Helen Mirren opens up about the wild and emotional ending of Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club has finally dropped on Netflix, and viewers who have already read Richard Osman’s bestselling novel are already buzzing. The film follows four sharp-minded friends at Coopers Chase. It’s a seemingly peaceful retirement community, until murders start happening right on their doorstep.

So, the story follows Elizabeth, Ron, Ibrahim, and Joyce as they solve mysteries that baffle the local police. They tackle a decades-old cold case, suspicious deaths at Coopers Chase, and shady property dealings that could see their home sold to a developer.

The ending of Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club is packed with emotion and surprises, and now Helen Mirren and the creators have weighed in on it.

So, what happens in the ending?

Tony Curran via Netflix

Tony Curran, one of the co-owners of Coopers Chase, is accidentally killed by the groundskeeper Bogdan in self-defence. Ian Ventham, trying to sell the property, is secretly killed by John to protect his wife Penny. They had been quietly seeking justice for decades. Meanwhile, old secrets about Angela Hughes finally come to light, Bobby Tanner’s criminal past is exposed, and Coopers Chase ends up in the hands of Joyce’s daughter, Joanna, thanks to a deal brokered by Elizabeth.

‘The murder mystery is the foundation, but it’s not the essence’

Elizabeth via Netflix

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Now, speaking to Tudum, Helen Mirren, who plays Elizabeth, explained that the ending of Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club isn’t just about solving murders. “The murder mystery is the foundation, but it’s not the essence,” she said. “The essence is these characters and their humanity. It’s comedic, but it has these serious issues within it as well. The issues that you have to deal with the further you get into your life, the diminishing of your mind and your body, and how to deal with that.”

In other words, the deaths and secrets reveal the moral complexities and emotional weight of this stage of life. Penny’s story, for instance, isn’t just about the crime. Mirren said, “The painful thing as you get older is that you lose people. Seeing her dear friend who was so alert, smart, active, passionate, and now has been wiped out by a stroke is difficult to process.”

Elizabeth’s own perspective also shows a morally ambiguous side. “Elizabeth lives in that world. Her profession was a morally ambiguous profession. So from her perspective, justice was done,” Mirren said.

The story is more than just a ‘whodunnit’

via Netflix

Producer Jennifer Todd also emphasised the emotional layer. She explained that the finale reflects the realities of aging and the human connections at the heart of the story. “What the ending does is it reminds you of the chapter they are in.”

Todd added, “Elizabeth’s got a husband who’s struggling with memory. And a best friend adventurer pal for her whole life who’s now basically in a coma.”

“Even though Elizabeth’s off solving crime and having fun, that’s why she’s here. And it reminds you of the gravitas and the hard part of being in this chapter of your life,” Todd said.

Richard Osman added that the story is about more than just “who did it.” He said, “To me, whodunits are never about what happens; they’re about why I care what happens.” He added, “I try and write people as real. And when you do that, you can’t have an open and shut, black and white, this person’s evil and this person’s good, good has prevailed story. It just wouldn’t be fun to write or read.”

The Thursday Murder Club is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.