At the beginning of the finale, Sam (David Morrissey) joins Gemma (Keeley Hawes) in Adam’s dungeon. Sam looks around and spots stars drawn on the walls and ceilings. Gemma tells him they are laid out in the same pattern as those in Alice’s room. While Sam is still skeptical, he seems to be coming around. We jump back to the past and see that Alice (Abigail Hardingham) is sick. The real Alice cares for her. Adam Gettrick (Derek Riddell) comes down stairs and attacks Alice, before trying to attend to Sophie. Alice insists the girl will die, if Adam doesn’t get her help soon. After the intro, we jump to 2014. Adam meets with Adrian Stone (Roger Allam) at a restaurant and blackmails him. While Adrian doesn’t want to get involved, he also doesn’t want his Iraq scandal to be exposed.

Meanwhile, Henry Reed (Brian Bovell) hangs out with Daniel (Daniel Ezra). Henry tries to talk his son into getting married. Daniel doesn’t like the idea and inquires about his father’s own relationship. A phone call interrupts their conversation. During the call, Daniel makes his exit. Henry meets with Adrian and the pair visits Adam’s house. Adrian tries to prepare Henry for what he needs to do. He tells him that Adam has a recording and intends to use it again them. Henry enters the house and sees Sophie on the couch, before we jump back to the present. Julien (Tcheky Karyo) explains to Sam and Gemma that Adam knew he was coming and fled ahead of time. The trio begins to search for evidence, which may lead them to Adam and Alice. During this time, Eve (Laura Fraser) heads to the police station and brides an officer into allowing her to visit Jorn’s desk.

Back at Adam’s place, Gemma finds a handful of Swiss francs. Julien finds a picture on the wall. It is the picture of the cabin with Adam and his uncle. This quickly leads the group to believe Adam has headed to Switzerland. Julien calls a friend at Interpol for assistance. Meanwhile, Eve discovers Jorn’s note about Lena Garber. She is stunned by what she finds on the Internet. We jump to the cabin in Vaaren, Switzerland and see that Adam has gone out hunting. He returns to the cabin and wakes up Sophie. We jump back to 2014. Adam tries to coerce Henry into helping Sophie. Despite some hesitancy, Henry agrees to help. They return to Henry’s house to get his medical bag. Adam and Henry head inside together. Henry tries to sneak around and notify the police, but he is caught red handed. A scuffle ensues. Adam eventually gets the upper hand and shoots Henry in the head. Adam cleans up the scene, before leaving quickly.

Next, Adam takes Sophie out into the wilderness and releases her. He convinces the girl to become Alice, so she can get medical treatment. He insists she has the same tattoo and knows Alice better than her parents. Adam gives Sophie a kiss, before sending her on her way. Adrian meets with Eve later and sets up his memory loss scheme. He tells her he has just visited the doctor and was told he will soon begin to lose his memory. And of course, Eve takes the bait. Adrian explains he wants Eve to remember him for the good things he has done. Back in the present, Eve calls Baptiste and tells him he was right. She also tells him about Lena Garber. She begins to question her father’s story as well. Before they hang up, Eve tells Julien to wait, because she is sending help. They eventually arrive in Switzerland and begin asking about Adam and Alice.

During their search, Sam speaks with Gemma and questions Julien’s accuracy. Gemma remains convinced he is right. Sam expresses his love for Gemma. He insists his love for her never dissipated throughout all of their troubles. They sit down for a drink. The familiar waiter (Gilles De Schryver) serves the group. He notices the picture of Sophie on Julien’s phone and tells them about the woman. He tells them where the girl headed after she left. The trio heads into the woods and quickly discovers the painted van. Their presence upsets a dog and it begins barking ferociously. This startles Adam, who grabs his binoculars. At this point, Sam is eager to search deeper. Julien tries to convince him to wait, but he refuses. Adam spots the men and returns to the cabin to grab his rifle. The group climbs deeper into the wilderness, before splitting up.

Julien becomes exhausted and is forced to rest. He lets out a moan and this alerts Sam and Gemma. Sam turns and begins to move towards Julien, before he is shot in the chest. Gemma rushes over and comforts him. At this time, Lucy (Indica Watson) begins to cry. Sophie attempts to calm the girl, but fails. Adam returns and lashes out at her. This sends Lucy running from the cabin with Sophie close behind her. A heavily armed officer snatches Lucy and keeps her safe. Julien notices the cops and points them in Sam’s direction, before chasing after Sophie. Adam notices the police and runs for it. Julien chases Sophie to a cliff’s edge, while Adam is shot in the leg and captured. He screams that the girls are his family. The cops enter the cabin and find Alice behind the locked door. Julien tries to talk Sophie down from the ledge. He tells the girl about her mother and also tries to convince her that she will get to care for Lucy.

Gemma spots Alice being led by an officer. Sam is strapped to a stretcher. He pleads with the cops to let him see Alice. Gemma hugs and embraces her daughter. Sam finally admits he has been wrong all along. We jump to the jail, where Julien interviews Adam. He asks about the burned body in the Webster’s shed. Julien lays out the evidence pointing to Adam being responsible for Jorn’s murder. Adam doesn’t answer. Instead, he asks Julien about his wife and his love for Celia. Eve steps in and tells him that his crazy antics had nothing to do with love. Eventually, Adam admits Lena was always his most difficult girl. He also confirms he shut her up when Sophie got ill. And finally, he reveals that Adrian helped him mess with the DNA evidence. Adam is questioned about Kristian Herz (Filip Peeters). He insists he barely knew the man, but did want to kill Nadia (Lia Williams).

Adam explains he snuck into their house and stole the camera, while leaving Nadia alone, because death would be too easy for her. Julien asks how many other girls there were. Adam doesn’t answer. Eve visits Adrian in the hospital and prepares to take him home. She asks whether or not he is really well. She reminds him of their previous conversation and asks for the truth. Nonetheless, Adrian continues to play the feeble old man. The nurse arrives with a wheelchair. When asked about Adrian’s destination, Eve reveals he is not going back to the nursing home. Next, Matthew (Jake Davies) is finally reunited with his sister (Chelsea Edge). They quickly hug and cry together. Kristian is released from prison. Nadia waits nearby, but Kristian walks in the other direction. The police and Eve discover Jorn’s body.

At the police station, Julien speaks with Remy Giroux (Fabrice Rodriguez). Remy complains that his daughter doesn’t even want to see him. Lucy is led inside. Remy shows her a magic trick. Next, Sam is laid to rest. Alice and Matthew go ahead, while Gemma speaks with Eve. Eve admits she is going to keep the baby, which happens to be a girl. Julien is strolled towards the operating room. He speaks with Celia (Anastasia Hille) and apologizes for his behavior. She complains that he is only trying to delay his operation. She also tells him he was off saving other people’s lives. Julien is led into the operating room and given anesthetics. He counts backwards, but doesn’t fall asleep. The doctor jokes that he must be made of something stronger, before increasing the dosage. Julien begins counting backwards again. He becomes drowsy and passes out, as the episode ends.

 

The Missing Finale Review

While The Missing could’ve been classified as a slow burn, the season really paid off in the end. The finale was dramatic, captivating and very emotional. During the first half of the episode, I was on the edge of my seat just waiting for something bad to happen. Near the end, I was holding back tears, as Alice was returned to her family. The finale was very satisfying and covered almost everything.

It is unknown what happened to Adrian, although I would assume Eve took him to the slammer. And of course, the big cliffhanger was Julien’s operation. Will the series be renewed for a 3rd season? Despite a few minor hiccups, I’ve wholeheartedly enjoyed both season of The Missing and I would most definitely watch a 3rd. The finale was very strong. A 9.5 out of 10 is deserved. Catch up with previous recaps of The Missing now!