Dhruv Trivedi
Netflix’s ‘Pieces of Her’ is an intriguing journey into a mother and daughter’s tumultuous relationship. After surviving a brutal attack in which the mother, Laura, displays unexpected skill in swiftly killing their assailant, Andy begins to wonder just how well she knows her parents. As it turns out, almost everything that the young woman knows about her mother is a fabricated tale.
Soon enough, the past comes back to haunt Laura, putting her and Andy in the deadly situation that the former has avoided for decades. The mother seems quite adept at dealing with danger, but this time around, she might be outmatched. It’s time to take a look at the fate of the show’s titular character. Let’s see if Laura Oliver (aka Jane Queller) lives or dies in ‘Pieces of Her.’ SPOILERS AHEAD.
Does Laura Oliver aka Jane Queller Die?
As the central character, Laura is in the eye of the storm from the very beginning. It initially seems that her otherwise peaceful life in the idyllic town of Belle Isle is shattered by the gunman who attacks her and Andy. However, as we slowly find out, Laura has been flirting with danger for many years. In fact, one of the first clues of just how much danger she is surrounded by comes quite early when we find out that Laura, who was initially named Jane, is actually in the witness protection program.
Thus, the shadowy figures that begin to come after Laura after she appears on television are actually men who have been looking for her (and her daughter) for almost thirty years. As is slowly revealed, in her younger days, Laura (then named Jane) essentially framed Nick Harp, the leader of a radical group, for the murder of her father, Martin Queller. Since then, the vengeful Nick has been a fugitive, waiting for the right time to strike.
Ominously enough, Laura’s close friend Clara is found dead many years after the former enters the witness protection program, proving that the danger has not subsided. Back in the show’s “present-day” timeline, Laura’s cover is blown after she appears on the news, and she subsequently chooses to leave the federal protection program that has kept her and her daughter safe all these years. Her handler, Charlie Bass, is also unable to get her to change her mind.
Whereas Laura’s daughter Andy depends on luck and helpful acquaintances, the mother is a one-woman-army who faces danger head-on. As the season finale reveals, even as a young woman, Laura (then called Jane) was extremely wily, which is how she succeeded in framing Nick. It all comes back in the explosive climax when, thirty years later, the former lovers find themselves in a face-off between each other in the middle of a forest. It appears that Nick is the only one that truly terrifies Laura, but she decides to take him on to protect her daughter. Fortunately, the authorities arrive just in time, and Nick is arrested.
Thus, Laura survives at the end of the season and, with Nick in custody, is safe for the first time in years. Ironically, having grappled with destructive and powerful men her whole life (starting with her overbearing father, Martin Queller), it seems like the mother can never truly be at ease. Thus, the season closes with her staring out at sea, seemingly wondering what her hostile brother, Jasper Queller, is plotting. The only silver lining is that her daughter, Andy, also seems to be following in her mother’s footsteps, and the duo will make a formidable team in the times to come.
Read More: Is Pieces of Her Based on a True Story?
