Safe, a gripping thriller adapted from Harlan Coben’s bestselling book, has become a topic of discussion among fans, especially following the conclusion of Fool Me Once. The show, which first premiered on Netflix in 2018, takes us on a roller-coaster journey filled with secrets, lies, and unexpected twists.
The story revolves around Tom, a single father, portrayed by Michael C. Hall of Dexter fame, who is still struggling with the death of his wife a year ago. His life is further upended when his eldest daughter disappears, and a web of dark secrets slowly begins to unravel.
Secrets buried in the ashes of a past fire come back to haunt a grieving father (Photo: Safe/IM Global, Lionsgate, Automatik Entertainment)Revealing the Past: Secrets from the Fire
The final episode of Safe picks up immediately after episode 7, with Tom learning shocking truths about his late wife, Helen, his current girlfriend, Sophie, and their deceased neighbor. They were all involved in a devastating fire at the school years ago, which tragically claimed the lives of eight pupils.
Sophie finally opens up to Tom, revealing the truth about the fire. She explains that Craig suffered severe burns when he went back into the burning school to rescue children after seeing them on CCTV. Tom tells Sophie that Rachel was trying to communicate something important to Jenny before she died.
He believes Jenny discovered the truth about the fire and that Bobby, one of the kids involved in starting it, killed Helen and now has Jenny in his possession. Sophie vows to help Tom retrieve Jenny, even pretending to align with Bobby to gather information from him.
As they converse, Bobby almost confesses to killing Helen. Sophie, in her attempt to gain Bobby’s trust, promises to help him dispose of Jenny.
The Discovery: A VHS Tape and a Dangerous Journey
Before Jenny went missing, she visited Helen to ask about her mother and looked through old school yearbooks. During this visit, she asks Helen about “Jasmine,” which causes Helen to react angrily and throw her out of the house. Before leaving, Jenny manages to take an old VHS video hidden in the yearbook.
She takes the video to Chris, and together they watch it, shocked to see footage of six teenagers at the school. Before they can uncover more, the video cuts off, but the date on the tape leads them to research the school fire in the library, where they make a disturbing connection.
Chris wants to confront Sophie right away, recalling past clashes with her, such as when she arrested him for drug possession. However, Jenny urges him not to. That night, Jenny attends Sia’s party but loses track of Chris. She decides to confront Bobby alone, borrowing Chris’s motorbike and leaving it at a station.
At the bar, she learns Bobby is not around, so she leaves him a note and heads to Helen’s house. There, she confronts Helen about the fire, revealing that she knows everything. Helen finally opens up, and Jenny shares her fear of returning home because her father has been tracking her phone.
Bobby’s Rage and the Kidnapping
Emma and Sophie visit Helen’s house in search of Jenny. Sophie expresses concern about Jenny’s safety after learning her boyfriend is dead. Jenny, overhearing, is heartbroken. Meanwhile, Helen, convinced Bobby killed Chris, calls him and confronts him.
Jenny watches from a distance as she witnesses the memorial for Chris. When she returns to Helen’s, Bobby arrives and is enraged upon hearing that the truth about the fire is about to come out. In a violent outburst, Bobby kills Helen, sets her house on fire, and kidnaps Jenny to keep her quiet about his secret.
The Final Showdown: Sophie and Tom’s Desperate Plan
In the present day, Sophie and Tom head to Bobby’s apartment. Sophie drops Tom off nearby before entering Bobby’s flat, leaving a fire escape open so Tom can secretly follow her inside. Bobby, armed with a gun, initially threatens Sophie, but she manages to convince him to lower it.
The gripping journey of truth begins as Tom learns the devastating past his family hides (Photo: Safe/IM Global, Lionsgate, Automatik Entertainment)He admits to killing Helen and declares that Jenny must be eliminated as well. Sophie pretends to agree, and they enter the room where Jenny is held. As Sophie distracts Bobby and Jenny, Tom sneaks into the room.
A scuffle ensues as Tom attempts to wrest the gun from Bobby, but Bobby manages to overpower both Sophie and Tom. He holds them at gunpoint, with Jenny in his grip. As he faces the impossibility of escaping without facing the consequences of his crimes, Bobby shoots himself in a shocking turn of events.
The Result: A New Discovery and a Final Confrontation
When the police arrive, Jenny and Tom urge Sophie not to reveal any details about the fire. Jenny promises to keep Sophie’s involvement a secret in her police statement. While being questioned by Emma, Jenny’s account seems to fit perfectly—until Emma learns that Bobby knew about Chris’s presence at Sia’s party.
The police show Jenny a pendant found in the pool filter, which she denies ever seeing before. However, Tom recognizes it as Sophie’s, and he soon realizes that Sophie must have been responsible for Chris’s death. Tom confronts Sophie at her house, where she admits to killing Chris, but insists it was an accident.
Flashbacks to the night of the party reveal that Sophie went to Sia’s house to check on Henry, who was feeling unwell. She encounters Chris in the garden, and after he confronts her about the fire, a struggle ensues over Chris’s phone, which contains a recording of his confession.
They both fall into the pool, where Sophie holds Chris underwater, inadvertently causing his death. Her pendant comes off during the struggle.
The Final Moment: Justice Served
In the present day, Tom expresses his love for Sophie but acknowledges that the secrets between them are too much to bear. He calls the police to report Sophie for the murder of Chris. As she is arrested and taken away, we see flashbacks to the moments when Sophie thought she would get away with her crime.
The series closes with Tom walking home, now reunited with his two daughters in their seemingly ‘safe’ gated community.
