‘The Survivors’ ending explained: How does it all finish?

Netflix recently got the hearts pumping at a lightning speed with the release of its latest limited series, The Survivors. Tony Ayres created the Australian miniseries for Netflix based on Jane Harper’s 2020 novel. The drama is steeped in mystery, murder, and mayhem, where time has nothing in bringing back the ghosts of the past that refuse to be buried. The Survivors follows Kieran Elliott’s return to Evelyn Bay with Mia Chang, 15 years after an engulfing storm ended in three fatalities: Toby Gilroy, Finn Elliott, and Gabby Birch.

Upon his return, Kieran realises that Evelyn Bay has still not gotten over the events of the dreadful night. Yet, a closer look would allow viewers to pinpoint that all they talk about is Toby and Finn’s death, not Gabby’s mysterious appearance. However, in search of Gabby, Bronte Laidler arrives in the town. On that fateful night, Kieran lost his elder brother and Mia, her best friend, leading both to leave the coastal town and later reconnect in Sydney, where they gave birth to a baby.

When they return to commemorate the loss of their loved ones, unknown truths begin to unravel about their pasts. But Kieran also has to face familial tensions with his mother, Verity, who is still blaming him for his brother’s unfortunate demise. Kieran left Evelyn Bay for this very reason because his father believed Verity would “destroy” him. Although he returns with a different mindset, he realises he cannot move on without confronting his past. Then again, just because he is ready to confront it, doesn’t mean everyone is.

Kieran’s return also takes a toll on his bond with Mia. Simultaneously, the silence about Gabby’s whereabouts turns out to be a defining element of the story. The search for Gabby leads Bronte there, but she is killed by the same perpetrator who left Birch to drown in a cave 15 years ago. Over the six episodes where the show revolves around Bronte’s murder investigation, the puzzle pieces start to fit in one by one.

But with the murderer on the loose, what exactly goes down in The Survivors?

All you need to know about The Survivors’ end

Bronte’s arrival in Evelyn Bay had one purpose: to find out what happened to Gabby. When the trails of her search finally led her to the cave Gabby was abandoned in, but her confinement to Sean about the lack of probe regarding her compared to the boys triggers an untimely death. After Kieran and Sean’s near-fatal confrontation in the cave, where the latter attempts to kill Elliott, the series wraps up with Sean’s arrest.

Gabby’s mother, Trish, finally gets the closure she had been looking for all this time. In one of the final scenes, the victims’ families commemorate their lost ones by showering flowers onto the ocean. Kieran’s familial tensions, too, take a backseat. Stubborn in his desire to stay around his family and his ill father, Keiran also turns a new page in reviving their long-lost connection with his mother.

As for Mia and Kieran, the cracks in their relationship slowly start to vanish, especially when confronted with the fear of losing him during his fight with Sean. Though they are better than before, and most loose ends are tied by the end of the show, one cannot mistake it for a happy ending. Perhaps, The Survivors brought justice.

“There are no easy solutions, but there is still a seed of hope,” Ayres told Tudum. But for those still wondering why Sean left Gabby to die, Ayres explains, “It’s this idea that men are most fearful of being laughed at by women. And women are most fearful of being murdered by men.”