The Day of the Jackal ending explained: Who dies in the season finale?
The cat-and-mouse game comes to a deadly conclusion. *SPOILER ALERT*
Fans of spy thrillers and political intrigue have been hooked by Sky and NOW's The Day of the Jackal, which depicts a cat-and-mouse game played between an international assassin and a tenacious MI6 agent.
Eddie Redmayne plays the titular Jackal, whose cold and ruthless profession is counterbalanced by a softer, family-focused side, while Lashana Lynch plays British operative Bianca, who is determined to put his killing spree to an end.
Everything comes to a head in the final chapter of the 10-episode series, which sees the Jackal and Bianca finally come face-to-face – but which of them will survive the ordeal?
Here you'll find spoiler-filled details for The Day of the Jackal finale, so be sure to read on only if you've already watched it or you don't mind knowing what happens. Answers – with spoilers – follow below!
The Day of the Jackal ending explained: Is Bianca really dead?
Yes, MI6 agent Bianca dies in The Day of the Jackal series finale.
It's a shocking end to the show that subverts the ending of Frederick Forsyth's novel (and the 1973 film adaptation), in which Deputy Commissioner Claude Lebel bests the Jackal in a shoot-out and later attends his funeral.
Those familiar with the original story may have been expecting a similar triumph for Lynch's Bianca, but alas, she is outflanked when she closes in on the Jackal's secret family home in Spain.
Bianca and her trusted associate Vince Pyne (Nick Blood) finally locate the Jackal's personal address while investigating the recent arrest of his trouble-making brother-in-law Alvaro (Jon Arias).
When they arrive, they see a distraught Nuria (Úrsula Corberó) getting into a taxi with her infant son, and conclude that she is most likely trying to run away from her killer husband – leaving her to do just that.
The Jackal arrives some time later, sore from a wound in his upper back incurred after taking an older couple hostage in their camper van and horrified when he realises that Nuria has walked out on him.
Briefly, it seems as if this could give Bianca and Vince the upper hand – but unfortunately, things soon take a turn for the worse.
Alvaro has the misfortune of stumbling home as the two agents are making their entrance, with Bianca gunning him down in a move that alerts the Jackal to their presence.
He hides himself away in his weapons locker – disguised behind the two-way mirror of his bedroom's walk-in closet – with Bianca coming agonisingly close to catching her nemesis. However, she fails to detect the hidden room.
She heads back downstairs and hopes to still lure the Jackal out, if not killing him then at least exposing his identity.
But the cold and calculating assassin knows his house better than anyone else, meaning he is able to easily outmanoeuvre Bianca and Vince, killing them both.
The death of Bianca will come as the greatest shock, given that she is a key focus of the show; we've spent a great deal of time getting to know the agent and her family.
Of course, if The Day of the Jackal were to return for a second season, it's possible that the writers could contrive a way to resuscitate her – but there's a risk that this would feel rather forced and diminish the impact of this powerful episode.
Therefore, based on this finale alone, it certainly appears that Bianca does die in the closing moments of the show, after sustaining a bullet wound to the chest and dropping to the ground.
There, she remains eerily still as the Jackal inspects the scene, with a small amount of blood trickling from her mouth. Sadly, it seems like the bitter end of her story.
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Will the story continue in a season 2?
The Day of the Jackal will return for season 2, and there are several plot threads left unresolved.
For one, The Jackal himself is still at large when the credits roll and intent on tracking down his wife, Nuria, who has attempted to escape him and start a new life with their son.
He has also found a new ally in businesswoman Zina Jansone (Eleanor Matsuura), who alerted him to the authorities' imminent arrival at his home and arranges a clandestine meeting with him when the dust has settled.
There, she suggests that he seek revenge on her former employer, Timothy Winthrop (Charles Dance), for his failure to pay for the hit on tech mogul Ulle Dag Charles (Khalid Abdalla).
So yes, any of these avenues could form the basis of season 2.
The Day of the Jackal is available to stream on NOW.
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.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
