By Flora Carr

Published: Monday, 20 December 2021 at 12:00 am

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Warning: this article touches on subject matter that some readers may find distressing

HBO Max and BBC One drama The Girl Before was released as a box-set on BBC iPlayer on Sunday, 19th December, meaning viewers could easily binge the four episodes in one go (and keep track of the many twists and turns).

From the first episode, the series has followed two separate timelines, as Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw in The Girl Before cast) moves into an ultra-minimalist house with a strict set of rules, designed by enigmatic architect Edward (David Oyelowo) – only to discover that her predecessor, Emma (Jessica Plummer), died in the house three years ago.

At the end of episode one, (spoiler!) Jane begins dating Edward and later falls pregnant, but soon discovers a series of unnerving similarities between herself and Emma, and learning that Edward also dated Emma, too, before breaking things off shortly before her death.

Did Edward kill Emma at One Folgate Street? Or could her killer have been hiding in plain sight all along?

We’ve unpacked the fourth instalment, breaking down some of the key questions and theories that have come up after the events of The Girl Before finale.

What happened to Emma in The Girl Before?

*Warning: major spoilers ahead for BBC One’s The Girl Before finale*

In episode four, we finally learned the truth about Emma’s experience of sexual assault, after she initially lied about her assailant’s identity to the police.

When her ex-boyfriend Simon visited her at One Folgate Street following their break-up, she sat him down to tell him what had happened to her before they moved into the house.

It was her former boss Saul (played by Mark Stanley), rather than a burglar, who raped her at a hotel following a work function.

It was Saul who filmed the assault, later sending the video to Emma’s phone (the same video the police found at the end of episode one).

How did Emma die and who killed her?

It wasn’t just Edward who fell in love with both Emma and later Jane.

Simon, Emma’s insecure ex-boyfriend, had been helping Jane in her investigation into architect Edward (who also dated Emma in the past, and is still dating Jane in the present. Both women bear a striking resemblance to Edward’s late wife).

Jane invites Simon over for dinner at One Folgate Street, so that they can discuss the investigation. But things soon take a sinister turn, when it was revealed that it was Simon, not Edward, who had been sleeping in the service cupboard while Emma was alive, spying on her following their breakup.

It was also Simon, not Edward, who had begun to confuse the two women, telling Jane that when he first saw her, it was like meeting Emma again for the first time.

In a flashback, it’s revealed that Simon tricked Emma by changing his contact details in her phone, so that she believed it was Edward texting her and hoping to rekindle their relationship.

Simon showed up at the house (he had secretly got a second electronic bracelet made), and began threatening Emma, refusing to leave until she got back together with him.

He ripped the pearls she was wearing, before chasing her around the house in anger – until she fell down the stairs to her death.

How does Simon die?

In the present-day, Simon also chases Jane around One Folgate Street in a fit of rage, confusing her with his late ex-girlfriend, Emma.

However, Jane manages to hit back at him, using the heavy string of pearls that Edward had gifted her (and that are identical to the ones he had gifted Emma previously).

This time, it’s Simon who falls backwards down the stairs to his death, landing on the exact same spot where Emma had landed three years previously – and surrounded by tumbling pearls, after ripping Jane’s necklace from her hands.

Jane calls Edward, who comes over to the house – and although he offers to help her cover up the death in order to avoid a trial, she decides to tell the truth to the police, including her findings about Emma and Saul.

We later see Saul being arrested at his place of work, taken away in handcuffs (presumably following Jane’s full confession to the police).

Who did Edward kill in The Girl Before?

Edward had nothing to do with Emma’s death, which was caused by her ex-boyfriend Simon.

However, he did inadvertently cause the deaths of his wife and child, reversing a truck in order to knock down a wall at a construction site – without realising that they were stood behind that same wall.

As Jane discovers, both Edward’s late wife and child – Elizabeth and Max – are in fact buried at One Folgate Street, too, the same site where they died.

How does The Girl Before end?

After he discovers that Jane is pregnant, Edward is determined that she should get an abortion, even escorting her to a clinic.

However, she instead leaves a letter for him, informing him that she is keeping their baby – before advising him to visit the therapist she has been seeing (the same one Emma visited three years ago), suggesting to him that he has unresolved grief and trauma about his family’s death.

At the end of the episode, there are flash-forwards to Jane with her young son Toby, and starting a new job at charity organisation Stillbirth Action, while Edward is in a therapy session, just as Jane had advised him.

However, in the final moments of the episode, we also see a lettings agent showing an unseen prospective tenant around One Folgate Street, once again explaining the strict rules occupants must abide by…

Take a look at our other Drama coverage, or find out what else is on with our TV guide.

This year’s Radio Times Christmas double issue is on sale now, featuring two weeks of TV, film and radio listings, reviews, features and interviews with the stars.

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article please contact the Samaritans on 116123 for support or visit the website at www.samaritans.org.

Or visit rapecrisis.org.uk. You can call 0808 802 9999 between 12 noon – 2.30pm and 7 – 9.30pm every day of the year for confidential support and/or information about your nearest services.

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