Apple TV has become one of the best platforms for groundbreaking, finely crafted content, especially in genres like science fiction and mystery/thriller. Among the latter category, one standout on the streaming platform is The Last Thing He Told Me. The series was adapted from a book of the same name by Laura Dave, which sold over 5 million copies worldwide, and would parlay that success into an Apple TV+ original under the guidance of Josh Singer (The West Wing, Fringe, First Man).
The series follows Hannah (Jennifer Garner), whose life is turned upside down when her husband, Owen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), suddenly leaves the family. Hannah, along with her step-daughter Bailey (Angourie Rice), tries to uncover what happened to Owen, only to discover a deeper web of secrets, including Owen’s personal reasons for running away, which shape much of the show’s twists. While the series is a more contemplative slow-burn, much of it is told in pieces, with some outstanding plot twists building toward a larger puzzle. To help make sense of it all, we have delved deep into the ending of The Last Thing He Told Me to help explain exactly what happened.
Owen’s Disappearance Set the Stage for Mystery in ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’
Owen’s sudden disappearance sets the story in motion, immediately unsettling his family and raising suspicion. This is perfectly summarized in the single line in which Owen tells Hannah to “protect her,” referring to Bailey. The early clues point to a potential business scam, forcing Owen to go underground, but, as it seems antithetical to who Owen was, Hannah and Bailey deny it. Their belief that Owen’s reasoning is more complicated leads them to travel to Austin, Texas, where Bailey and Owen used to live together when she was still young, before he met Hannah.
During Hannah’s and Bailey’s visit to Austin, Texas, they learn that Owen’s first wife, Bailey’s mother, was the daughter of a corrupt attorney who helped many criminals. This involvement led to Owen’s first wife being killed, which in turn led to him blaming her father for her murder. Back then, Owen decided to work with the authorities and help them arrest all those involved in the criminal syndicate, including his father-in-law.
Of course, such an action came with significant consequences. Due to his involvement with the corrupt police and officials, Owen had to take Bailey and run away, changing their identities as an extra layer of protection. He may have helped capture many influential and corrupt figures, but not all were arrested, and they want revenge against Owen for what he did. This would explain how Owen came into Laura’s life and why Bailey, who was younger at the time, was unaware of the dark past. But what would spark Owen to leave a second time?
The Real Reason Owen Left in ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’
Owen proved himself able to up and leave one life for another, which would help frame how he could do it again. Fleeing from the law to protect his daughter made sense initially, but what would force him to disappear a second time? It was because of the start-up scam, not because he was actually corrupt or involved in it. When the news broke about the fraud at the tech company he worked at, The Shop, which inflated its revenue while delivering a broken product, Owen’s fear wasn’t that he was one of the individuals caught up in it.
Instead, Owen realized that his picture would be all over the news and that his daughter would be in danger once more, which is why he said, “Protect her” to Hannah. Owen sacrifices his own sense of normalcy, hoping that going on the run would put the attention on him, the ultimate target of revenge from the past, instead of Bailey. Essentially, Owen believed that if people thought he didn’t care about Bailey and was willing to abandon her, she would remain safe.
Why Hannah Chooses To Confront the Past With Bailey Instead of Going Into Hiding
Near the end of The Last Thing He Told Me, Hannah and Bailey were offered the option to enter witness protection, meaning they would spend the rest of their lives in hiding with fake identities. Hannah realized that this wouldn’t be worth it and wouldn’t protect Bailey as Owen wanted. She decides to do the opposite and meets Nicholas (David Morse), Bailey’s grandfather and the corrupt attorney.
We see Hannah meeting Nicholas’ son Charlie (Josh Hamilton) to ask him to take her to his father. At this request, Charlie warns her and says that Owen ruined their family, which probably helped Hannah make up her mind even more. When she meets Nicholas, we see the tension between them. He makes sure that Hannah is checked in case she is wearing a wire. This shows us the kind of man Nicholas is. Hannah tries to reason with him, pointing out that Owen did what he did only to protect Bailey, but he isn’t moved.
He also tells her that it won’t be possible to protect Owen from those who want to get revenge. At this moment, Hannah realizes that she and Bailey will never be safe if they stay with Owen. In another sacrifice, Hannah puts her feelings for Owen aside as she makes a deal with Nicholas. In exchange for staying away from Owen, Nicholas agrees he will exclude Bailey from the long-running feud. Part of the deal between the two involves Bailey forming new relationships with her family. Cutting out Owen and building a new life may seem like a simple way out for Hannah and Bailey, but to Nicholas, this also serves as a means of hurting him further and finding a less “messy” way to take his daughter away from him.
The Finale Gives True Meaning to the Title ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’
Throughout the story, viewers have been drawn to Owen’s cryptic instruction to Hannah — “Protect her” — which guided much of the narrative. Yet, in a time jump five years after the main events of the series, the true meaning of the title becomes more apparent. Hannah and Bailey are safe, and we see Hannah hosting an exhibition at an art gallery. The shocking moment comes next when she sees Owen, now with a beard, in the surrounding crowd, and he walks toward her. She drops her papers, and he briefly touches her hand before whispering, “The could-have-been boys still love you.” These are the very last words Owen will ever get the chance to tell Hannah.
We remember the meaning behind these words from a previous scene between Owen and Hannah. At that moment, the two of them were discussing their prior relationships and lovers, as well as the idea of what could have been. Now, that phrase crystallizes the heartbreak of their story: though they clearly still love each other, circumstances make a future together impossible. For both Hannah and the audience, it is a poignant yet painful reminder of how love can be constrained by time, choice, and consequence.
After Owen leaves the art gallery, we see Bailey coming in and going toward Hannah, whom she calls “mom.” This is the moment that explains it all. Hannah and Bailey initially weren’t close, but everything they went through brought them together. Now we can tell that Bailey appreciates everything Hannah did for her and the sacrifices she made to keep her safe, and that she now sees her as her mom.
Author Laura Dave Speaks on How She Sees the Ending of ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’
The Last Thing He Told Me teaches us about love and sacrifices, as both can’t be separated. It was a long journey to that final moment when Bailey found a family in Hannah, and Hannah found the same in Bailey. The series will, undeniably, always remain this moving story about finding motherhood and sacrificing to keep those whom you love safe, which is exactly what Hannah did. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, author Laura Dave shed light on her own inspiration behind the story, stating:
“When I had my son in 2016, and I realized that this was the primal story of someone finding her way to motherhood, the way so many of us find our way to motherhood in ways that don’t look like, and thank goodness, just the only one way. People mother fur babies, people mother friends. I love the idea of paying homage to found families in all the ways they look. And when I realized that that was the story I was telling.”
The Last Thing He Told Me is available to stream on Apple TV.
- Release Date
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April 14, 2023
- Showrunner
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Laura Dave, Josh Singer
- Writers
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Laura Dave, Josh Singer