We thought we had a handle on what was going on in Next of Kin until the last two minutes. But at the end of the finale we jumped to “six months later” in Lahore, and – wait, was the grandmother Mrs Shirani the terrorist mastermind all along?? Plenty of viewers certainly thought so.
So was the grandmother the leader of the terror organisation? Or have I just totally misunderstood the end of the programme #NextOfKin
— Hannah nolan (@hannahpoodles) February 6, 2018
Hold on wasn’t that the grandmother ?? She in on it?? #nextofkin
— Charlotte Elizabeth (@misscharlotte10) February 6, 2018
Was the grandma behind it all the whole time??? I’m so confused #NextOfKin
— Sammie🌹 (@Sammie_Hardyy) February 6, 2018
@archiepanjabi pls confirm if the Grandmother was in on it? We are all confused 😐 🤷🏼♀️ #NextOfKin
— Rachel Hirst (@rachiehirst) February 6, 2018
In this flash forward, it LOOKS like Mrs Shirani (Shabana Azmi) is chilling out at her late son’s clinic in Lahore with the Muslim cleric who radicalised her nephew Danny and sent him off to Lahore. It would make a sort of sense: after all, she was the one who gave Danny the money he needed for the flights, and she was the only person to know his new secret mobile number.
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But hold on, because an ITV spokesperson has told RadioTimes.com: “Mrs Shirani isn’t involved with the terrorists at all. She decides to go back to Kareem’s clinic in Lahore to be spiritually close to him.”
Still, the final scene certainly left a lot of viewers scratching their heads. Was the implication accidental?
#NextOfKin the grandma always said in one of the episodes when she was upset that she wanted to go back to Pakistan and that was her home. Maybe that’s why she was there in the end. Maybe looking after the little girl as that was his sons patient. She was no ringleader.
— Parma (@Parma__D) February 7, 2018
Very much enjoyed it. But can someone explain the link of the grandma and the preacher at the end ? #confused #NextOfKin
— Kim (@kimmzi) February 6, 2018
I wondered all the way through if the grandma was in on it..what was she doin chilling in front of the hospital while the recruiter was inside? Weird ending #NextOfKin
— banana bandana (@beaubeau80) February 6, 2018
That wasn’t the only thing viewers still have QUESTIONS about.
For example:
- Why did Danny crack, right at the end, and start yelling at Hamoud to stop the attack? He was trying to grab the steering wheel and send the van out of control. BUT at this point the car was surrounded by army vehicles and the whole game was clearly up. Surely he could have saved his own life by jumping out of the passenger seat?
- What happened to Danny’s epilepsy after the preacher confiscated his medication? It never appeared again.
- Why did Hamoud allow Danny to continue as part of the terror cell when he had extreme suspicions about his brother Omar and aunt Mona? He knew the boy was not committed to the cause.
- Why didn’t Hamoud kill Mona? He had no qualms about the mass murder he was about to commit, the women who would die in it, or even killing her brother Kareem for apparently not being a good enough Muslim.
- Why is Barnes being punished with an investigation when she and her team managed to avert two terror attacks (with the help of Guy Davenport)? She was evidently proven right about Mr Khalid who provided the tip-off.
- What was Danny’s story really about? The reasons he gives – and everyone gives – for how he ended up in this situation are conflicting and unclear. Was he truly radicalised? Searching for his mother? Did he change his mind? Did he want his dad to die or was he just powerless to stop it? That may be part of the mystery, but with Danny dead we never got our answers.
One viewer wrote: “I wanted to like this drama but found myself picking holes in each episode. Was quite disappointing.”
Another added: “Too many loose ends and unanswered questions,” and one viewer reported: “Got to the final part only to realise it was a waste of time. Could have been brilliant if not for the unanswered questions left behind at the end.”
Still. Viewers agreed on one thing: Next of Kin was full of brilliant acting. Archie Panjabi carried the series as Mona, with Jack Davenport stepping up as Guy Harcourt. And can you believe this was Danny actor Viveik Kalra’s first on-screen role?
For all its flaws, I thought this drama tried to do something really interesting with a truly difficult subject, and (apart from 1 episode where the plot lost it) mostly achieved a high standard. The acting,especially by Archie Panjabi, was rather fine.#NextOfKin
— PJB (@TamertonPJB) February 6, 2018
Fantastic performances from @archiepanjabi @viveikkalra on #NextOfKin what a emotional & moving drama! #itv
— Orla Poole (@Orla_Poole) February 6, 2018
What an incredible Drama. absolutely gripping, heart stopping stuff. #NextOfKin Viveik Kalra was outstanding.
— Susie Stewart (@susiepip) February 6, 2018
from Radio Times https://ift.tt/2Mll3ue
