Warning: contains full spoilers for the Netflix Scandi noir.
Following on from the likes of The Lørenskog Disappearance, The Chestnut Man and Quicksand, Netflix has added to its catalogue of Scandi noir originals with A Nearly Normal Family.
The adaptation of MT Edvardsson’s novel of the same name revolves around the Sandells, a small Swedish family torn apart when teenage daughter Stella (newcomer Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors) is charged with murdering her older boyfriend Christoffer (Christian Fandango Sundgren).
So, did she do it? Here’s a look at what went down in the gripping sixth and final episode.
A Nearly Normal Family on Netflix ending explained
The prosecution
As the court case begins, it soon becomes clear that the prosecution’s evidence is flimsy at best. A footprint found near Christoffer’s home confirms that Stella was in the vicinity on the night in question. Likewise, a neighbour’s eyewitness account. And the pepper spray found in her possession is the same brand that was discovered in the victim’s eyes.
But prosecutor Jenny Jansdotter (Moa Gammel) attempts to strengthen her case by putting forward a credible theory for the motive: Stella had grown increasingly suspicious about the connection between Christoffer and her best friend Amina (Melisa Ferhatovic). And when her priest father Adam (Björn Bengtsson) is called to the stand, Stella’s alibi is blown wide apart: text messages reveal that he couldn’t have seen his daughter at home at 11:55 – the exact time of the murder – as he was still enquiring of her whereabouts 28 minutes later.
The defence
Unbeknownst to the prosecution, the defence has a secret weapon, albeit a slightly confusing one at first. We already know that Amina was privy to what happened. She turned up in tears on the doorstep of Stella’s mother Ulrika (Lo Kauppi) to confess all in episode 4. And the latter’s support suggests Amina will instantly set the record straight during her testimony.
However, although she refutes the argument her BFF could be the killer, Amina doesn’t give a full explanation. Instead, she focuses on the horrifying events that preceded the murder. While waiting for Stella to show up at a local bar, Amina had been approached by Christoffer, a man she’d always been wary of.
Christoffer tries to win Amina around over a glass of wine without much luck, but then the drug he’s spiked hers with kicks in. Later that evening, an increasingly disorientated Amina tries to walk home before she’s picked up by Christoffer in his car and taken back to his flat.
It’s here where the story picks up from the penultimate episode’s closing flashback. After Stella, who already senses that something is amiss from the texts Christoffer has sent posing as Amina, fails to get an answer from the front door, she uses a loft hatch to climb over the roof and enter through the back door.
There, she witnesses Christoffer raping Amina. And when the former stops to pick up a kitchen knife, Stella blindsides him with some pepper spray before whacking him across the head with a pepper grinder. Amina tells the court about her horrific ordeal, but omits the fact that Stella came to the rescue, claiming that she left the flat alone and with Christoffer still very much alive.
The response
When asked by Jansdotter why she didn’t disclose this information earlier, Amina reveals her fear of being disbelieved, pointing to the fact that Christoffer’s old roommate Linda (Emilia Roosmann) was also subjected to a similar attack but that her reporting of it never went anywhere.
Amina then informs the courtroom the harrowing events of the first episode: four years previously, Stella herself was raped by a coach at handball camp. But after telling all to her parents, lawyer Ulrika decided that due to a lack of evidence and low conviction rate, the best course of action was to do nothing.
The legal bit
Why didn’t Amina tell the police all this before the trial date, you may ask? Well, here’s the clever bit. After hearing about what truly went down, Ulrika advised her to keep schtum until her court appearance: “If there are two potential offenders at the scene of a murder, the prosecution has to be able to prove who committed the murder or that they acted in concert.”
Ulrika explained that if Amina confessed now, the police would have the time to try and get both her and Stella convicted. By surprising the prosecution on the day, she opens up the possibility of a new alternative suspect when it’s too late to investigate further. With this bombshell information, and an entirely circumstantial case, the judge is left with no option but to let Stella walk free.
The aftermath
Adam meets up with a priest friend to confirm that although he’s not ready to return to his role, he hasn’t abandoned the church. Ulrika, meanwhile, is seen attending an AA meeting having already told fellow lawyer Mikael (Håkan Bengtsson) that she has to put an end to their extra-marital affair. As for Stella, well, she also visits a church while on a foreign getaway, and while lighting a candle, the memories of that fateful night come flooding back.
Who killed Christoffer in A Nearly Normal Family?
For a brief moment there, it looks as though A Near Normal Family is going to leave audiences frustrated about the whodunit. It’s only with five minutes of the final episode to spare that we learn the truth.
After chasing Stella and Amina onto the dark, empty streets of Lund, Christoffer slips onto the ground, dropping his knife in the process. Sensing her opportunity, Stella picks up the weapon, and as Christoffer lunges at her, she stabs him in the abdomen. While that could be considered self-defence, the fact that she then guts him like a fish probably couldn’t. The traumatised Stella and Amina then walk away into the night.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, visit the NHS website or Victim Support for information and support.
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