Hot topics close

Missing You ending explained: Why did Josh leave and who killed ...

Missing You ending explained Why did Josh leave and who killed
They're the major mysteries that have plagued the new Netflix thriller, but how did Missing You end?

We have no doubt that within the first day of its release, fans will have torn their way through the five episodes of the new thriller, not least because of its intriguing central premise.

When Kat (Rosalind Eleazar) dipped her toe into the world of online dating, the last thing she expected to see was a profile of her ex-fiancé Josh (Ashley Walters).

He left her without a word just months after her father Clint's (Lenny Henry) murder 11 years prior – but where has he been? No sooner had Kat gotten her head round Josh's reappearance, he removed her from the app and triggered Kat into wanting to find out more.

At the same time, the man who confessed to murdering Clint, Monte Leburne (Marc Warren), left Kat with more questions than answers when she confronted him about who ordered the hit on her father. As the episodes progressed, many of those closest to Kat were evidently hiding secrets of their own and nobody was entirely best pleased that she was raking over the past.

Speaking about his own reaction to the ending of the series, Richard Armitage told RadioTimes.com exclusively: "It is literally like a door opening at the end where you’re going to find out the truth and that truth is going to hit you in the face."

But how did things end for Kat in Missing You? Read on for a full breakdown of the final episode of the Harlan Coben series.

Missing You ending explained: Why did Josh leave?

Rosalind Eleazar and Ashley Walters in Missing You standing in a kitchen in an embrace and laughing.

Rosalind Eleazar and Ashley Walters in Missing You. Netflix

The penultimate episode of Missing You ended on quite the cliffhanger when Kat went searching for Josh via a PO box he was known to use. Seeing another man collect a parcel from the same PO box led Kat to follow him to a house in the countryside.

Although the man seemed slightly hostile at first and said that he didn't know who Josh was, Kat remained close by and saw a little girl playing on the beach. When she approached, she was then surprised to see Josh himself walking towards them.

The final episode opens with the little girl, Sadie, acknowledging Josh as "dad". When they're left alone, Kat interrogates Josh about whether he knows Dana Fells (Lisa Faulkner) and he says he's never heard of that person before. He tells Kat that Sadie's mother died a few years ago and the man that Kat met is actually his ex's father who now lives with Josh and Sadie.

Josh says he never signed up to a dating app and explains he had to leave Kat 11 years ago. Josh admits that he did go to see Monte Leburne in prison and found out that Clint was corrupt but couldn't tell Kat at the time. Kat eventually leaves and returns back to her apartment building where she sees Brendan (Oscar Kennedy) being bundled into the back of a van.

Brendan went to go and speak to Kat but was being spied on by Titus (Steve Pemberton), who calls Brendan saying that his mother Dana is in the back of the van and he has to come immediately. Falling for the trap, Titus's worker, Reynaldo, beats Brendan up and they drive away quickly, with Kat chasing them but failing to catch up.

At the same time, back at Titus's farmhouse, Dana is caught making a hurried call to Brendan by one of Titus's workers and defends herself, stabbing him with a nearby axe.

Back at the station, Kat and her team trace the van down to some dog breeders in a specific area and go on the road to look for it. At the farmhouse, Titus and Reynaldo find the other worker's body in the kitchen and realise that Dana has not only escaped but also returned. Titus says that the only way to deal with it is to burn the entire estate down.

Kat and Nia make their way to Titus's address where we see that the fire is well and truly underway. Although Reynaldo states that they'll "leave the assets" to die, Dana sneaks into the stables to free the other prisoners who were also catfished on dating apps and held hostage as Titus stole their money. In the stables, they attack Reynaldo and hearing the scream, Kat makes her way by herself onto Titus's property.

Titus screams for Dana to come out and show herself, shooting Brendan in the leg as leverage. Kat hears his screams and comes running also, a struggle ensues and Titus aims his gun at Kat and is about to shoot her but she shoots him just in time.

What secrets was Clint hiding?

Lenny Henry as Clint Donovan and Rosalind Eleazar as Kat Donovan in Missing You. His arm is around her shoulder protectively.

Lenny Henry as Clint Donovan and Rosalind Eleazar as Kat Donovan in Missing You. Vishal Sharma/Netflix

Stagger admits to Kat that he was sorting out special treatment for Monte Leburne while he was in prison but not only that, he also confirms that he paid Leburne to say that he killed Clint.

Stagger admits he knew Clint was cheating on Odette but he was just trying to get the investigation wrapped up in order to keep Kat safe.

As Kat's done with the drama from Titus's farmhouse, Calligan (James Nesbitt) calls her with some intel on the mystery person that Clint was having an affair with. Kat says she wants to know and goes to the address the following day.

There, she meets Parker (Cyril Nri), who is surprised to see her but admits that Kat looks like Clint. He says he always thought it would be Odette who would eventually come knocking and he's been thinking about what he would tell her for years.

Parker tells Kat that he and Clint were together for 14 years and that he compartmentalised the fact that Clint had a wife and daughter to cope. Parker says that he kept trying to leave Clint and build a life away from him but would always return to him.

Parker says that Calligan knew about Clint's secret relationship with him and blackmailed him into working for him.

But Clint eventually had enough of being used by Calligan and also broke up with Parker. Parker tells Kat that the last time he saw Clint was the night he died, saying that he was a "mess" but that he also hadn't seen him so afraid and that he had run off in a panic.

By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.

What happens with Kat and Josh?

After her long day talking to Parker, Kat comes home to find Josh standing outside her front door. They go to the park and catch up, eventually leading to a kiss.

Some time passes and we see that Josh is back in Kat's life, with the two hanging out with Aqua (Mary Malone) and Stacey (Jessica Plummer), as well as Kat bringing Josh round to Odette's.

They've woken up one morning when Josh goes into the shower and Kat gets a call from Charlie (Charlie Hamblett) who says that after a few days, they finally have a fingerprint match for the gun that killed Clint.

Kat has Charlie on speaker phone when Charlie tells her that the print has been matched to a bar fight in Scotland – meaning it's Josh's.

Who killed Clint?

Richard Armitage as Stagger in Missing You, looking out a window on the phone, looking suspicious.

Richard Armitage as Stagger in Missing You. Vishal Sharma/Netflix

With the fingerprint on the murder weapon linking Josh to Clint's murder, Josh tearfully tells Kat that he didn't mean to kill Clint. He explains that he was there the night that Clint died and so was Aqua.

Aqua had seen Clint with Parker but Aqua had immediately turned around and walked away. Clint rushed off in a hurry after Aqua, scared of what she may say to Kat. Clint had called Stagger to ask for Aqua's address and sounded stressed on the phone so Stagger tried to get there before Clint.

Aqua had called Josh because she was worried as Clint was banging at her door. Aqua eventually let Clint into her home, telling Clint that she knows what Clint is going through but that sentiment only seemed to rile Clint up more. "You've had it easy," Clint tells her.

Aqua tries to tell Clint that he can live truthfully and stop lying to people about who he loves and that his family will understand. At that same moment, Kat calls Aqua and Clint gets angry, scared that Aqua has already told her something.

Aqua tries to run away but Clint hits her to the floor. Aqua gets up and retrieves a knife from the kitchen, holding it up to Clint and telling him to get back but Clint knocks it out of her hand and continues to hit her.

Josh walks in and tries to stop Clint as he retrieves the knife to stab Aqua but in the struggle, Josh turns the knife onto Clint and stabs him. Just as Clint falls to the floor, Stagger rushes in and Clint tells Stagger to not tell Kat and to not involve the police.

As Josh tries to call the ambulance, Clint takes his last breathe and Stagger takes control of the crime scene. Josh explains that they got Leburne to confess so that the case would be closed and everyone could return to normal but that wasn't the case for Josh who had to see Kat everyday and lie to her.

Josh admits that he was still living with the lie for the past week they've reconnected but just wanted to see Kat happy and be with her again. The pair sit on the bed together with Kat stroking Josh's hand, both still reeling from Josh's confession.

Missing You will stream on Netflix on 1st January 2025. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Similar news
News Archive
  • Brain
    Brain
    Rat cells grew in mice brains, and helped sniff out cookies
    26 Oct 2024
    78
  • Parma violet
    Parma violet
    How you can buy Parma Violet flavoured cider in Sussex
    29 Mar 2019
    2
  • Baby walker
    Baby walker
    Baby Walkers Market Market Evolving Opportunities with Top Industry Players Profiles | Chicco, Dream On Me, Fisher ...
    6 Jun 2019
    1
  • Hansi Flick
    Hansi Flick
    Hansi Flick's Playbook: A tactical preview for Barcelona in 2024/25 ...
    29 May 2024
    4
This week's most popular news