Becka in The Couple Next Door, plus what happened to Alan and Jean.
The Couple Next Door ending explained
Evie lured Danny to her family cottage in the woods by pretending she was in danger. She claimed her father Brian was preventing her from leaving after learning that she was pregnant with her neighbour's baby.
During the couples' stay at the spa hotel in episode 3, when Evie and Danny took things to the next level, his condom split, which they addressed in the moment.
But despite claiming she was on the contraceptive pill, it later emerged that was a lie.
When Evie lost her baby, she truly believed Brian had "cursed" her for turning to IVF, and she saw Danny as the answer to her prayers.
But not only did she want to keep the baby, she also declared her love for Danny and desperately wanted them to be a family.
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Naturally, Pete was heartbroken and furious when he learned he wasn't the father, and he also demanded that she have an abortion.
From that point, his mental state began to deteriorate substantially, and his dislike of Danny, which had always been there, increased tenfold.
When he arrived at the cottage, he produced the gun he'd stolen from the traffic cop and pointed it directly at him.
But he wasn't the only person present with a gun.
One of Robbie Spencer's goons was also in the woods, there to kill Danny. He had given evidence of the corrupt businessman's crimes to Pete, which were subsequently published in the local paper and landed Robbie in jail.
But his revenge plot failed when Brian shot Robbie's henchman dead.
Following that, a struggle ensued between Danny and Pete, with the former trying to wrestle the gun from his hands. As shots rang out, Evie fled the cottage, with all four of them sprinting after her in a state of blind panic.
They reached a clearing and Pete, with gun still in hand, proceeded to point the weapon at both Evie and Danny, unsure quite what to do next.
He then begged his wife not to leave him, a moment of vulnerability which Danny exploited in an effort to retrieve the firearm. But a furious Pete shot Danny in the scuffle.
Danny was injured, but the wound was superficial. However, following that, Pete was seemingly gearing up to kill him - that is, until Evie stepped in and subdued him.
"Do you still love me?" he asked her, momentarily quelled.
She paused.
"No," she replied.
Following that, another shot rang out, but this time it was Pete who had been shot at Evie's hands.
When the full force of what she'd done hit her, she was inconsolable. But in the moments following as the shock wore off, her behaviour shifted.
What does Evie's smile really mean?
As Evie was being led to a police car by one of the officers on the scene, she took one final look at Pete, who had miraculously survived - for now, at least - and was being tended to in the ambulance, and her former neighbours Becka and Danny.
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Becka's expression towards the woman she once comforted when she had a miscarriage was one of alienation. And while Evie's expression initially suggested sorrow, it quickly morphed into something cold and detached.
But between Danny and Evie, there remained palpable chemistry, even after everything that had happened.
They drunk one another in from afar as they had done previously, before their lives imploded, and just before she turned away from him, she smiled, like the cat that got the cream.
It's an interesting detail, and while we can't speak for Evie, it indicates that she's very much still under Danny's spell, and that she has no regrets about pursuing him, despite the fallout that ensued.
What happened to Alan and Jean?
Alan suffered a stroke while he was pleasuring himself in Becka and Danny's bedroom. His obsession with the yoga instructor reached its lowest point when he slipped into the couple's house while they were away and found footage from of one of their foursomes, which he captured on his own mobile. But while he was enjoying himself, he collapsed.
The next time we saw Alan, he was in a wheelchair, unable to care for himself, and that's where he'll stay for the foreseeable.
That was also the beginning of the end for Alan and Jean's marriage. After learning of her husband's creepy extra-curricular activities, and that he had been lying to her about their financial situation, she thankfully decided to leave him.
And Jean also told her former husband that when he his health improved, the police would be paying him a visit.
"Actions have consequences, Alan," she said as she departed for a new life.
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The Couple Next Door airs on Channel 4 in the UK. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Drama hub for more news and features.
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