Doctor Foster finale: 10 questions we need answered
Series two of bonkers breakup thriller Doctor Foster is about to screech to a conclusion. After four weeks of gleeful melodrama, what odds on writer Mike Bartlett tying the whole thing up with a shiny, non-hyperventilating bow? Or will Doctor Foster take its leave in trademark barking fashion? Here are 10 questions viewers will hope get answered in the second series' final episode.
1. Has Gemma killed Simon?
Since slithering back into her life, Doctor Foster’s despicable former husband Simon (Bertie Carvel) has enthusiastically goaded his ex-wife into blowing a gasket or 10. He appears to have finally achieved his goal, with the penultimate episode hinting that Gemma (Suranne Jones) may have just run Simon over in her sensible, not-too-showy family saloon. It would be a nasty end for a nasty character. But could it also be the ultimate revenge against Gemma, who is unlikely to wriggle out of murder charges on the basis that her husband was an unpleasant piece of work who, frankly, had it coming.
2. Will Simon die anyway?
As he lay snivelling on the doorstep last week, his glittering new life with second wife Kate (Jodie Comer) collapsing around him, Simon insisted the only way he was leaving Parminster was "in a coffin". The crazed angle of his grin hinted at a death wish. Is it possible that, irrespective of whether Gemma has clattered into him with the business end of her car, he’s destined for a sticky end?
Even if Gemma doesn’t bump Simon off, there is no shortage of other candidates who would happily plunge the (figurative or otherwise) knife. His soon-to-be ex-wife Kate, her football hooligan dad (Neil Stuke) – even neighbour Neil (Adam James), whom sneaky Simon hoodwinked into committing adultery (the rotter). All have motivation for sending Simon to his grave.
3. What did Simon text to Tom?
"You told him something and now he won’t even look at me," Gemma hissed to Simon immediately before running him over/pretending to run him over last week. But what could he have said to turn the boy (Tom Taylor) against his doting (albeit unhinged) mother? And how does it relate to the text message Simon tapped out on Gemma’s phone before dashing off to Tom? All will, presumably, be revealed.
4. Have we seen the last of Kate?
The shine has rubbed off the cherry for Simon's new wife, who, once doting, has now taken their baby daughter to start a new life in France and warned Simon against making contact. Kate is perhaps the most realistically drawn – ie not completely insane – character in the ensemble. Surely we haven’t seen the last of her? In particular, is there anything to the fan theory that she and Gemma might join forces to see Simon off for good?
5. Will Tom answer to his misdeeds?
Tom has confessed to sexually assaulting a female friend at a party. Will he be called to account for his crimes – or was this mere dramatic garnishing to explain his moodiness? He’s also been in a fight with his best friend and was expelled from school. Can Bartlett give the grumpy adolescent a happy ending without stretching plausibility to snapping point?
6. Will there be bonus "hate sex"?
The big reveal last week was that Simon remains obsessed with Gemma. He had subtly encouraged Kate to dress like his ex-wife. Gemma stalked his dreams. He insisted on Thai food at social gatherings because that was "their" thing (nobody else on the planet enjoys Thai cuisine). This was preceded by the notorious outbreak of "hate sex" in Gemma’s living room, during which the BBC series threatened to turn into Game of Thrones with nicer soft furnishings. On the assumption that Bartlett will want to bring the curtain down in as spectacular as fashion as possible, might further mutually antagonistic canoodling be on the cards?
7. Is Siân as mad as she appears?
Sian Brooke came to widespread attention playing Benedict Cumberbatch’s deranged sister Eurus in last Christmas’s Sherlock finale. But her Doctor Foster character – confusingly named Siân – is arguably even loopier than a pantomime villainess with multiple identities. She was introduced as a smug neat-freak only to be revealed to be an old friend of Simon’s whom he had arranged to spy on Gemma. Yet, by episode four Siân had switched teams and was helping lure Kate into her showdown with Gemma. Wildly inconsistent writing – or a gripping portrayal of a character who can’t decided on which side of the fence she’d rather be?
8. Have we seen the last of James?
Gemma’s boring boyfriend (Prasanna Puwanarajah) has made himself scarce since learning that his new paramour slept with her former husband. Will he resurface in the finale? Or is he wisely giving Gemma a wide berth?
9. How much more convoluted can the plot get?
"Peak Doctor Foster" was achieved last week with Gemma seeming to draw the entire population of Parminster into her plot to turn Kate against Simon. The biggest twist, arguably, is that audiences have stayed with the show despite its deepening implausibility. Should we buckle-up for further narrative back-flips in the final episode?
10. Will there be another series?
With Simon unmasked as a psychotic love-rat at the end of season one, it seemed far-fetched that Bartlett could squeeze a second series out of Doctor Foster. But he’s accepted the challenge and done just that – leading to the suspicion that, no matter what transpires in the finale, we haven’t seen the last of Gemma and her odious ex.
