Netflix’s Inside Man Ending, Explained: Does Harry “Vicar” Kill Janice?

The Netflix and BBC co-production ‘Inside Man’ is a gripping crime thriller that examines a person’s ability to commit murder. When village vicar Harry Watling is faced with an unprecedented situation, he is forced to contemplate murder to protect his family. Meanwhile, Jefferson Grieff, a prison inmate, helps journalist Beth Davenport track down her missing friends. The two storylines intermingle, leading to an exciting mystery that will leave viewers baffled. Therefore, we are sure viewers must be seeking some explanation about the finale’s conclusion. In that case, here is everything you need to know about the ending of ‘Inside Man’ episode 4! SPOILERS AHEAD!

Inside Man Plot Synopsis

In ‘Inside Man,’ Jefferson Grieff (Stanley Tucci) is a former criminology professor imprisoned for murdering his wife. Grieff is sentenced to death and is awaiting his execution on death row. However, Grieff uses his remaining time to solve cases so he may find some atonement. Nonetheless, Grieff only accepts peculiar cases that will help his cause. Meanwhile, Harry Watling (David Tennant) is a vicar in a British town. Janice Fife is the math tutor of Harry’s son, Ben. During one tuition session, Janice discovers pedophilic porn on a flash drive she believes belongs to Ben. However, Edgar, a verger at his church, gave Harry the drive.

Simultaneously, journalist Beth Davenport interviews Grieff and tries to understand his motivations. Janice believes Harry is trying to protect Ben and wants to inform the police. As a result, Harry restrains Janice to stop her from destroying his son’s future. A series of events lead to Harry trapping Janice inside his basement until he can find a solution. However, as time passes, Harry and his wife, Mary, realize there is no way to truly trust Janice. Hence, Harry is forced to contemplate killing Janice. Meanwhile, Janice’s friend, Beth, receives an ominous photograph from her phone and fears the former is in danger. As a result, she seeks Grieff’s help in finding Janice.

Initially, Grieff turns down the case but accepts it after Beth proves her worth to him. In the basement, Janice plays a twisted game with Harry and Marry, hoping they turn on each other and set her free. However, when Janice’s plan backfires, she starts losing hope of being reduced. With little time on his hands, Grieff must utilize all his knowledge and limited resources to guide Beth toward Janice. On the other hand, Harry starts running out of options and wonders if killing her would resolve the issue once and for all. Whether Harry kills Janice or Beth rescues her forms the rest of the plot.

Inside Man Ending: Does Harry Kill Janice? Is Janice Found?

In the fourth episode, Mary realizes she has made a mistake by emailing Janice’s sister on her behalf. As a result, she tries to erase the evidence and decides to take Janice’s belongings to her apartment. However, Grieff has already guided Beth to the apartment, and Mary is shocked to find her there. On the other hand, Harry uses an old heater to kill Janice from carbon monoxide poisoning. However, Ben returns home and enters the basement.

Meanwhile, Harry is unaware that Ben is in the basement with Janice. After he fails to reach Harry, Ben calls Mary, who tries to inform Harry about the situation. However, she is killed while arguing with Beth. Nonetheless, Harry receives Mary’s voice note revealing Ben’s presence in the basement. Therefore, Harry opens the basement and frees Ben. However, Ben is distressed by the carbon monoxide poisoning and attempts to kill Janice with a hammer. Harry arrives in time to save Ben’s life. He gets Ben to safety but realizes that Janice is still alive.

Ultimately, Harry contemplates killing Janice with the hammer. He realizes that killing Janice would end his family’s plights and ensure she does not ruin Ben’s future. Therefore, he grabs the hammer and prepares to strike Janice when Beth intervenes. She stops Harry from killing Janice and calls the police. As a result, Janice’s life is saved, and Harry is arrested. Harry’s plot to kill Janice fails, and he faces severe punishment for his crimes.

How Did Grieff Find Harry?

The fourth episode sees Grieff helping Beth find Janice. Through Grieff’s efforts, Beth succeeds in saving Janice’s life. However, since Grieff is behind bars, it is a mystery how he discovered Harry’s involvement in Janice’s disappearance. In the episode’s final moments, Grieff speaks with Harry over a video call. The two men finally come face to face, and we receive some much-required answers. Grieff explains that he wanted to speak with Harry after learning about the vicar’s circumstances during the last few days.

Harry wonders how Grieff deduced his involvement in Janice’s disappearance and poses the question to the former criminology professor. Grieff explains that after Beth approached him with the case of Janice’s disappearance, he realized that no missing person’s report had been filed. Therefore, he deduced that Janice must’ve kept all her appointments on the day of her disappearance. Since Janice had only one appointment at Harry’s house, it is evident that the only points of contention are her apartment and Harry’s house.

Grieff only had limited resources at his disposal and had to use them carefully. Therefore, he guided Beth to Janice’s house. On the other hand, he baited his former father-in-law, a military man, by offering to reveal the location of his daughter’s severed head. In reality, Grieff revealed false information to his father-in-law, leading his military contacts to Harry’s house. As a result, the police and Beth arrive on time to save Janice’s life.

Why Does Grieff Speak With Harry?

After learning how Grieff found him, Harry wonders why the “Death Row Detective” took an interest in him. Grieff explains that he finds his story very similar to Harry’s. After learning of Harry’s circumstances, he wondered whether the vicar was capable of actually committing murder. In Grieff’s eyes, Harry is a decent person who becomes corrupted by his circumstances. Grieff implies that he was led to murder his wife under similar circumstances. The criminology professor has a deep understanding of human psychology and understands the moral implications of committing murder. Therefore, it is surprising to know that he would kill his wife.

On the other hand, Harry’s wife, Marry, is a victim of the chain of events triggered by the vicar. As a result, Grieff hints that they are both the culprits in their respective spouses’ deaths. Harry argues that he did not murder his wife in cold blood like Grieff. However, Grieff remarks that the distinction hardly matters. Nonetheless, Harry must know the whole story behind his imprisonment to understand what he means. In the end, Grieff hints that he might tell Harry the entire story about his wife’s death. Until this point, Grieff has been reluctant to share this information with anyone. However, given the similarities between him and Harry, it is likely that he might be open to sharing his story with the former vicar. Thus, Grieff wanted to speak with Harry to judge whether he was worthy of knowing Grieiff’s story.

Read More: Is Netflix’s Inside Man Based on a True Story?

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