Vera ending explained: What happened to the iconic detective in final episode?

But as she delved deeper into the case, she was given time to dive into her own memories after finding a link between missing Chloe and herself.

If you want a helpful recap on the final episode, check out our handy guide below.

Vera ending explained: What happened to the iconic detective in the final episode?

The Dark Wives saw Vera on the hunt for a missing girl from a children's home (Chloe), while also trying to solve a callous murder of a victim named Josh, near some ritualistic stones deep in the Northumbrian countryside.

The area was familiar to Vera, who grew up on the wild land with her dad, Hector, whom she had a complex relationship with before his death.

Another children's home resident, Bradley (who was found dead by heroin laced with fentanyl) had Josh's blood on his jeans, and it became clear he had killed the young student. But he wasn't alone – the children's home manager Dave moved the body.

After chasing up every possible lead with Chloe and Josh's friends and families, Vera finally found the link between the seemingly unconnected pair during the interview with Dave: Josh, an ambitious student, was writing an exposé on the children's home which was turning over a tidy profit, and Bradley was disturbed by the news so took action which was witnessed by Chloe.

With this new information, Vera set about finding who were the financial trustees of the children's home and uncovered the head of it was the unsavoury Helen Allenby, an educational lead who didn't just run the children's home, but also the local school which had an outstanding reputation.

Vera continued to dig and found that Josh's own dad was in charge of the accounts of the business, and with his mum as a GP, the parents were left to tidy up the fallout of their boy's death – and they were going for Chloe next to finish the dark crime off.

Thankfully, Vera found Chloe just in the nick of time, but it wasn't without peril as Josh's dad Chris was nearby and pounced on the young girl. Though Vera and Chloe were in danger from the raving man, she managed to talk him down before Joe arrived to cart him off to the police car.

As the case came to a close, Vera reflected on her time in the force, and having heard that Joe (David Leon) was getting help for the grief after his father died, it was clear Vera had finally come to a conclusion after the offer of a promotion – she didn't want it after all, explaining to Chief Superintendent Khalon (Shobna Gulati) that she wanted to allow someone else to fly.

Does Vera retire in the final episode?

Yes, Vera takes a well-earned retirement.

Vera headed back to the office and started to pack up her belongings and while doing so, found a box full of old pictures, including one of her starting out in the police force.

Viewers were plunged into a memory of a young Vera helping her dad build a fence and she was antsy as she needed to go and finish her homework.

Hector wondered why she needed her education so much, but Vera insisted it was because she wanted to join the police force, something her father scoffed at, saying it was simply no place for a woman, to which Vera said he was wrong.

"You best prove it then, pet," Hector replied. And prove it she did.

The next day, Joe stepped in to the office looking for his beloved boss, but only found a letter on her desk which read: "Time to spread those wings, pet. You'll be fine x." With that hint, it's clear Joe will step up to take on Vera's role in her absence – and much-deserved it is, too.

The camera cut to Vera, who was out by the coast, thankfully rid of her trench coat and dressed in casual gear.

She was joined by a stray dog she'd become rather fond of, and was seemingly very happy with her decision as she enjoyed her glorious Northumberland home once more.

Previous episodes of Vera are available to watch on ITVX.

You can also purchase instalments from any series on Amazon Prime Video. You can buy the first of Ann Cleeves's Vera novels now.

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