We need to talk about The Girlfriend's mind-bending finale (and what it means).

Prime Video's new psychological thriller The Girlfriend has completely taken over our group chats, and we're not mad about it. The six-episode series has left us all spiralling in the best possible way.

Starring Robin Wright as the ultimate helicopter mum, Laura Sanderson, and Olivia Cooke as Cherry — the girlfriend who's got everyone's alarm bells ringing — this show is basically every woman's worst nightmare about meeting their partner's mother. Cranked up to one hundred.

Watch the trailer for The Girlfriend. Article continues after video.

Based on Michelle Frances' bestselling novel (though they've switched things up quite a bit for TV), The Girlfriend is all about love, lies, and just how far a mum will go to "protect" her precious son Daniel (Laurie Davidson). Wright also directed and executive produced, which explains why every single scene feels so deliciously tense.

But can we talk about that ending? Because we literally cannot stop. Let's break it down. 

How does The Girlfriend end?

The finale pulled together all the simmering tension between Cherry and her would-be mother-in-law Laura into an explosive final clash.

In the lead-up, Daniel had finally taken a step back from his mother after discovering Laura had lied to Cherry about him being dead following an accident.

Despite Laura's increasingly desperate interference — which included getting Cherry arrested at her own engagement party — Daniel and Cherry moved forward with wedding plans.

Image: Prime Video

But Laura had one final play: a secret recording of Cherry's mother warning that her daughter is manipulative and dangerous.

When Daniel refused to listen, Laura drugged him and lured him back to her house. A knife-wielding standoff ensued when Cherry arrived to rescue him, leading to both women tumbling into the pool.

Daniel intervened, pulling Cherry free — holding his mother underwater too long in his drugged state.

Plot twist: Daniel drowns Laura. But did she die?

Is Laura actually dead? 

Here's where it gets interesting. On screen, Laura goes limp and Daniel is absolutely devastated. But Robin Wright has been dropping hints in interviews that we never actually see if Daniel tried to bring her back.

"She could still be alive," Wright told Today. "If he resuscitates her, that's not on camera."

Do I hear hints of a second season? Very intriguing.

Image: Prime Video

Do Cherry and Daniel end up together in The Girlfriend? 

Well, yes and no. 

Fast-forward one year and Cherry and Daniel are married, she's heavily pregnant, and everything looks picture-perfect. They're playing happy families with Daniel's dad, Howard, and it's giving us all the warm and fuzzies. 

That is, until Daniel finds Laura's phone.

On it, Daniel finds the recording of Cherry's mum, Tracey, and let's just say it paints a very different picture of our sweet, innocent Cherry.

As she's lovingly rubbing her baby bump in the garden, Daniel is inside having his entire world turned upside down.

Image: Prime Video

"Tell your son, don't be fooled by the good times," Tracey is heard saying. 

"Sooner or later, she'll want something from you that you're not prepared to give, and then, she'll find a way to get rid of you."

The look on Daniel's face? Pure horror. And honestly, same. 

In the end, it remains unclear if the pair actually stay together after the revelation. 

What does the ending of The Girlfriend mean? 

Here's the revelation that comes right at the end of the finale: what if Laura was right all along?

Yes, she was obsessive, manipulative, and basically every red flag rolled into one person. Not to mention, her and Daniel had a deeply disturbing mother-son relationship. But that recording suggests Cherry might be playing a much longer, much darker game than any of us realised.

Daniel is now stuck in the ultimate nightmare scenario — his mum is gone (maybe), his wife is pregnant, and he's just discovered he might not know his partner at all. And he's stuck. It's giving us serious Gone Girl vibes.

Image: Prime Video

So, while Cherry won in gaining everything she wanted — Laura gone, a family with Daniel — even in death, Laura seemingly has the last laugh as her son finally learns the true extent of his wife's deception.  

"Daniel would go looking for some answers from Cherry. You know, he's killed his mum to protect who he loved," Laurie Davidson, who plays Daniel in the show, said to Today.

"He's going to need a lot of therapy," he added.

Will there be season 2 of The Girlfriend? 

Prime Video hasn't officially confirmed a second season yet, and it could really go either way. While the ending in some ways feels complete, it has also been left wide open for interpretation. 

Image: Prime Video

With Laura's fate still up in the air, Cherry's true colours starting to show, and Daniel questioning everything, there's definitely more story to tell.

And if I'm being honest, I need answers.

As it stands, there is no published sequel to the book, so if the show is renewed for a second season, they will be exploring uncharted territory. 

But one thing's for certain: in The Girlfriend, absolutely nothing is as it seems. And we wouldn't have it any other way. I guess there's nothing left to do but wait and see.

Feature Image: Prime Video.