Splinter Cell Deathwatch Ending Explained: Does Sam Kill Charlie Shetland?

Created by Derek Kolstad, Netflix’s ‘Splinter Cell: Deathwatch’ charts the turbulent life of Sam Fisher, once the creator of the top-secret intelligence unit known as the Fourth Echelon, now a lone wolf leading a life of peace. However, trouble finds its way back soon enough, and the protagonist wastes no time in getting his fist bloodied for the greater good. As the sequel to the popular video game series ‘Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell’, this animated action thriller series uncovers many of Sam’s buried secrets and lets them breathe in the open. This, in turn, triggers a snowball effect, pulling him and his trusted agents into the world of untold horrors, loosely strung together by a corporate conspiracy. As the veteran parses through a seemingly unsolvable mystery, it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems, and the only way to move forward is by twisting the rules along the path. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Splinter Cell: Deathwatch Plot Recap

‘Splinter Cell: Deathwatch’ begins with the Fourth Echelon unit on a rescue mission. Their lone agent cuts through the enemy ranks and makes their way to the hideout’s deepest ends, but it is too late. The person to be rescued is dead, and we learn that the agent, Zinnia McKenna, was in love with him. She dislodges a tooth from his mouth and then unleashes a murderous rampage on the rest of the enemies within the building. In that moment, the unit’s communications network is hacked, leaving McKenna to fend for herself. Injured but alive, she escapes the building and rushes towards an isolated house, till she loses consciousness. The inhabitant of the house is revealed to be none other than Sam Fisher, the veteran agent and former leader of the Fourth Echelon. Pulled back into action, he makes quick work of her chasers, and that leaves him in a more secure location.

Once back on her feet, McKenna reveals that the person whose tooth she extracted was a CIA operative named Lukas, and he had gotten his hands on the secrets of the Shetland family. This brings up memories for Sam, as a large chunk of his past has been defined by the involvement of Douglas Shetland, a friend turned foe. We then cut to Diana Shetland, his daughter, who now has the reins of the company. With the help of her half-brother, she unveils her newest project, a man-made island named Xanadu, that is entirely run on sustainable resources. However, the company’s shady actions mean that they are hiding something big, and Sam takes on the task of retrieving this information. Following a close call with death, he retrieves the second key to the puzzle, a watch, which syncs up with the tooth to reveal the map to unlocking Diana’s phone.

Sam and McKenna take on a disguise and sneak into one of Diana’s galas, where the plan is to steal her phone and replace it with a duplicate. While the plan is a success, McKenna gets distracted by the sight of the person who killed Lukas and gives them chase. The bearded man, in turn, knocks her unconscious, forcing Sam to switch up gears and embark on a rescue mission. That, however, turns out to be unnecessary, as McKenna defeats the man all on her own and makes it back to the safe house just in time with the protagonist. With every piece of the puzzle now in place, the Fourth Echelon realizes what Diana’s grand plan is. She hopes to crash a ship named Lazarev into Europe’s gas pipelines, crippling its energy resources and directing all attention towards Xanadu. To that end, she tasks one of the agents, Freya, with clearing out and rigging the ship. With the clock ticking, Sam and McKenna have no other choice but to board the ship; however, a tragedy awaits.

Splinter Cell Deathwatch Ending: Does Sam Kill Charlie?

While Charlie takes the throne all for himself by the end of this season, his reign is cut short by the surprise arrival of Sam Fisher in the final scene. True to his modus operandi, Sam seemingly emerges from the dark and gets right to action, not giving Charlie even a second to process what has befallen him. While the show ends right as the protagonist takes aim, it is strongly implied that he kills Charlie in that moment, bringing an end to the Shetland legacy as a whole. Sam’s reasons to make such a risky move are numerous, but they are driven by Charlie’s inhumane plan, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people both inside the ship Lazarev and on the island of Xanadu. Given his failure in putting a stop to this massacre, Sam makes it his personal mission to bring the culprit to justice, even when it means twisting several rules and killing an internationally known figure such as Charlie in cold blood.

Although Sam’s decision to kill Charlie is informed by the latter’s cruel actions, there is also a personal angle hidden under the layers. Given that Sam was Diana’s godfather, there is a possibility that he does not wish to kill her. That idea is supported by the narrative, as in episode 6 of the show, titled ‘The Man is the Mission,’ he has a clear chance at taking her life. Instead, the two discuss their past at length, and how their once-positive bond has been corrupted beyond repair. Nonetheless, Charlie’s actions strip Sam of any possibility of a reconciliation, which makes his response all the more meaningful. By killing the man behind the explosions, Sam not only brings justice to the dead but also brings his dynamic with the Shetlands full circle. Years ago, it was Charlie’s father who died at the hands of the protagonist, and given that Charlie obsesses over following in his father’s footsteps, his conclusion becomes all the more poetic.

While the season finale strongly hints at Charlie’s death, the fact that we never see the aftermath of Sam’s action paints the whole scene in mild ambiguity. Given that Charlie is the last heir of the Shetlands’ business empire, his relevance on a geopolitical level is immense. As such, there is a distinct chance that Sam spares the young CEO’s life and instead brings him in for the Fourth Echelon. This opens the doors to a whole new world of opportunities for the unit, with Charlie’s assets and connections likely leading them to uncover even greater secrets. At the same time, it is possible that Charlie continues his antagonistic run in the narrative, posing greater threats to Sam and the rest of the Fourth Echelon.

What Happens to Diana Shetland and Xanadu Island?

Charlie’s twist on Diana’s original plan to conquer the world’s energy output has a disastrous effect, ending with her death. Just when she believes that her plan is a success, he rings her up, revealing that he and his crew have hacked into the ship’s navigation system. Instead of heading to the European energy pipelines, the ship is now headed straight to Xanadu Island. With this, the youngest Shetland makes his intention to kill his sister crystal clear, and Diana has to watch helplessly as the ship steers its way into her life’s work. To that end, she ends up becoming the first victim of the crash, which rams through the man-made island, crumbling its structures to pieces. Along with this comes the loss of hundreds of lives, not just that of the wealthy investors, but also of innocent construction workers, journalists, and other operatives.

Notably, this immense loss of lives, including that of Diana, seems to have been Charlie’s grand plan all along. Diana’s death is later confirmed when a funeral service is held, where her brother feigns sadness and loss. With the death of the CEO, the fate of both Xanadu, the company, and the island is now plunged into the dark. However, given the immense scope and size of the man-made island, it is unlikely for the ship to completely destroy all of its structures. Furthermore, the island’s emphasis on being environmentally friendly brings up the possibility that not all of it is lost in the crash and explosion. As such, Charlie likely hoped to make use of all the resources left behind, but that prospect is closed with his death being on the table. At the start of the series, the Shetland siblings fire all of the board members and take complete ownership of the company, which makes it likely that in their absence, Xanadu is dismantled and taken over by other authorities.

Why Did Charlie Betray Diana?

Charlie’s betrayal operates on two levels, professional and personal, and the intermingling between the two illustrates the thorns in his dynamic with Diana. From the very beginning, the gap between the two is apparent in how they repeatedly bring up the fact that they are half-siblings. This becomes the root cause of Charlie’s negative emotions, which are not exclusive to him. While Diana’s intention is never to kill or harm her brother, she nonetheless prioritizes her interests over his, even when that means cutting him out of the company’s operations. The fact that he is relegated to public appearances angers Charlie to no end and prompts him to devise a plan that gets Diana out of the picture. His lack of remorse towards her death doubles down on how much hatred there is between the two, and this is only twisted further in him ironically toasting to a portrait of Diana, the very person he killed.

With Diana out of the company, Charlie also gets the freedom to rule it as he sees fit. To that end, the disruption of her Xanadu project becomes his primary course of action. While Diana’s original intent was to erase the bulk of the competition that came from non-renewable resources, her brother sees opportunity in the exact opposite scenario. By framing Diana’s death and Xanadu’s destruction as the ultimate tragedy, he gets the entire world’s attention and sympathy, which is perfect for catapulting the company to even greater heights. Furthermore, his inclination to match his father also suggests that he is not keen on the idea of sustainable energy. Instead, returning to the company’s roots and creating weapons and military systems is likely a part of his larger interest. However, with Sam intervening in the last minute, it is possible that all of these plans are now up in flames.

Is Freya Dead or Alive?

While Diana and Charlie have their internal battles, a completely different fight plays on inside the Lazarev ship, which is prepared to leave a trail of blood behind, no matter the direction it takes, Diana’s trusted assassin, Freya, is given the sole responsibility of steering the ship to further her plans, and while she initially seems successful, Sam and McKenna’s arrival creates a challenge. As Sam inspects the rest of the ship, McKenna sets out for the main control room, with the aim of neutralizing the ship’s navigation commands and sending it on a safer route. However, in that moment, she is attacked by Freya, who ruthlessly releases a barrage of bullets in every direction. The fight that ensues between the two is intense, and for a moment, there appears to be no apparent victor. However, McKenna manages to overpower the assassin at the last minute and breaks into the ship’s mainframe just in time.

While Freya loses the fight with McKenna, she refuses to give up without a final stand. To that end, she reveals the ace up her sleeve, a grenade, and launches it right in the middle of the ship. In what appears to be her final move, she flips McKenna off, bringing an ironic end to the peculiar dynamic that had built up over the episodes. Though McKenna survives the explosion, Freya is not shown again, and that absence likely suggests that she met her end. However, given the massive release of smoke and chaos, Freya’s disappearance can also be interpreted in a new light. Before the ship rammed into Xanadu Island, Sam and McKenna made a rushed exit, and it was possible for the assassin to have done the same. This possibility turns her into an even more vicious threat, with a desire for revenge that is likely to manifest sooner rather than later.