Did you see it coming?

By Abby Robinson

Published: Wednesday, 15 February 2023 at 12:00 am

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Warning: This article contains major spoilers for The Catch’s season finale.

Who is Ryan? And what is his endgame? Following the final episode of Channel 5 drama The Catch, you might have been left with a few questions.

The series, starring Jason Watkins and Aneurin Barnard, was adapted from a novel by TM Logan. It saw Watkins star as Ed, a fisherman and proud family man, while Barnard plays Ryan, a rich, handsome younger man who enters Ed’s daughter’s life.

But as the series came to an end, Ryan killed Craig, Ed’s former navy colleague. Tensions then continued to ramp up when he took Abbie hostage. Initially, Ed had no idea that he was connected to Ryan – but in the finale, he learned the horrifying truth.

Still wondering exactly what went down? Read on to have the ending of The Catch explained.

The Catch ending explained

Ryan’s real name is Carl. He’s the son of Nicholas Baxter, one of Ed’s colleagues from the navy who died.

Ed, Craig and the rest of their friendship group caused Baxter’s death. On their way back to the ship after a night out drinking, they spotted him and decided to “wind him up”. The men disliked Baxter and were in the mood to torment him – but “it all got out of hand”.

They “went at him, shouting, screaming, cornered him”. Baxter managed to wriggle free but all of sudden, he was in the water “and he didn’t come back up again”.

Ed dived in but he couldn’t find him.  The next morning, Baxter was found dead with a cracked skull. He’d smacked his head and drowned.

Ed and co made a pact to stay silent and planted cocaine under Baxter’s bunk as a coverup. As far as everyone was concerned, his drug addiction had killed him.

Ryan was four years old when his father lost his life. A few years later, he found his mother dead. “Sleeping pills and a bottle of vodka,” he said, describing the “shame” that drove her to an early grave.

Des, another member of the group, had recently written to him and informed him about what had happened to his father, which prompted Ryan to go on a revenge spree. Not only did he kill Craig, he also murdered Arthur, another navy officer involved in Baxter’s death. And he would have killed Des, too, had he not been terminally ill.

Ryan was also responsible for the death of George the lifeguard, who had previously dated Abbie and had become a major inconvenience.

The only person left to kill was Ed, but just before Ryan was about to deliver the fatal blow, Abbie swooped in and stabbed him. For a moment, it looked like Ryan, who was bleeding heavily, would die, but he survived and pleaded guilty.

Channel 5

But in the final moments of the drama, there was one last twist in the tale. Abbie, who’s heading off to Australia, a move she called off when Ryan arrived on the scene, is pregnant with his baby.

It’s not clear if she’s told her parents the big news, but her mother’s comment suggests she hasn’t. “Ryan’s in the past now,” says Claire, a serene look on her face. But Ed notices Abbie caressing her barely noticeable bump.

A troubled expression settles across his face, suggesting all is far from well.

The Catch book ending

In TM Logan’s novel, Ed is murdered by Ryan for interfering in his relationship with Abbie. It also comes to light that Ryan killed his parents and his sibling, and burned down the family home.

Abbie is also pregnant in the book and decides to keep her baby.

You can buy TM Logan’s The Catch via Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

The Catch is available to watch on My5. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Drama hub for more news and features.

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