In the finale of Indian Summers, things come to a head for many of our characters. At the beginning of the episode, Ronnie Keane (Rick Warden) brings everyone together to vote on lifting the ban of Indians at the club. Alice Whelan (Jemima West) votes to abolish the ban. Cynthia Coffin (Julie Walters) watches on angrily, as she asks Kasier (Indi Nadarajah) how long Alice intended to stay in the area. Next, Aafrin Dalal (Nikesh Patel) discovers two letters in Ralph’s (Henry Lloyd-Hughes) office.

After questioning Ralph, he finds out that one letter is to commute Ramu’s (Alyy Khan) sentence to life, while the other is to approve his execution. The pair contemplate the decision, but nothing is confirmed. When Aafrin departs, he notices Bhupinder (Ash Nair) looking depressed in an opposite room. Ian McLeod (Alexander Cobb) pays a visit to Ramu Sood. The pair joke around, with Ramu suggesting crowds will chant his name, before guards rush in and escort Ian out. Dougie Raworth (Craig Parkinson) says goodbye to his wife and child. Sarah (Fiona Glascott) refuses to say whether or not they’ll return the following summer.

At the club, Kaiser and Cynthia learn about the outcome of the vote, but it isn’t revealed to the viewer. At the mission school, Leena (Amber Rose Revah) watches Dougie chop wood from afar, before Ralph approaches him. Doug confronts Ralph and forces him to admit that Adam (Shachin Sailesh Kumar) is indeed his son. Before he makes his exit, Ralph slyly encourages Doug to be happy with Leena. Sarah and Matthew are shown exiting the city on a train.

Next, Ralph and Aafrin work through paperwork, before Madeleine (Olivia Grant) arrives in her honeymoon dress. After she leaves, Aafrin discovers the documents from the project, which he was working on at the very beginning of the season. Ralph signs the Memorandum on the Mas Dam Project, so it can finally get underway. The pair decide to celebrate with a drink, but Bhupinder is nowhere to be found. Aafrin goes after him and discover that the man has attempted to hang himself.

That night, Ralph and Aafrin console Bhupinder. At this point, Aafrin discovers that Bhupinder knows more than he is telling regarding Jaya’s death. He basically admits that Ramu is innocent and he committed the murder. Aafrin also learns about Jaya and Ralph’s relationship. With the discovery, Aafrin persuades Ralph to commute Ramu’s sentence and potentially give him clemency a few years down the road. Alice sneaks into Aafrin’s room that night and they have intercourse once more.

Aafrin contemplates running away together and Alice suggests they enlist Ralph’s assistance. In the morning, Aafrin awakes alone and discover that Ralph lied and sent out the execution confirmation. While Aafrin hightails it towards the prison, Ramu is led out and prepared for the execution. Near the gallows, Ian shows up and attempts to protect Ramu, but cannot. Ian and Sooni Dalal (Aysha Kala) watch on in despair. Cynthia also watches on, but she is delighted by the occasion.

Aafrin fails to make it in time and Ramu is hung. He returns to Ralph and stares at him angrily from a distance. Ronnie confronts Cynthia with the outcome of the vote. She attempts to fight it, but eventually caves and agrees to allow a single Indian to become a member of the club. At home, Sooni bashes Aafrin for not helping Ramu, but he convinces her that he tried. A letter arrives and informs Aafrin that he has been selected to join the club. Ian shows up at the police station and steals a box, which he believes contains the remains of Ramu. Superintendent Rowntree (Guy Williams) and Sergeant Singh (Sudarshan Kumar) give chase, but Ian beats them off and heads into the bazaar.

While in the bazaar, Aafrin agrees to work with Singh and is tasked with stealing an item from Ralph’s home. Back at the mission, Doug tells Leena that he made a promise to his wife and they must work together for the sake of the children. Aafrin returns to Ralph’s place and joins the small group for a drink. When Ralph and Madeleine turn away, Alice attempts to convince Aafrin to talk to him about their situation. He doesn’t and instead takes the opportunity to sneak into the home. He winds up stealing the note Adam wrote to Ralph. Ralph apologizes for Ramu, but insists the Viceroy demanded the outcome.

Meanwhile, Ian continues running away, with Ramu’s ashes, before running into Alice. The pair follow two Indian boys and run into Sooni. At the club, Ronnie and Cynthia await Aafrin’s arrival. After a short wait, Cynthia insists he isn’t coming. Aafrin follows Sooni to the border, where he is greeted by a large group of Indians. They cheer him on and treat him like a hero. Meanwhile, Aafrin and his father, Darius (Roshan Seth) arrive at the club. Aafrin signs his father in and hands over an item he stole from Ralph’s to Singh. Once Aafrin and his father get inside, they’re stared at awkwardly and are refused service.

Ronnie finally gets them drinks and the British begin warming up to the men. Ian tosses Ramu’s ashes over the bridge, while Rowntree looks on. The Indian crowd begins chanting Ramu’s name and turns on the British soldiers. Ian also meets Ramu’s late wife’s mother, Kavitha. Ian is lifted up by the Indians and praised throughout the night. Alice finally joins Aafrin at the club. They profess their love for one another and Aafrin insists they’ll find a way. Meanwhile, Cynthia drinks herself into a stupor.

 

Outside of the club, Ralph arrives and confronts Cynthia. He apologizes to her and admits she is the only one he has. The pair head inside together, as the finale comes to an end.

 

Indian Summers Finale Review

The finale episode was undoubtedly the best of the season. It brought the most emotion and helped to setup the eventual second season. The relationship between Ramu and Ian and its conclusion was heart wrenching. Thankfully, Ian made a fool of himself and became a hero, which helped to wipe away the viewer’s tears.

Also, Ralph returned to his douchey ways and propelled Aafrin to take a stand for his people. The season overall was excellent and progressively improved with each episode. Now that the season has concluded, I already yearn for more! Hopefully, it won’t take long for Channel 4 to put together Indian Summers season 2! The finale deserves a 9.5 out of 10! If you haven’t yet, be sure to catch up with our previous Indian Summers recaps now!

Well, what do you think? Will you watch a second season? Let me know in the comments below!