The Couple Next Door series 2 has come to a dramatic ending, with Mia’s true identity revealed, and Jacob and Lottie’s marriage broken for good – here’s the final episode explained.

At the beginning of the Channel 4 series, Charlotte and Jacob were a happy couple of 20 years living in suburbia. They threw dinner parties accompanied by expensive wine, and had a sex schedule due to their busy lives. Wednesday nights, if you were wondering.

However, the dynamic changed as soon as new neighbour and work colleague Mia Eldegard arrived on the street… While she pretended to be their friend, she certainly wasn’t. That much was obvious by the way she encouraged Charlotte – aka Lottie – to behave increasingly impulsively, while making come-to-bed-eyes at Jacob. Oh, and then the threesomes. Didn’t anybody tell this lot that three’s a crowd?

Mia appeared to want to cause as much disruption in Lottie and Jacob’s lives as possible – but why? Who was Mia, and why did she move in next door to her work colleagues? All was revealed in The Couple Next Door ending – and here’s the final episode explained.

***Warning: spoilers from The Couple Next Door ending ahead***

The Couple Next Door series 2 ending explained: What happened in final episode?

The synopsis for episode 6 of the Channel 4 thriller told us that Charlotte and Jacob’s marriage was imploding, and the fallout looked set to have deadly consequences… Yep, that sums it up!

With Isak on the loose, Alan realised Mia was in danger. But the police wouldn’t take him seriously, forcing him to take drastic action.  Meanwhile, Gemma and Leo found themselves in a race against time to try and uncover who was really behind the hospital deaths. And when Viraj’s last wishes were revealed, a final showdown between Hari and Leo seemed inevitable.

Here’s a detailed explanation of The Couple Next Door ending, including Mia’s real identity, and what happened to Lottie and Jacob’s marriage.

Who was Mia Eldegard?

Mia said she was from Norway when she arrived on Appleby Drive with just one suitcase… Bit odd for someone who had just moved to the country maybe? Odder still, half of the case contained a wooden box full of euros. We’re talking hundreds and thousands in cash.

She installed double locks on her doors, and seemed a tad over-friendly with the neighbours. In the words of Jacob, she was “a bit much”, and had no social awareness. Naturally, alarm bells began to ring immediately. I mean, this was a Channel 4 thriller we’re talking about, so we were naturally suspicious!

Also, there was the question of how the hell she could afford the plush detached house on a nurses salary, and why she wasn’t on social media. So who was Mia and what did she want? By episode 2, it was clear she was foe not friend. She had sex with a drunk Jacob as Lottie lay fast asleep on the sofa in the same room. I mean, we all saw it coming, but she appeared more and more unhinged…

Flashbacks soon began to paint a picture of Mia’s life before she arrived in the UK. Mia was in fact Polish (like the actress who played her in The Couple Next Door cast). And she was actually a women called Kasia Busek who was running from her past. Specifically her ex-fiancé Isak.

Throughout the series, Mia had been receiving unwanted emails from an anonymous source. Whoever it was clearly knew her real identity, and was threatening to expose her. But who was Isak, and what was his relationship to Mia, aka Kasia?

The Couple Next Door series 2 ending explained: Who was Isak?

Isak was finally able to track Mia down when a photo of a hospital function made it into the newspapers. When he arrived (uninvited) in the UK and broke into Mia’s house, we learnt more about their toxic past. Mia’s parents in Poland were criminals. We saw a Polish newspaper with the headline: “Polish family’s criminal past catches up with them. Stolen millions still missing.”

Well, that would explain Mia’s box of money, and how she was able to afford a big house in a posh suburban street. Flashbacks showed Mia having her 16th birthday ruined by armed men who arrived to arrest her parents. The story became front page news, and thrust her into the spotlight. Because she wasn’t 18 yet, the authorities put her into social care. That’s where she met Isak, who was supposed to be help her. Instead, he took advantage of her and seduced her during therapy.

Isak manipulated Mia into believing that bad things happened to her because she was a bad person. Which might explain her aggressively odd behaviour in the previous episodes. Clearly she was very troubled.

In a confrontation, Mia accused Isak of planning to expose her past to her managers at the hospital. But he insisted she was just paranoid and had made it up. He insisted he was only at the hospital to invite her colleagues to their engagement party. So was she mistaken, or was he gaslighting her? Well it was definitely the latter.

At the end of episode 5, we realised – with some horror – that Isak had been Mia/Kasia’s therapist. It was clear that Isak had groomed his patient, and was very controlling. He had a dangerous hold on her. No wonder she had run away!

At the beginning of the final episode of The Couple Next Door, Mia was pretty much a hostage in her own house. But did Isak want her or her stash of money? It all came down to unlikely hero Alan to save the day…

What did Alan do?

Neighbour Alan, one of two characters who returned from series 1, was a repentant man after his previously very creepy behaviour. He was doing community service as a result of his obsessive stalking of Becka, the sexy character from the first series.

Alan, a bookkeeper, told Mia: “I had a telescope. And I became fixated on a neighbour, a woman.”

In fact, Hugh Dennis’ character was a nosy neighbour whose obsession with Becka led him to spy on her with a telescope. He also saved all her social media photos. His behaviour escalated, including saving footage from a foursome he witnessed… His penance? He suffered a stroke while doing so!

There followed newspaper headlines calling him a pervert, and peeping Tom. And his wife promptly left him. But the Alan in series 2? He was lonely, and remorseful. Dare we say we actually felt a bit sorry for him. Until, of course, he polished off his telescope (not a euphemism) and began spying on Mia too…

However, Alan was actually looking out for Mia, realising that she was hiding from someone. He barged into Mia’s house, and subsequently discovered what had happened between Isak and Mia, and what a hold he had on her. Recognising someone who had crippling self-esteem like he did, Alan refused to leave the house. In a tense confrontation, Alan hit Isak over the head with Mia’s beloved music box – meaning that Mia could escape and save Lottie from her own dangerous showdown with Jacob at the hospital.

Ultimately, Alan saved Mia from Isak. He became the have-a-go hero of sorts. A redemption arc for the character, who had so much to prove. But did the police catch Isak? We don’t know. In what some viewers may find an unsatisfactory loose end, we didn’t find out what happened to Isak or the money he stole from Mia.

Who killed Mr Green and the other patients?

In episode 2, Mia’s patient Mr Green died in sudden circumstances – just minutes after he’d sexually assaulted her. But was she to blame for his death? A post-mortem showed that there had been a clinical error, so an investigation had to be launched. All eyes were on Mia as she’d (rather stupidly) commented aloud that he’d pretty much deserved to die as he wasn’t a nice person.

Days later, Mr Arnold also died on the ward. He was considered high-risk, but Mia’s reaction raised concern. Why was she asking if they would perform an autopsy? In both cases, it looked like Mia was the last to see the patient alive. A search of her locker showed that she had medication belonging to a patient – but had she been framed? Who would try to pin the deaths on Mia, and why?

When Leo’s dad Viraj Pandian died, too, it was clearly foul play. All his monitors had been unplugged. Once again, Mia had been the last nurse to attend to him. In episode 5, the hospital’s medical director Ben suspended Mia pending an investigation.

But, in the final episode, we discovered that Mia was innocent. She had been set up by Jacob. He had been taking drugs to get him through his shifts – and subsequently making sloppy mistakes. It was Jacob’s mistake that had caused Mr Green’s death. When Mr Arnold died of natural causes, Jacob then amended the notes to make it look suspicious. Thus making the deaths look connected and throwing the finger of blame on Mia.

When Lottie found out the truth, she told her husband their marriage was over.

What happened between Jacob and Lottie at the end?

Afraid of being exposed, and realising his marriage was over, Jacob took drastic measures. The previously rather ‘meh’ character poisoned his wife. Note to self: Never fall out with a doctor, nurse, or anaesthetist!

When she started feeling dizzy, Lottie realised what he’d done. She asked him: “How much have I had?” To which he answered: “Enough.”

Jacob went on to explain: “It’ll be over soon. I didn’t plan this I swear. I didn’t want to give it to you. But you know how I am, and what I’ve done. I can’t let you walk out of here, and have everyone see you hate me Lottie.”

Lottie in turn told Jacob she suspected he was having a breakdown, and insisted: “It’s not too late to stop this.”

As she deteriorated in his arms, she begged: “How could you do this to me? We loved each other. We were happy together.” With Lottie unconscious, Jacob promptly feigned a suicide note. But, of course, by this point those in charge of the hospital had seen the CCTV footage of Jacob entering Viraj’s room and realised he was the culprit.

At the end of The Couple Next Door series 2, Jacob’s web of lies had been exposed. Lottie was saved in the nick of time thanks to Mia’s arrival at the hospital, while police arrested Jacob.

The Couple Next Door final episode: Who did Lottie end up with?

In The Couple Next Door series 2, Lottie’s ex-boyfriend Leo was also causing problems for her at first – as if having an affair with your neighbour wasn’t enough already! Leo returned to the UK after various travels, and clearly still had a thing for his former partner.

Being around him again, Lottie realised she had chosen the safe option with Jacob, rather than the ‘wilder’ Leo. The pair had planned to go travelling together, and had even bought their tickets. But Lottie stood him up at the airport. She didn’t show up, so Leo had to go away on his own. Meanwhile, she subsequently got married to Jacob.

Viewers will know that Lottie kissed Leo in episode 4. But they didn’t get back together. Instead, Leo subsequently got together with Ben’s estranged wife Gemma (yes, it was all rather incestuous). Meanwhile, Lottie’s husband Jacob was banged up in jail.

So did Lottie end up with Mia? Nope, Lottie was single at the end of the C4 thriller. Mia had left “like a thief in the night” and gone to Paris. That’s what her postcard said anyway. However, Yvonne got one from Munich, and Mia received one from Antwerp! Was Mia travelling Europe, or lying again? Perhaps we’ll never know.

Meanwhile, Lottie had been offered some medical work in Mozambique with Leo’s charity. But she’d decided she couldn’t leave her dad Henry, who was suffering from dementia. Instead, she’d made the decision to bring her dad back home and look after him. Alan once again proved that not all heroes wear capes when he offered to look after Henry, allowing Lottie to travel. Something she said she would think about.

The Couple Next Door series 2 ending explained: What else happened in final episode?

• Police caught Isak – and the money he’d stolen from Mia – thanks to a little help from Gloria.
• Leo hired Gemma as a senior manager to run the foundation, while he returned part-time abroad to continue his charity work. The obviously didn’t learn the lesson about couples working together!
• Alan completed his community service, and had gained a fair bit of self respect back.
• New hero Alan may have found himself without an orange vest, but he did acquire a friend in Yvonne. Go Alan! We loved this relationship.

Is there a series 3 of The Couple Next Door?

If you’ve read our ending explained to The Couple Next Door series 2, you might be wondering if there’s a third season being planned…

Channel 4 has not yet confirmed if there’ll be a series 3 of The Couple Next Door. But we think there’s plenty to loose ends left for the series to return. At the end of series 2, Mia was still on the loose, as was Isak. Meanwhile, Lottie went from snogging three people, to none.

However, if the first two series are anything to go by, series 3 could be a standalone series. Like anthology dramas such as The White Lotus, Fargo, True Detective, and Time, each season is separate and can be watched on its own.

Series 2 of The Couple Next Door only saw the return of two characters from series 1 – Alan and Gloria. Series 3, if there is one, could well focus on an entirely new street with an entirely new plot-line.

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The Couple Next Door series is currently available to watch on Channel4.com.