Playing Nice ending explained: Is [SPOILER] dead?

The four-part drama delivered quite the shocking finale, which saw Miles's (James McArdle) antics reach a dangerous crescendo while the fallout of his actions continued to have consequences for wife Lucy (Jessica Brown Findlay), Pete (James Norton) and Maddie (Niamh Algar).

Based on the JP Delaney novel of the same name, the ITV series followed the two couples as they grappled with their newfound reality when they're told their sons had been switched at birth.

While the couples initially got on and vowed to come up with a flexible plan to see both of the boys, things took a darker turn as Miles brought in the courts and vowed to get custody of both Theo and David.

After Theo is rushed to hospital having consumed cannabis gummies, Pete tells Maddie that despite previously having them in the house, he'd given the rest of his supply to his father. The pair start to suspect that Miles could be capable of giving the sweets to Theo, but lacked proof.

But because of Theo being taken to hospital, the penultimate episode saw the judge grant Miles and Lucy temporary custody over Theo, with the final decision set to be made at the next hearing.

Things reached fever pitch in the final episode as battle lines were drawn and the final hearing loomed, but how did things unfold at the end of Playing Nice? Read on for a full breakdown of the finale.

Playing Nice ending explained: What happened at the hearing?

The episode opens with Pete and Maddie having their one-hour contact time with Theo, but after Theo tells Maddie that she's not his real mother, things take a turn for the worse and their time is cut short by the social worker.

They're then told that the child specialist is recommending that Theo stay with Miles and Lucy permanently, but it still remains down to the judge, who will make her final decision at the hearing.

On the day of the hearing, we hear more about Maddie's post-natal depression, as well as each of the parent's own viewpoints about the baby-switching situation. But Miles is dealt a surprise blow when his mother turns up after being notified of the whole debacle by Pete.

She notes David's name to Miles and asks if he thinks that's an easy way of replacing his brother, to which Miles storms off. Lucy greets Miles's mother, who tells her that her son doesn't stop until he gets what he wants and wonders whether having a father like that would really be the best for Theo and David.

Back at home, Lucy confronts Miles about his mother's revelations, but Miles doesn't reveal anything, instead berating his wife and telling her she's useless.

The next day, at the hearing, the CCTV footage from inside Miles and Lucy's home reveals the true nature of how Theo came to consume the cannabis gummies. It shows Miles playing a game with Theo, and when he wins, Miles would hand him the sweets in question.

Lucy brushes off how the footage made it to court later on, blaming one of the nannies, but Miles dismisses her aggressively, gripping her wrist in the process – something that Maddie spots from afar.

The following day, Pete and Theo are spending the afternoon together, and when Pete turns around to order some chips for them, he realises Theo is nowhere to be seen.

A stranger tells him that she saw Theo wander off with another man who she believed was his father, and Pete runs off to find them. While driving to find them, Miles sends Pete a text with a location attached.

Once he arrives at the location, Pete looks down to the water and sees Theo's yellow jacket floating in the sea, but when he rushes into the water to retrieve it, he realises Theo thankfully isn't in the water too.

Coming back up to the location, Miles is sat there, and he tells Pete that he wanted him to know what it feels like to lose a son. Theo comes out of the hiding spot that Miles told him to stay in and a tearful Pete hugs him, grateful that he's still alive.

That night, Maddie goes to Miles and Lucy's home to try and appeal to Lucy's common decency, revealing that she remembers Lucy from the hospital after they gave birth and the fact that she was there in the NICU by herself, with Miles nowhere to be seen.

It's also clear that Lucy sent the incriminating CCTV footage to the court, but Lucy refuses to answer Maddie's question about why she did so. Maddie tells Lucy that she isn't alone and is always there for her and David.

The next morning, Lucy wakes up startled to find Miles and David missing but goes downstairs to find Miles, who has prepared a picnic for the day, telling her that they're to leave soon.

Trying to stall, Lucy calls Maddie for some help, but Maddie doesn't pick up so Lucy leaves a voicemail. As Maddie goes to pick up Theo and Pete, she listens back to the voicemail and realises she's in danger.

In the message, Lucy admits she's always been scared of Miles doing something truly awful after growing increasingly obsessive and controlling throughout her pregnancy. Lucy then admits that it was her who swapped the babies in a bid to "save" her child, knowing that he would have a better life away from Miles.

After hearing the emotional admission, Maddie realises that Lucy has sent her their location and leaves Pete and Theo to drive there.

What happens to Miles at the end of Playing Nice?

On the cliffside having their impromptu picnic, Miles confronts Lucy about the CCTV footage and accuses her of sending it to the court.

He picks up David and takes him close to the edge, attacking Lucy after she tells him she doesn't know the truth. Walking backwards to the edge with David, Miles yells at Lucy to tell the truth about her betrayal.

She eventually admits it was her and tells Miles that she will give David to Maddie and that they can take Theo, even though that isn't what she wants. At the same time, Maddie makes her way to the location and spots Miles and Lucy in the distance.

Miles tells Lucy that he will get Theo back, but that he doesn't need her or David, quickly moving towards the edge with David.

As Maddie shouts out for Lucy, Lucy uses the distraction to pick up a rock and hit Miles over the head. David runs towards Maddie, who picks him up, but Miles grabs Lucy, trying to pull her towards the edge.

After a tense struggle, Lucy manages to push Miles off of her and he falls off of the cliff to his death.

Back at her home with Maddie, Lucy struggles to wash Miles's blood off of her hands, but she admits that she knows she'll be OK now that Miles is gone. We later see that Pete has joined them at the house as Lucy gives a statement to the police, telling them that Miles was really angry and disappeared.

Pete and Maddie corroborate her story, explaining how aggressive Miles seemed, and Lucy finally tells the officers that she saw Miles take off towards the coast.

What happens to David and Theo?

The episode then flashes forward to three months later after Lucy, Pete and Maddie have lied to the police.

Things seem happy for Pete and Maddie, who are running across the beach with Theo by their side, and as Maddie takes a look behind her, we see that Lucy is sat on the beach with David.

While it's not clear exactly what the arrangement between the families is, we can assume that without Miles and his controlling need to involve lawyers and the courts, Pete, Maddie and Lucy have reached an agreement where they see both of the boys regularly – but that, potentially, the original living situation stays as it was.

Everyone seems to be getting along, but while embracing Pete away from the boys, Maddie watches Lucy with a serious expression that quickly turns into a small smile.

Even so, she looks out to the sea without a smile, possibly pondering what they've concealed in order to achieve peace in their lives.

Playing Nice is available to watch on ITVX.

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