We’ve been on a journey this season with Last Seen. We’ve watched Ian Ridley (Patrick Brammall) as he’s fought to find his missing daughter and bring her back to his world. His hunt has cost lives and relationships, but he’s to the point of grabbing her. Can he finally bring her home? That’s what’s on the line in the finale episode, “The Choice.” Let’s dive in. SPOILERS BELOW.
Henry (Brendan Cowell) is running out of options. Jenna (Maxine Peake) is hurting and near death, and that’s why Sarah (Chloe Jean Lourdes) is freaking out. She wants answers. And Henry is promising them once they get where they are going. And where they are going is to the compound where his father (Colin Friels) holds court. He tells Sarah his father is a healer, and everything will be all right.
Meanwhile, Ian has grabbed Donald (Daniel Henshall) at gunpoint, and he’s forcing Donald to take him to Henry. Donald knows where they are going, and he tries to convince Ian he’s on his side. When they stop at a gas station, they come across Henry and Sarah. Ian can’t quite catch them, and he’s slowed by his wound.
As Donald and Ian hit the road again, Donald stops to offer treatment. Ian is hurting and bleeding out. While stopped, Donald comes clean about his past and his connection to Jenna. He tells Henry the truth about what Jenna said and why they took Ian’s daughter. And he finally tells Ian where they are headed. Ian heads off on his own, determined to get his daughter back no matter what.
But he’s not the only one hot on the trail. Detective Pena (Zahra Newman) has figured out where Ian and Henry are heading. Turns out Henry’s father’s compound was busted a few years earlier, and the compound is near empty. They head that way, hoping to hold everyone off.
A tepid homecoming
When Henry arrives, his father rushes out to help. But there’s little to be done. Jenna has died, and that leaves Sarah in pain and demanding answers. But Henry turns to his father and the few armed men left on the compound to help him fend off Ian. He keeps promising Sarah answers and tries to stash her some place safe as Ian arrives.
Sarah, meanwhile, finds a way free and runs to meet Ian, saving him from a bullet. But Henry’s father keeps up his pursuit, no matter the cost. He doesn’t seem to care that Sarah is in the way. So, Henry tracks down his father and shoots him in order to protect his daughter. But he’s quickly grabbed by Ian, who holds him at gunpoint.
It’s an ugly moment. Ian is pushed to the edge until Sarah comes out and stops him. She tells him she can’t stand to lose her father, which is what Henry is to her now. Ian is shaken, but he allows Sarah to collect Henry to leave. He’s been broken by the rejection of the daughter he fought so hard to find.
But that’s not the end and not freedom for Henry. As he and Sarah try to leave the compound, the police are waiting. Sarah suggests they can give up. But Henry sees only one way for it to end. He grabs his rifle and gets out of the car. He’s chosen suicide by cop, and he does it in front of Sarah.
The ordeal is over, for now. The cops have Sarah, and Henry is dead. As we end, Sarah is reunited with Deb (Jessica Wren) and Dean (Tobias Muhafidin). It’s awkward, but they are finding their way—as a family. Ian, meanwhile, has an awkward relationship with both Sarah and Deb. But they are safe and reunited, so he is at something like peace.
This was an interesting adventure. The focus was on Ian, and Brammall gave a good performance throughout the series. But Ian is the one who doesn’t really get a happy ending. The dark places he had to go and show to Sarah are an impediment toward their happy ending. But still, we end with everyone at least at peace.
Last Seen streams Wednesdays on Apple TV.
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