'Detective Hole' has come to an end. Let's take a look at how the crime drama ends, after 'Waaler' is met with an unfortunate death.
Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole Season 1 came to an end. Netflix's new series adapts author and showrunner, Jo's fifth 'Harry Hole' novel, The Devil's Star, following the tale of the detective as he is pulled into a complex investigation while also dealing with the dangerous and manipulative cop, 'Tom Waaler'. The latter tries to lure 'Harry' into corruption, as he tries to hunt a serial killer in Oslo known as the 'Bike Courier Killer', who murders victims, removes a finger, and leaves behind a small red star. Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Like other mystery shows, Detective Hole also delivers several major twists in its final episodes. At first, it appeared that the Prague-based criminal, 'Aminov', was responsible for the killings. However, soon 'Harry' realises that he was being framed and the truth behind these murders is far more complicated, yet straightforward. As 'Harry' becomes suspicious of 'Tom Waaler', he finds out that 'Tom' is not trying to catch 'Aminov' but rather kill him, because 'Aminov' can expose 'Tom's' own misdeeds and crimes.
In a major twist, it is revealed that the 'Bike Courier Killer' is not a typical serial killer, and the murders were actually orchestrated by theatre director, 'Willy Barli'. However, his motive was not random violence, but a carefully constructed plan. 'Willy's' real goal was to murder his wife, 'Lisbeth' and frame her lover, 'Aminov', for it. However, knowing that the police would first suspect the spouse, he created a series of unrelated killings to distract the investigators and shift suspicion away from himself.
The plan's gruesome details reflected on how far he was willing to go, with one such way being when he removed 'Lisbeth's' finger and hid it, an extreme way to confuse police dogs and investigators. Nonetheless, a small but crucial piece of biological evidence ultimately links him to the murder.
In Episode 9 of Detective Hole, 'Harry' confronts 'Willy' in his apartment with evidence, and the latter admits to the crimes, explaining how he found out about his wife's affair and meticulously planned the murders. Disturbingly, he reveals he preserved 'Lisbeth's' body in a waterbed filled with alcohol so he could keep her "forever". However, things turned tense when it appeared that 'Willy' was going to kill 'Harry'. Instead, he chose his own fate and jumped off from his balcony, and died after being impaled on a star-shaped structure below, mirroring the symbolic "stars" he left at crime scenes.
Throughout the scene, 'Tom Waaler' is seen as the central villain, operating under the alias, 'The Prince'. He led a criminal network and is tied to a secret organisation that believed in controlling society through extreme means. While early in the series, 'Harry's' close friend and colleague, 'Ellen Gjelten' uncovered his identity and was murdered to keep him safe, it sets up the arc of 'Harry's' personal mission to bring 'Tom' down. After 'Harry' cleared 'Aminov', 'Tom' acted desperately and kidnapped 'Rakel's' son, Oleg, using him as leverage to force 'Harry' into handing over 'Aminov'. 'Harry' set a trap at a student dorm and handcuffed 'Aminov'.
However, when 'Tom' showed up with 'Oleg' ', Harry' pretended to have swallowed the key to prevent 'Tom' from staging another fake crime scene. 'Tom' admitted that he planned to kill everyone and frame 'Harry'. That's when the latter revealed that the CCTV had recorded everything. In response, 'Waaler' forced everyone into an elevator with no cameras, as a violent struggle followed. Nonetheless, in a clever move 'Harry' handcuffs himself to 'Tom'. During the chaos, 'Tom' suffers a catastrophic injury, losing his arm and bleeding heavily. While he initially assumed that he had escaped, he died from his injuries.
After 'Tom's' death, an autopsy reveals unusual wounds, hinting at further hidden actions taken against him. The post-credits scene adds another layer to 'Tom's' character. Earlier, he told 'Harry' a story about his loving father. However, when 'Harry' investigates, he learns the truth that his father was abusive, and young 'Tom' likely killed him and staged it as an accident. The revelation suggested that 'Tom' has built a completely different life based on lies, and even his personal history was manipulated by his own stories.
Just when it seems the story is wrapped up, the series delivers one final twist. It is revealed that 'Chief Superintendent Agnes Sjolid' is actually the leader of the secret organisation 'Tom Waaler' worked for. This comes as a shock, as she previously appeared to support 'Harry' and even invited him back to the police force to help track down 'Tom's' associates. However, it was all a play to manipulate 'Harry' and set herself as the next major antagonist. While Season 2 has not been confirmed, the twist sets up a potential for Season 2.
What are your thoughts on Detective Hole? Let us know.
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