Shetland season 8 ending explained: Is Ruth staying?

Shetland season 8 ending explained: Who killed Ellen, and why?

Grace and Bobby were arrested in the finale, with both mother and son refusing to explain the mystery surrounding 17th September, the anniversary of the death of Grace's husband Kenny.

Following his passing, the family would gather annually to commemorate his life, but something major occurred the last time they were all together, which prompted Ellen to block Bobby's number and move to London. The only contact between the pair during the past seven months was a ferocious argument that took place when Bobby visited her in the English capital.

But Bobby, nor his mother, were responsible for killing Ellen, although their actions certainly didn't protect her.

In a devastating twist, it was revealed that Kieran, Ellen's father, had murdered her.

When she returned to the farm on the night of her death, Kieran saw her walking up the driveway. He asked her to stay so they could address her problems as a family, but she refused. She also wouldn't tell him what had happened to her, so they went for a ride instead.

Eventually, Ellen confided in him about the mess she was in with Howell and Nowak but after learning the truth, he decided to take her to the police station. She protested, demanding that he let her out of the car, but Kieran refused, which is when a furious Ellen delivered a shocking revelation: her uncle Bobby is also her biological father.

When Kenny died, the Bains fell apart. An inconsolable Grace locked herself away in her bedroom and refused to engage with anyone, leaving her children to manage their grief without her. Unable to cope with the demands of the outside world, they shut themselves away in the house for three days, just the two of them, "grieving together".

On the second night, they shared a bottle of malt and fell asleep beside one another. When Stella woke a few hours later, she could hear Bobby crying.

"I know I shouldn't have turned around, but he was my big brother, and he was in pain," said Stella.

And that's when it happened.

In an effort to protect his sister, Bobby told Tosh that he wanted it recorded that he had forced himself upon his sister, but that was far from the truth.

"It's not some horror story," said Stella. "I am not a victim here. Bobby's not evil. It was just a one-off, and it just happened."

After the incident, they both somehow "went back to normal". Stella had been dating Kieran for several months by then and when she fell pregnant, the couple married soon after.

"The odds were it was Kieran's baby," she added.

After Ellen delivered the earth-shattering news to Kieran, she continued to hurl insults at him.

"How could you be so stupid?" she snarled. "How could you not see? She played you for an idiot, the whole lot of them, laughing at you. And him, bossing you around the farm, treating you like s**t, all the while you're bringing up his kid."

She then pointed to her face.

"Look at me. Look at me! You see this, this is pure Bain!"

In that moment, a white-hot rage overtook Kieran and he grabbed Ellen's throat, his grip tightening. When he eventually released her, she was gasping for air but in a heartbeat, she went limp.

Ellen was dead, the Bain-Quinn clan fractured irreparably.

Stella and her son Rory left the farm for the mainland, where they were staying with a friend. As for Grace and Bobby, their fates were still unknown.

What really happened to Cal?

The crash which killed Cal wasn't the result of him being run off the road by another vehicle, or due to Bobby tampering with his brakes following their uncomfortable conversation about an alleged relationship between Stella and Ruth's father, which was simply a figment of Jean's imagination.

Contrary to what she thought she saw, the former reverend was simply comforting Stella after she had confided in him about what had happened with Bobby.

The truth behind Cal's death was far more mundane: he was two times over the drink-driving limit, and he also had drugs in his system.

"An accident," said Ruth, overcome with emotion and guilt.

Cal had paid Bobby a visit after she had asked him about Stella and her father, but Cal's brother James didn't lay the blame at Ruth's feet. Instead, he gave her a mixtape that she had made him when they were young and in love.

Will Ruth stay in Shetland?

Rather than heading back to London, as she initially intended to, Ruth decided to use her leave from the MET to stay in Shetland for the time being.

Not only had she begun to rebuild her relationship with her brother Alan, she had also finally accepted that regardless of past grievances, Shetland would always be a part of her.

"It's still too small and the weather's awful and everyone knows your business," said Ruth.

"But it's home," replied Tosh.

"I suppose it is," she added.

But does this mean she’s sticking around for the long haul? When RadioTimes.com spoke to Alison O’Donnell about Ruth’s future, she remained tight-lipped, but all signs point to her making the move permanently and crucially, a large chunk of the viewership has also taken to her.

Ruth had also begun to make peace with how she felt about her father. While she still wasn't able to forgive him for his affair with Jean while her mother was ill in hospital, and possibly never would, she was moved by the way in which he'd been there to support Stella in her time of need.

After she said goodbye to her brother, Ruth extended an affectionate hand to both her mother and father's tombstones, taking a small yet seismic step into a new chapter.

Shetland seasons 1-8 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Ann Cleeves's Shetland novels are available to buy now.

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