“The beast in Me” Concludes with Arrests, Confessions, and Lingering Shadows of Inherited Evil
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Netflix psychological thriller The Beast in Me wrapped its limited series run with a devastating finale, culminating in the arrest of Nile (Matthew Rhys) for murder, a cascade of tragic deaths within his family, and a haunting exploration of complicity and inherited darkness. The ending leaves viewers grappling with the moral ambiguities at the heart of the story, as revealed by creator Patrick Gordon in a recent interview.
The series’ climax saw Aggie (Meredith Hagner) framed by Nile for the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Teddy Fenig, after she discovered evidence linking him to Madison’s death. Aggie successfully convinced Nile’s wife, Nina (Brittany Snow) – and Madison’s former assistant - of Nile’s true nature. Pregnant Nina then skillfully provoked Nile into a confession, secretly recording the admission and delivering it to the FBI. Nile was later arrested and sentenced to three consecutive life sentences in prison, but not before granting Aggie one final interview from behind bars.
However, the fallout extended far beyond Nile’s incarceration. Upon receiving confirmation from Nile’s uncle, Rick (Tim Guinee), that his worst fears about his son were true, Nile’s father, Martin (Jonathan Banks), suffered a debilitating stroke. Rick,already facing arrest for his own involvement,then tragically smothered Martin to death in the hospital,claiming he acted to spare his brother from witnessing his son’s downfall and the destruction of the family legacy. In a final, chilling act, Rick orchestrated Nile’s murder in prison, seemingly to prevent the potential for further harm.
The series concludes with Aggie publishing her memoir,titled The Beast in Me. in the book, she acknowledges her own compromised role in the events, admitting her “hands are far from clean.” Creator Patrick Gordon explained the importance of this admission, stating, “It really is about a squaring with herself, a narrative that she’s told herself and the price of that, which she again says in her own book, confessionally, I’ll have to live with the fact that I have now been part of taking a son from another mother.”
The ending also casts a shadow over Nina, who is left to contemplate the future of her newborn child, fearing the potential for inherited evil.Snow described her character’s anxieties, saying, “Just like Jonathan Banks’ character and Matthew Rhys and their duality-I do think you wrestle with what are you giving your child to set them up with…Are you setting them up for success? Are you setting them up for failure in what you give them and how you give it?”