After four weeks of bombshells and shock twists, as well as raised eyebrows and scratched heads among viewers at home, this is it, the finale of ‘Doctor Foster’ is almost upon us.
Each episode has left us with a long list of questions, some of which have been answered as the action has played out, and some of which have kept us speculating over the course of the series.
With just one episode left to go though, we’ve rounded up the 11 big questions that need to be answered before the second series of ‘Doctor Foster’ draws to a close, starting with the all-important cliffhanger from last week’s episode...
1. Has Gemma killed Simon?
In last week’s final shot, we saw Gemma spotting her ex-husband ahead of her on the road, leading her to make a sudden swerve, although the screen cut to black before we found out whether or not she’d actually hit him with her car.
Hopefully, the conclusion will pick up immediately where we left off, and let us know Simon’s fate.
2. If she has actually killed him, what will the consequences be?
Even an established schemer like Gemma would struggle to cover up a crime as blatant as this, so could the second series of ‘Doctor Foster’ end in a prison stint?
And if so, what will that mean for Tom, who’s already had enough on his plate over the last couple of years?
3. And what if she hasn’t killed him?
At the end of episode four, Simon was heading off to the hotel where Tom was staying, in what looked to be a last-ditch attempt to get his son onside.
If he hasn’t been hit by Gemma’s car, what was the sudden swerve about? Did she bottle it at the last minute? Maybe she had a change of heart and decided to offer him a lift to the hotel? Or, alternatively, maybe she just suddenly spotted a dog in the road.
4. If Simon is still alive, what’s next for him?
Episode four saw Tom lose the life he’d tried to rebuild. His wife had left with their daughter, his son seemingly wanted nothing to do with him and he couldn’t get into the amazing house he and Kate had been sharing up until that point.
Despite trying his hardest to drive Gemma out of Parminster, will he actually be the one to go? Given his adamance that the only way he’d leave would be “in a coffin”, we find it hard to believe… and if they both plan on sticking around could a reunion for the two of them be on the cards? They’re both technically single now, right? Hey, anything’s possible.
5. Was Gemma right about her ex-husband trying to turn Kate into her?
Suranne Jones’ character was adamant that Simon was trying to manipulate his new wife into looking more like Gemma, so will we find out whether this was his deliberate intentions? And more to the point, as we noted last week, if he really hated his ex so much, why would he want a daily reminder of her?
6. Have we seen the last of Kate?
True, she looked pretty pleased to see the back of Simon when she bid him farewell for a new life in France in episode four.
However, given this is ‘Doctor Foster’, we’re never more than 10 minutes away from a shock revelation, and Kate coming back for the finale would hardly be the most outrageous stunt the show has pulled, particularly as a new ally for Gemma, would it?
7. Where has James gone?
We get that Tom’s revelation she’d slept with her ex wouldn’t exactly be music to his ears… but it hadn’t been the most orthodox of courtships up until that point anyway, and for some reason we find it tough to swallow that this would be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
He wasn’t seen at all in episode four, and was only briefly mentioned in a conversation between Tom and Gemma, but we have an inkling his story arc isn’t quite finished yet.
8. And does Sian have one last role to play in the drama?
A new character in series two, we’ve seen Sian switch from Gemma’s frenemy to actual ally, and we were surprised to see her crop up in the most recent episode, seemingly doing some of our leading lady’s dirty work to get under Kate’s skin.
She’s been a slippery one throughout the show, and given that she’s been on both Simon and Gemma’s side over the course of the last four episodes, we wouldn’t be surprised if she suddenly had a key part in any shock bombshells to come in the last instalment.
9. What’s going to happen when Tom goes back to school?
Gemma seems pretty determined to convince her 15-year-old son that his life can go back to normal once his dad is out of the picture, particularly as the girl he sexually assaulted has accepted his apology, and she seems to believe she can reverse his expulsion from his secondary school.
The thing is, though, in a small town like Parminster, people do talk (alright, Parminster is fictional, but we all know a town like it, right?), so expecting everything to go back to normal is a bit of a long shot.
And surely it’s only going to get harder for him to fit in if his mum finds herself behind bars for killing his dad?
10. Why did Gemma dissolve her wedding ring?
A question that remains unanswered from way back at the beginning of the series. Yes, we’re all for symbolism, but it seems like a bit of a waste of gold if you ask us. She could have had herself a nice pair of earrings out of it.
On a serious note, all series we’ve heard about how Gemma has held onto various things from her marriage to Simon, why would her ring be the one thing she’d get rid of so permanently?
11. What did Simon tell Tom to turn him against his mum?
The big one, undeniably. This started off as a niggling question in episode one, and by the end of last week’s instalment, we were positively screaming it at the screen. Tom reckons it “doesn’t matter” anymore, but Simon is insistent it’s something that has spoiled the trust between Gemma and her son forever. More than anything - yes, including whether or not Simon is alive - this is the question we need an answer to in the series finale.
12. Is there going to be a third series?
We’ll admit we had reservations about whether a second series of ‘Doctor Foster’ would work, but between the great acting and the twists that have kept us hanging wrong, we’re happy to admit our doubts were unfounded. And with Suranne Jones recently hinting a third run could be on the cards, we’re excited to see whether the series finale leaves the door open for future instalments.
The series finale of ‘Doctor Foster’ airs on Tuesday (3 October) at 9pm on BBC One.