The Gentlemen ending explained: Who owns the business?

In true Guy Ritchie fashion, there’s a lot of moving parts by the end of Netflix’s The Gentlemen; unlikely allies work together and whip up a storm of violence and deceit. Here’s a breakdown of what happens.

The original 2019 movie was distinctly nastier. It wasn’t a fish-out-of-water situation: Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), the kingpin of a massive marijuana operation in the UK, weighs up the possibility of selling up and retiring – and a vicious, calamitous feeding frenzy ensues.

The new Netflix series may be a spinoff, but it has almost no connection to the film. It follows Eddie Horniman (Theo James), an aristocrat and soldier called home for his father’s death, before inheriting his entire estate. As it happens, the late Duke had a secret agreement with Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone) and his daughter Susie (Kaya Scodelario), the heads of the country’s biggest weed empire.

Eddie wants out as fast as possible – but as his sojourn into the world of criminality goes on and on, it becomes clear he’s got a bit of a knack for it. It all comes to a head in the finale – and here’s everything you need to know about the ending of The Gentlemen. Warning – spoilers ahead.

How does Netflix’s The Gentlemen end?

The Gentlemen ends with Eddie and Susie investing £235 million into Bobby’s weed empire and effectively taking control of the business. Every loose end is cut (aka, every liability is murdered) – with the exception of one: Stanley Johnston (Giancarlo Esposito).

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, the outset of the finale was pretty tense: longtime boxing promoter-turned-villain Henry Collins (Max Beesley) told Susie that Eddie was working with Stanley, the toff-obsessed meth lord from America. So, she phoned “god-drunk lunac**t” Gospel John and told him about the true nature of Tommy Dixon’s (Peter Serafinowicz) death: Freddy (Daniel Ings) killed him, and Eddie helped him cover it up.

But, as her dad says, she wasn’t fully informed. When Eddie visited Bobby in ‘prison’ (aka his rooftop sanctuary), he revealed that he wasn’t actually helping Stanley, nor was he asking for reinforcements against Bobby’s speed-dial army of footsoldiers: he gave his consigliere a list of fake numbers for England’s other Dukes to hold him off.

Bobby manages to convince the Gospel to leave the Hornimans alone before giving Eddie and Susie a task: collect bids for the business (in excess of £150 million, or they won’t be considered), and get prospective buyers to send their offers by carrier pigeon. After a chat with Freddy, Eddie decides to throw his hat in the ring, so he calls up the other Dukes, the travelers, and even gets Susie on side to be his partner.

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Just a small, touching moment while all this is happening: Geoff (Vinnie Jones) finally reveals to Charly (Jasmine Blackborow) that he’s her real father. “I didn’t want you to be ashamed,” he says. “I could never be ashamed… you’re the most impressive man I’ve ever known,” she tells him.

Back to business. Here’s the thing: they weren’t the highest bidder. Stanley Johnston offered a huge premium, but Eddie enlisted the help of Sticky Pete’s (Joshua Maguire) accountant to expose his tax misdeeds to HMRC, which leads to him being arrested and his assets being frozen. In other words, he can’t go through his sizeable purchase.

That leaves Pete and Mercy (Martha Millan). Eddie tells Mercy that Pete won, so he slashes Pete to death with a machete. But it was a trap: Eddie also has the help of Henry, who kills Mercy moments after she murders Pete. At this point, Eddie and Susie are the only bidders… but that was Bobby’s plan all along. He wanted Susie to “wake up”, but he also wanted Eddie to realize his potential. “I don’t see a captain, I see a f**king general,” he tells him.

There’s just one last problem to solve: Henry, who believed killing Mercy was his ticket to forgiveness after nearly getting Susie’s brother killed. How wrong he was: Eddie has him taken out to the woods, and as “part of his journey”, he shoots him in the head in front of Susie.

Before the credits roll, we get a curious scene: Stanley has been ‘locked up’ in the same place as Bobby. “One could do a lot worse,” he says as they tuck into a steak. “Spoken… like a true gentleman,” Bobby replies. Is he playing a larger game, or does he just want to keep his eye on Stanley in the event of any retaliation? Hopefully, we’ll find out in Season 2.

The Gentlemen is streaming on Netflix now. You can check out our review, our breakdown of the cast, and find out what other TV shows you should be streaming in March.