If you’ve just finished all eight episodes of All Her Fault on STACKTV and are still going through the seven stages of grief, you’re not alone. The limited series (based on Andrea Mara’s book of the same name) had some wild twists and red herrings, but the finale was absolute bonkers on several levels. The series, starring Sarah Snook as Marissa Irvine, Jake Lacey as her husband Peter, Sophia Lillis as Carrie, Michael Peña as Det. Alcaras and Dakota Fanning as Jenny, has been one of the most talked-about shows of the year.

It’s not just the brilliant performances or the search for a missing child that has had people lighting up the chats. Read on to learn more about how viewers are reacting to that shocking ending and why these characters have struck such a nerve. Warning, major spoilers ahead!

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It Wasn’t Just a Kidnapping

When Milo (Duke McCloud) disappeared in the first episode of All Her Fault, the storyline unlocked every parent’s worst nightmare. We eventually learned that Carrie, the young woman who was working as a nanny for Jenny, kidnapped him after school. What followed was a deep exploration of the unrealistic expectations mothers face, the importance of community, and the very real double standards of parenting.

Eventually, through the investigation, other layers of class and privilege followed. But it was the finale when everything was flipped, and we learned that Carrie is actually Josephine Murphy, a young woman who lost her baby six years ago. At first, it seemed as though she was using Milo to replace that baby and was suffering from mental health problems. But the truth was even darker than that. It turned out that the day she took her son home from the hospital, she was involved in a major car crash with the Irvines, who were also taking their son home from the hospital. The real Milo didn’t survive, but as the mothers were passed out, Peter switched babies. Milo was actually Josie’s biological son, and she was just trying to get him back, the only way she knew how.

Carrie’s Ultimate Fate

When Josie showed up at the Irvines’ household with a gun, it wasn’t to harm anyone. Colin (Jay Ellis) was tragically shot in a struggle, but Josie did what she could to save him. Her goal, as it turned out, was to reveal the truth to Marissa. Milo wasn’t actually her son, but there was no way Josie could have him now, and she wanted Mar to take care of him and protect him from Peter.

That’s when Peter, who had transformed into the villain with his saviour complex and the way he treated his siblings, stepped in to silence her. Even though Josie insisted he could have the gun, he shot her dead before she could play a recording that proved he murdered Josie’s father to avoid exposing his secret baby swap.

It was a tragic and unjust end for a character whose struggled her whole life, especially since the truth about her motives died with her. If you’re feeling angry over the injustice of it all, you aren’t the only one. Although Josie could have handled everything differently, this was a woman with no support or means. She didn’t know how to compete against a wealthy family, never mind a man who had no qualms about stealing a newborn and passing him off as his own.

Don’t forget Josie was only 16 years old when she had her son, and she grew up with parents who refused to get her help for her unique condition, synesthesia, which compounded her senses and made everything feel overwhelming. Years later, at 21 years old, she was overwhelmed by loss and did the only thing that made sense to her at the time when she found Milo and realized the truth.

Marissa’s Big Decision

Upon learning that Milo was not her biological son and witnessing her husband kill a woman in cold blood, Marissa was terrified of Peter. But she also faced a huge moral dilemma, and knew that if she confessed the truth, social services would take Milo. Not only would she lose her son, but he would have likely gone to a foster home and that situation could have scarred him for life. After all, he had no clue that Marissa wasn’t his real mother, or that his father was a killer.

Lying to the police was her only option, but she also knew she could no longer stay with the man who had orchestrated this life. And so, a couple of weeks later, at Colin’s funeral, she purposely exposed Peter to soy, sparking his severe allergy. She had also swapped his EpiPen with an expired one and taken the emergency kit from the car, ensuring he’d die from anaphylactic shock.

Did that make Marissa a cold-blooded killer too, or a woman who did the only thing she could to protect her family? Josie had begged her to protect Milo from Peter, and divorce was out of the question. Sending Peter to jail without exposing the truth also didn’t make sense, since that wouldn’t ultimately protect Milo. And so the mother did what she thought she had to, staging the scene to look like an accident and sparking lots of fan debate.

The Truth Revealed

With Peter dead and Milo safe, Det. Alcaras finally pieced together the truth of what happened the night of the accident, thanks to the rare and genetic synesthesia connection that Milo also had. In a tense scene, he revealed his findings to Marissa, then told her the case was closed. He thought he would feel unsettled letting a woman get away with murder and the truth unexposed, but he actually felt fine with it. He understood Marissa had no idea and had been backed into a corner, and knew that Milo was best in her care. She was, after all, the only mother he had ever known, and she loved him dearly.

In the final scene, Marissa and Jenny silently watched their boys playing together and sipped wine. It wasn’t a happy moment, but one in which they accepted that a mother will do anything to protect her child. These women had finally found a community in each other, and knew that, eventually, things would be okay.

The Social Commentary

The title, All Her Fault, speaks to so many levels of motherhood. This isn’t just a series about a missing child, but about the pressure mothers feel from society. Work like you don’t have to be a mother. Parent like you don’t have a job. Be a good partner, feed your kids healthy, homecooked food, volunteer at school, and be sure to get enough self-care and protein in the process.

When things go wrong, mothers often get the blame. This series set out to explore that, while throwing in ideas about class and privilege to challenge society and the way things are.

Online, those themes have sparked tons of debate, with some loving the ending and others still reeling over how chaotic and twisty it was. In the end, each of these women shouldered blame for the actions of others, which is unfair. But then again, that’s the entire point of the show.

Stream all eight episodes of All Her Fault now on STACKTV. Try it free today!

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