The Beast in Me Series-Finale Recap: Coming Clean

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I was absolutely floored when the police showed up in Oyster Bay at the end of the season. It wasn’t about searching Nile’s place like Agent Breton said it would be – they were after Aggie! Nile had cleverly called in an anonymous tip, framing Aggie for Teddy’s murder. Now, Aggie’s on the run, and honestly, she’s making great time on that jogging path. It really got me thinking – if Aggie hadn’t accidentally revealed she had proof of Teddy’s guilt by texting Abbott’s burner phone, what would Nile have done? Would he have faked Teddy’s death and brought him back somehow? Or would he have just gone ahead and killed him regardless?

Ultimately, the finale makes a convincing case that Nile would have killed Teddy regardless of the specific reasons. The show argues he’s simply a sick individual, incapable of controlling his impulses – a typical explanation for a serial killer, and frankly, a bit of a letdown. The narrative feels rushed as it tries to wrap things up. It’s always challenging to resolve a mystery, especially when the most engaging parts come from the unknown, and it’s even harder when the explanation relies heavily on past events rather than current motivations. We’ve known Nile was a killer for a long time, but we also saw glimpses of his capacity for connection and vulnerability. Reducing his actions to mere bloodlust feels unsatisfying, especially considering the potential to explore the complexities of his character and what truly drives him. Perhaps a deeper understanding of Nile required reading the book written by Aggie.

Aggie’s last thought as she tries to find Shelley in the woods seems to be avoiding being tracked, which I found strange. She spent all night messing with a SIM card – taking it out, then seemingly planning to put it back in to make calls. It didn’t make much sense. Meanwhile, Shelley is with the police and is pleading with Aggie to reveal her location so everyone can help. Shelley believes hiding will only make things worse. I initially agreed with Shelley; as Nina later observes, running from the police is always suspicious.

Aggie believes she has a way to get help, using a birding diary. Erika originally intended to show the diary to her boss, but unexpectedly ended up in Cooper’s room. Her boss revealed that Aggie had been bothering Teddy for years and that Nile was the one who alerted them. Still skeptical, Erika asks a coworker to retrieve Madison’s suicide note from the archives to compare it with the diary. However, before she can investigate further, Rick arrives at her home with two masked men and threatens her and her family. Erika tries to explain that she didn’t intend for any of this to happen and feels powerless to stop it. Rick claims he’ll do whatever it takes to protect his own family, and he takes the birding diary while his men ransack Erika’s house.

It’s such a relief to hear Rick tell Nile that Erika’s situation is taken care of. I was immediately pulled back to Nile reading Sick Puppy, realizing he didn’t even need to fake that signature. The whole thing with Aggie and the jogging path feels a little unfinished, though. We know she eventually gave in once construction started, but it would have been so satisfying to see her admit it to Nile. Meanwhile, Rick is off to tell Martin the bare minimum about why his son is about to be in the news again. Nile, thankfully, fills Nina in on all the police activity, and he remembers feeling uneasy when Aggie warned him away from Cooper’s room that night they were drinking. But even Nina is starting to see through things – why would Aggie let Nile in at all if she was hiding a sick teenager? They keep trying to talk about the baby, but something always comes up to delay it. And then, just when things were already complicated, Nile gets a call that Martin’s been hospitalized – it’s just one thing after another!

The news about Nile’s complete lack of empathy and violent tendencies completely overwhelmed Martin. He had just finished celebrating a successful deal with Benitez when Rick arrived with the shocking news that Aggie was a suspect in Teddy’s murder. However, Martin immediately knew Rick was lying – he recognized a childhood habit of Rick’s, a subtle nose-thumbing gesture. Rick then revealed the full extent of Nile’s condition: that he killed Teddy without remorse and likely would continue to kill. The realization that Nile was a relentless killer, and that Martin and Rick would be forever responsible for covering up his crimes, was devastating. Martin suffered a stroke and was placed in a medically induced coma. Rick was so distraught that he couldn’t even be in the same room as Nile at the hospital.

Aggie is struggling to cope and tries to occupy herself. Her phone dies while she’s looking at the SIM card, and she keeps reliving the events of the night Cooper died. The episode pieces together what happened that day: Aggie had a job interview for Sick Puppy, but Shelley couldn’t transport Cooper, so Aggie agreed to drive him and conduct the interview from the car. She and Shelley were arguing about the arrangements, which left Aggie stressed while driving. While on the phone with her interviewer, Cooper repeatedly asked for the pilot for his toy plane. Aggie turned to scold him, and that’s when her car hit Teddy’s. It turns out Aggie wasn’t driving recklessly or under the influence, but she was distracted, meaning she wasn’t entirely without blame. Later, Aggie spends the night in a greenhouse in Oyster Bay. She wakes up to workers arriving and finds a charger in a shed, allowing her to call Erika.

Erika has completely disengaged from the situation. Seeing the damage Rick and his associates inflicted on her home – especially the broken picture frame that once held a photo of her children – she realizes she needs to prioritize her own well-being and protect her family. When Aggie calls, Erika acts as if she doesn’t recognize her or understand what she wants. Aggie pleads with her to send the diary, but Erika refuses. For the time being, Aggie is left to cope on her own.

However, that won’t last, all because of one error Nile makes while trying to resolve the situation. He didn’t realize it at the time, but he should have allowed Nina to come to the hospital when she offered. Perhaps he sent her to work instead because the atmosphere at the hospital was so depressing. Rick visibly struggles with his nephew’s presence. He tells Nile, “From the moment you were born, you’ve harbored a desire to harm your father.” It’s in the wake of this harsh accusation that Nile asks Nina to go to work, reasoning that she wouldn’t be useful at the hospital anyway.

Aggie Wiggs is waiting for Nina at Jacon, and immediately turns herself in to 911. Before the police arrive, Aggie confronts Nina in her office, vehemently denying any involvement in Teddy Fenig’s death and swearing on her son’s memory. Aggie insists Nina secretly knows Nile is the real killer, suggesting Nina accepted Nile’s version of events to ease her own conscience – a topic Aggie, with a pointed remark about self-deception, understands well. As Aggie pleads for help, tears stream down Nina’s face.

It’s revealed that Nina holds the key to understanding everything, a twist that feels surprising but ultimately doesn’t quite land. The idea that she subconsciously understood Nile’s potential feels underdeveloped, as we’ve only seen them interact a few times and know very little about their relationship beyond their arguments about his secrecy. While this tension is common in relationships with powerful, secretive men and their wives, it doesn’t feel fully explored. Back home, Nina asks Nile about his conversation with Aggie at the gallery. Secretly, she starts recording their discussion. She then reveals that she’s always been puzzled by Madison’s suicide, specifically the contrast between her increasingly cruel behavior beforehand and the peaceful, loving tone of her suicide note. She directly asks Nile if he killed Madison, asserting her right to know.

Director Antonio Campos films this conversation in low light, which makes the crucial scene even more confusing. Nina is left questioning who these people really are – herself and her husband included. This is our final opportunity to understand what’s happening, but the truth remains hidden. Nile angrily accuses Nina of always knowing he killed Madison, and goes further, claiming she wanted him to do it – suggesting her mention of Abbott was a deliberate setup. He demands to know what she expected to happen.

Nile launched into a passionate speech about the darkness within all of us, claiming we’re all driven by basic, even violent, instincts. What’s frustrating is that he was saying this to Nina instead of Aggie. He seemed to be trying to connect with Nina’s feelings of dislike towards Madison, but his point about primal urges would have hit much harder with Aggie, who had nearly lost control of her temper several times. Nina, who was just trying to move on with her life after a difficult situation, was angry and resentful. We also never learned how Nile and Nina’s relationship developed after Madison vanished—how they fell in love, or even if they did. While Nina’s situation is serious—she’s pregnant with his child—it doesn’t feel as crucial as Aggie’s, who came into this determined to uncover the truth and confront her own personal struggles. Ultimately, by the end of the scene, when Nile is crying and Nina is comforting him, it’s clear she’s about to betray him.

I was at the press conference for the new Jarvis-Benitez deal, and things were already tense with protesters shouting at Benitez. Then, Nile completely turned the tables! He announced he was donating a whole block of land to the city for affordable housing. I spotted Nina in the crowd as Benitez started speaking, and Nile actually looked…good. Considering his father’s in a coma, it was surprising. He seemed proud to be back at work, and honestly, I got a really bad feeling – it was like he thought he’d gotten away with everything. But Nina wasn’t letting him. She told him to check his phone – she’d recorded his confession! Then she dropped the bombshell: she was done with him, and he’d never see their child again. The police immediately cuffed him and led him away, and the room erupted in cheers. Benitez was completely lost – this was a disaster for her. Aggie was there too, and we shared a look with Nina as they took Nile away – a look that said we were finally safe.

Aggie’s book has been published, and she appears much happier and at ease, accepting Carol’s praise. Her relationship with Shelley also seems to be better; Shelley even attends one of Aggie’s book signings with her partner, Meg. Aggie reads the final section of her book, revealing what happened afterward. Initially, Nile insisted the recording was altered, but he lost all credibility when Rick provided substantial evidence in exchange for a reduced sentence. Rick also ended Martin’s life in the hospital, preventing him from witnessing his reputation ruined. In her book, Aggie acknowledges her own desire for revenge. During a final interview with Nile in prison, he attempts to provoke her as he always did, suggesting they killed Teddy together and that she enjoyed discovering his body. However, Aggie is now self-assured and asserts they are different people. She asks Nile what it feels like to be a monster. Shortly after this conversation, Nile is stabbed to death in prison, acting on orders from Rick. Meanwhile, Nina finishes reading Aggie’s book and then soothes her baby, looking into his eyes and reassuring him that everything is alright.

Intrusive Thoughts

It’s striking that we don’t see Mrs. Fenig again after everything that happens with Teddy’s disappearance and death. Aggie’s writing mentions they were both mothers grieving their sons, and it feels like a chance was missed to have them interact on screen.

As the show neared its end, I felt increasingly disconnected from Aggie. She had already come to terms with her role in her son’s death, her intense anger, and her desire for revenge when she visited Shelley to apologize. It felt like the show moved past Aggie in the penultimate episode, continuing the story without really focusing on her anymore.

I was most shocked by Nile’s death in the finale – it was completely unexpected!

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2025-11-14 23:58