A recap of Jed Mercurio’s latest thriller.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for ITV’s Payback, which is available to watch in full on ITVX.
As you’d expect from a Jed Mercurio production, Payback is full of twists and turns as accountant Lexie Noble (Morven Christie) attempts to get to the bottom of a complex money laundering plot.
Her husband, Jared, was brutally murdered in a seemingly random street attack, which left her in hot water with organised crime boss Cal Morris (Peter Mullan).
Unbeknownst to her, Jared had been working with Cal for some time, handling enormous sums of money from his various illegal businesses – including an attempted purchase of a private island.
His death mid-sale leaves millions of pounds in an inaccessible bank account, with the pressure on Lexie to find it or suffer the terrible consequences.
In a race to save herself and her young daughter, Lexie does the gangster’s bidding – but soon finds herself the target of police attention too. Does she escape this web unscathed?
Read on for spoiler-filled details on the ending of Payback on ITV1 and ITVX.
Payback ending explained: Does Lexie escape Cal Morris?
The short answer is: yes! After an incredibly rough ride, the ending of Payback offers the chance at a fresh start for long-suffering Lexie.
With the police closing in on Cal Morris, due largely to Lexie’s infiltration of his inner circle, DCI Adam Guthrie finally offers her the escape she had asked for – but there’s a catch.
She’ll have to undertake her most dangerous task yet by wearing a wire in a tense conversation with Morris, where he’ll need to admit ownership of a shipping container connected to his illicit activity.
She arranges a meet with Cal in the dead of night, as the criminal is attempting to get information from an auctioneer who sold Jared priceless jewellery (which was paid for using his stolen cash).
The frightened man says that the items were donated to charity, which leaves Cal furious and utterly bemused.
In an irritated state, he speaks to a bugged Lexie, who manages to get confirmation from Cal that he does indeed own the shipping container, while sowing a seed of distrust in the process.
It had become apparent that Cal’s nephew, Aaron, was the one who arranged the hit on Jared, believing he was having an affair with his girlfriend, Amanda.
In actual fact, Jared was simply protecting Amanda from Aaron, who was abusing her.
Lexie exacts some personal revenge for her tragedy by implying to Cal that Aaron planned to steal from him, which is a matter of grave consequence – even for family.
Shortly after, she alerts both to the location of the shipping container, with Cal sending a hitman to make short work of his nephew.
It was the latest in a series of missteps for Cal, which included bailing out his daughter – who had been overseeing his few legitimate businesses – using unlaundered money, and his aforementioned admission to Lexie.
Combined, these give the police sufficient grounds to arrest Cal, with a strong chance that he won’t evade their latest attempt to bring him to justice.
Meanwhile, Lexie grieves her husband at a moving funeral service, secure in the knowledge that he was never unfaithful to her – but she’s in for another revelation too.
As it turns out, the mysterious charitable donations he made shortly before his death were to trusts in the names of his wife, children and loved ones.
That means the enormous wealth that Jared stole from Cal is now at her disposal and could help her start an incredible new life.
DC Jibran Khan, who has been looking out for Lexie throughout her time as a police informant, gets wind of this but decides not to pursue the lead – feeling she has earned her happy ending.
Payback is available to stream on ITVX. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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