What happened to Gus in Expats?

Expats, the latest Amazon Prime drama featuring Nicole Kidman, has sparked inquiries about the whereabouts of the family’s son, Gus. Here’s the current information available.

We’re less than a month into 2024 and there have already been a number of hit TV shows to binge over. Starting off strong with the latest Harlan Coben adaptation Fool Me Once, more recently we saw the premiere of the Band of Brothers companion Masters of the Air, as well as Netflix’s biographical crime drama Griselda. 

At the same time, Amazon Prime Video released the first two episodes of Expats by Lulu Wang. Based on the 2016 novel The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee, the series centers on the lives of a group of women and their families living in Hong Kong. 

So far, the narrative has touched upon the topics of racism, privilege, and grief, as a central tragedy sets off a chain of life-altering events. But what happened to Margaret Woo’s (Kidman) three-year-old son Gus (Connor James)? Warning: Spoilers ahead!

What happened to Gus in Expats?

While it’s revealed that something bad happened to Margaret’s son Gus in Episode 1 of Expats, we later learn that he went missing at a busy Hong Kong night market. Episode 2 reveals more about the incident in a flashback, showing Gus wandering off while under the care of Mercy Cho (Ji-young Yoo), never to be found again. 

In Episode 1, Margaret and her family are clearly still dealing with the strain of having lost Gus. But they decide to put on a brave face by celebrating husband and father Clarke Woo’s (Brian Tee) birthday, inviting all of their close expat friends. 

At the same time, we learn about Mercy, who is having an affair with Hilary’s (Sarayu Blue) husband David (Jack Huston). She moved from New York to Hong Kong for a fresh start but has been struggling to make ends meet, taking up odd jobs in catering. 

Prime Video

This includes Clarke’s party, not realizing who it’s for until it’s too late. When Mercy sees the couple’s other two kids, she starts to panic. While trying to leave, she’s seen by Margaret, who also spirals – but at this stage, we’re not sure why they’re both having such intense emotional reactions to each other.

This all changes in Episode 2, which goes back in time to show Margaret and Mercy meeting at a boat party. They get along, and Mercy is great with Margaret’s kids, especially her youngest, Gus. Later on, she invites Mercy out to dinner with the kids, and it seems as if Margaret might ask her to be their babysitter. 

They all head out to a bustling night market after dinner, where they purposely split up – Mercy takes the boys, while Margaret heads off with her daughter. But Mercy gets distracted while messaging her friend, and the curious Gus wanders off. In less than a minute, she realizes he’s no longer holding her hand and she begins searching for him in a panic. 

The scene cuts to the night market, the streets now empty other than a series of police cars and officers. Mercy looks distraught as David comforts her, while Margaret has her head in her husband’s arms. 

Prime Video

As is shown in Episode 1, a year has passed and we still don’t know whether Gus was abducted or if he died. But it’s clear to see the impact it’s having on the Woo family and Mercy. While the book upon which the show is based indicates whether we find out what really happened to Gus, it’s best not to spoil it here.

What happened to Gus in the Expats book?

The original book has slightly different details about where Gus was abducted, having taken place in South Korea instead of Hong Kong.

Gus is simply named G in the books, but the series does a good job of keeping the main details of the storyline. Like the series, G does get abducted and never to be found again. Some of the differences include that the book has Mercy look after Margaret’s kid more than once.

Instead of the busy streets of Hong Kong, G is abducted in Seoul, South Korea. Margaret also stays behind for a considerable amount of time in Seoul after the events. By all accounts the books and series parallel well. It follows how G’s disappearance affects Margaret, Hillary, and Mercy.

Expats has released all its episodes and are available on Prime Video to stream, which you can sign up for here. 

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