A Man on the Inside Ending, Explained: Who is the Thief?

Netflix’s comedy-drama series, ‘A Man on the Inside,’ stars Ted Danson as a retired professor named Charles, who explores a new career after coming across an interesting ad in the newspaper. The ad is from a private investigator who wants a man between the ages of 75 and 85 who is familiar with handling technology and is capable of some light espionage. The task involves the person infiltrating a retirement home and solving the mystery of a missing necklace. The client who has hired the PI believes that someone in the Pacific View Retirement Residence has stolen their mother’s ruby necklace. Their suspicion is on the staff, which explains why no one at the retirement home is doing anything about it. Charles’ job is to find the culprit and bring them to justice. However, by the end, Charles discovers that the thief is a highly unlikely person with an even more surprising motive. SPOILERS AHEAD

The Thief Turns Out to Be an Unlikely Resident

When Charles begins his investigation, everyone inside the retirement home is a suspect. Initially, Julie asks him to focus on the staff as one of them may have the motive for the theft while also having a better opportunity. Charles notices that some of the staff freely come and go out of the residents’ apartments, which means that any of them can easily pick up something without anyone noticing and get away with it. However, as Charles goes through the suspects’ list, all the names from the staff are crossed out. Moreover, the thefts continue to happen, which raises further concerns.

After spending a month at Pacific View, Charles is nowhere near solving the case. The situation seems so hopeless that the client decides to take a different course, and even Julie agrees that Charles may not be equipped to solve the case. With his last day at Pacific View, Charles decides to make the most of it. He spends it with Calbert, showing him around San Francisco, and at the end of the night, he has an epiphany. He realizes that the thefts haven’t happened in a while, and they stopped around the time a resident was moved from their apartment.

A short while back, Charles discovered that Gladys, his neighbor, suffered from dementia. The memory loss had set in a while back, and every other resident knew about it. In fact, the staff had considered moving her to the memory care unit, termed the Neighbourhood, but they couldn’t until a spot opened up there. It eventually happens around the time Florence dies. So, in one stroke, the residents lose Florence and Gladys. Once Gladys is moved to the Neighbourhood, the thefts stop completely, which leads to the only logical answer: Gladys was the thief.

Why Did Gladys Steal the Necklace?

When Gladys and her memory were fine, no thefts happened. But when the dementia hit her, she started getting confused about things. She used to work as a costume designer before she came to the retirement home. When her memory started to go, she would mistake other people’s stuff as props. So, no matter how costly the ruby necklace or a watch may have been, to her, it was just something to be used for the plays that she would design costumes for. Sometimes, the things she stole would come out when she’d forget them in places, like between couch cushions. But other things would be stacked away in her cupboard. Because of her condition, she wasn’t on anyone’s radar, which means no one suspected her. In fact, no one even noticed her most of the time as everyone had started to keep their distance from her since they discovered that she was soon going to be transferred to the Neighbourhood.

The timing of Gladys’ departure to the Neighbourhood coincides with the abrupt stop of the theft that tips off Charles. The next day, he informs Julie and Didi, with the latter having caught on to their plan. When they visit Gladys in her new apartment, they discover that the necklace isn’t the only thing she stole. She got her hands on many things that she stashed away in her cupboard, including the many salt shakers that the chef had complained about several times. Considering Gladys’ condition, it was clear to the staff and the residents that no action needed to be taken against her. She hadn’t stolen anything with the intention of malice. Instead, when she thought she’d made a mistake, she even tried to fix things. For example, she stole Elliot’s watch.

Later, when Julie gifted Charles a Rolex, Gladys got confused about whose watch she had stolen. She thought she had Charles’ watch, so she tried to return it by placing it on his desk. Unbeknownst to her, it only confused Charles and Julie and led them to believe that the thief had made them. At the end of the day, Gladys remains in the Neighbourhood, while the series of thefts comes to a stop. Julie’s client gets their answer, though they are a bit unsatisfied with the fact that no one got fired for it. Still, it is a win, and the case has been solved.

Does Didi Leave Pacific View?

Having spent twelve years at Pacific View, Didi knew that she didn’t want to do anything else. She loved taking care of people, and she did it well. Running things at Pacific View was hectic, but it was also fulfilling. So much in fact that when she was offered a promotion, which would mean better pay, moving up the corporate ladder, and enjoying all its benefits, she refused it. In the end, however, when she discovers that Charles had been spying on the residents and the staff and had befriended them with an ulterior motive, she feels betrayed. She blames herself for having put the residents at risk and decides to resign.

When Charles discovers that Didi is leaving, he convinces her not to give up her job because of his actions. He plays her a tape that he recorded from his first few days in Pacific View, in which he talked about how well Didi knew the place and its residents and how well-equipped she was for the job. His words of affirmation allow Didi the clarity to realize that it would be a mistake for her to give up a job that she clearly loves and cares about. Eventually, she decides to rescind her resignation and comes back to the job.

Does Charles Come Back to Pacific View?

Still, that leaves the issue of Charles’ betrayal. Discovering that he had been spying on them and pretending to be their friend all this while, many residents immediately turned against him, including Calbert. The residents think that Charles’ friendship had been a lie and his charm had been a ruse to disarm them and frame them for the crime they didn’t commit. Even when Gladys is revealed to be the thief, they take it as a sign that one of them was branded a thief because of Charles. Still, there are some, like Virginia, who know that Charles’s friendship and care for them wasn’t a lie. Even though he had kept the truth from them, he had been a true friend to them.

With Virginia’s words and Didi’s encouragement, the residents come around to Charles. Calbert, too, forgives him and takes him up on his offer for dinner. Before that, he returns to Pacific View and crashes Elliot and Virginia’s wedding, where all the residents welcome him. He even spends some time with Gladys, who has no idea about the thefts and her role in them. While it’s clear that Charles will not be returning to Pacific View as its resident (at least not for the time being), he will visit the place to see his friends and spend time in their company.

Does Charles Become a Professional Spy?

When Charles auditioned for the job posted by Julie, he had no experience whatsoever with espionage. He learns the ropes, and although he is a bit slow about it, he eventually gets the hang of it. Moreover, he shows that he has a natural knack for problem-solving, but more importantly, he has a way with people. He can connect with them on a deeper level and form strong bonds in a short amount of time. Initially, Julie sees this as a flaw. She believes that spies must stick to the idea of being alone and that they must never mingle with their targets, as it could cloud their judgment. However, in the end, Charles proves that knowing people can be a strength. He is proven right when his closeness with Gladys is what eventually solves the case.

Ultimately, Charles proves himself adept at going undercover and solving cases. Still, his expertise is pretty limited, which means that Julie cannot allow him to work on the regular cases just yet. Still, she agrees to let him know if something that needs his expertise arises. In the meantime, Charles busies himself with another job. He goes back to teaching at the university but does not immediately jump back into it. He starts with guest lectures and is still considering whether or not he should join full-time again when he gets a call from Julie.

It turns out that a new case has come to Julie’s desk. The details of the case are not revealed, but from how Julie reacts to the idea of bringing Charles back on board, it is clear that, like the Pacific View case, Charles is the only one who can go undercover and solve the mystery that would otherwise remain out of Julie’s reach. She may not have entertained the idea of bringing him back if he hadn’t solved the previous case. However, due to his past win, it is clear that she must offer him the job, and to no one’s surprise, he readily accepts it. So, while Charles might still hold on to his job as a guest lecturer, it seems that he will be leaning more towards becoming a private investigator and a professional spy in his own right.