The Survivors ends in one hell of a twist. But were the signs there all along?

Australian murder mystery The Survivors is taking Netflix (and the world) by storm.

Peaking at number four in Netflix's global top ten English-language TV shows, the gripping crime drama is winning rave reviews (including this one).

Set in the fictional Tasmanian coastal town of Evelyn Bay, The Survivors is inspired by The Dry author Jane Harper's 2020 novel of the same name.

Watch the trailer. Post continues below.

The story follows Kieran Elliott (Charlie Vickers), who returns home with his partner Mia (Yerin Ha), 15 years after a tragic storm claimed the lives of his brother Finn (Remy Kidd), friend Toby (Talon Hopper), and saw teenager Gabby (Eloise Rothfield) disappear.

Kieran returns to reconnect with his volatile mother Verity (Robyn Malcolm) and ailing father Brian (Damien Garvey), along with his old friends, the chaotic Ash (George Mason), 'nice guy' Sean (Thom Green), and old flame Liv (Jessica De Gouw).

But upon Kieran's return, the town is rocked by the murder of Bronte (Shannon Berry), an out-of-town sleuth who was trying to investigate the death of Gabby.

So, who killed Bronte and Gabby? The final episode of The Survivors solves both of these murders.

Warning: obvious spoilers ahead, folks! Duh!

The ending of The Survivors, explained.

The twist ending of Netflix's The Survivors reveals that Sean, Kieran's childhood friend and Toby's younger brother, is responsible for both the unsolved disappearance of Gabby and the present-day murder of Bronte.

The final instalment reveals that 15 years before the events of the series, Gabby disappeared during a violent storm. The town believed she had been swept out to sea, but in reality, Gabby went to the caves with Sean, hoping to find Kieran, who she had a crush on.

Mia and Kieran in The Survivors. Image: Netflix.

Inside the caves, Sean tried to kiss Gabby, but she rejected him. A then-teenage Sean then stormed out, leaving Gabby behind as the tide rose. Gabby, unable to find her way out without Sean's help, drowned in the caves.

Sean told only his father, Julian, what happened, and they kept the secret, letting the town believe Gabby's death was an accident. Verity manages to discover this in a tense conversation with Julian.

Then there's the Bronte murder: as the town newcomer was investigating Gabby's disappearance, she uncovered evidence linking Gabby to the caves, an area that Sean was known to frequent.

The night of her murder, she told Sean about her findings, and he became angry and panicked. In a desperate attempt to silence her, Sean attacked Bronte, fatally hitting her with a flashlight before dragging her body into the ocean.

While out wandering in the night, Brian spotted Bronte in the water and tried to resuscitate her, which explains why his DNA was on Bronte's lips.

It's Kieran who connects all these dots after realising that a carving Gabby had left in the caves was scratched out by Sean in an attempt to destroy the evidence.

Sean is unmasked as the murderer in a tense cave scene. Image: Netflix.

Kieran confronts him in the caves and Sean attempts to kill him to keep his secret, but Kieran survives the attack.

The police, tipped off by Kieran's mother Verity, arrive and arrest Sean, finally bringing the truth of both murders to light.

The series ends with Gabby's remains being found in the caves as Bronte's missing laptop is recovered.

What does the ending of The Survivors mean?

The ending is a meditation on guilt, grief and the corrosive effects of the secrets we keep.

The series' message suggests that staying silent and repressing trauma can damage a community; confronting the truth is the only path to healing.

In the case of Sean, he embodies the show's exploration of the corrosive effects of secrets and how history is destined to repeat itself if trauma goes unaddressed.

Sean's ability to hide in plain sight, aided by his father's complicity and the town's reluctance to confront uncomfortable truths, highlights how communities can enable and perpetuate harm through silence and misplaced loyalty.

The detectives trying to solve the case in The Survivors.

In the series, Sean is perceived as a loyal friend and more of a background figure in the community — a 'nice guy' compared to some of the show's more troubled characters.

For avid murder mystery fans, this was the ultimate red herring. "Not that hard to spot, creep vibes and the only one not ever being made suspect or even questioned," posted one Reddit user.

The series uses Sean's story to critique the dangers of ignoring red flags. Some viewers interpret Sean's actions as stemming from deep-seated insecurity and resentment, particularly towards the women who rejected or overlooked him.

Some have labelled him a sort of 'incel' type, suggesting Sean's inability to process rejection and his subsequent violent actions reflect deeper issues of toxic masculinity and emotional repression.

Whatever the ending means, this show is a must-watch.

You can stream The Survivors on Netflix.

Feature image: Netflix.