After six tense, twist-filled episodes, Mare of Easttown episode 7, “Sacrament,” brings the HBO crime drama to an end. While Mare of Easttown’s ending finally reveals who killed Erin McMenamin (Cailee Spaeny), a teenage single mother, it also brings the miniseries’ more personal threads to a close, especially where Detective Marianne “Mare” Sheehan (Kate Winslet) is concerned. Besides Mare of Easttown’s central mysteries, the show does not shy away from examining Mare’s trauma and deferred grief over the loss of her own son, Kevin Sheehan (Cody Kostro), to death by suicide prior to the events of the series.

Set in a small town outside Philadelphia, Mare of Easttown's cast of characters and nuanced story create a compelling week-to-week watch. Mare's best friend, Lori Ross (Julianne Nicholson), and John Ross (Joe Tippett), who's both Lori's husband and Erin's uncle, play key roles in the finale. Aided by county detective Colin Zabel (Evan Peters), Mare tries to prove herself as a top-notch detective to her shaken small-town community, all while navigating her hollowing grief, a taxing divorce, and a harrowing custody battle for her grandson. All of this culminates in Mare of Easttown's truly gripping finale.

Mare Of Easttown's Killer Explained: Why Ryan Ross Killed Erin

The Relationship Between Erin & John Fueled The Murder

Picking up from where Mare of Easttown episode 6, "Sore Must Be the Storm," left off, the miniseries' finale sees Mare rushing to the Ross family's fishing retreat. As John, Erin's uncle, levels a gun at Billy Ross (Robbie Tann), his brother and Erin's father, Mare arrives. Initially, John had planned to murder Billy so that his brother could take the fall for Erin's death — no questions asked. Ultimately, John confesses to Mare that he had an incestuous relationship with Erin and fathered her child. According to John, Erin had called him to the park, threatening to shoot herself.

Mare discovers that Ryan Ross, John and Lori's 13-year-old son, shot his cousin.

Erin threatened to reveal that John was DJ's biological father, so the two struggled, resulting in John accidentally shooting and killing his niece. With John's confession unfolding mere minutes into the episode, Mare of Easttown reveals who really killed Erin in yet another twist. Realizing that the details from John's confession don't add up, Mare discovers that Ryan Ross (Cameron Mann), John and Lori's 13-year-old son, shot his cousin. Ryan its he stole a vintage handgun to scare Erin, hoping that she'd stop seeing his dad — and the unique gun led Mare to ascertain Ryan's involvement.

...the camera often lingers on Ryan whenever other characters are discussing Erin's death.

When Erin tried to wrestle the gun away, Ryan panicked and fired the weapon. Since John's other extramarital affair nearly resulted in Lori leaving him, Ryan was afraid that if his mom knew the truth about John and Erin, his parents' divorce would be inevitable. Throughout, Mare of Easttown's hidden details point toward Ryan's involvement in the murder of Erin McMenamin. In fact, the camera often lingers on Ryan whenever other characters are discussing Erin's death. In the end, Ryan is sent to juvenile detention and John goes to jail, which leads to a rift between Mare and Lori.

What John Ross Being DJ's Father Really Means

The Reveal Of DJ's Father Has Lasting Implications For Several Characters

Even though John Ross isn't Mare of Easttown's killer, the character has committed many heinous crimes. At the Ross family reunion, he started an incestuous affair with the teenage Erin, which results in him fathering Erin's son, DJ. To make things even more disturbing, John involves his wife, Lori, in his crimes. After Ryan accidentally kills Erin in the park, John and Billy deal with Erin's body to protect Ryan from the fallout. Later, it's revealed that Lori had agreed to let Billy take the fall for both the incest and the murder, in order to protect their family's reputation.

...It's clear that John's actions led to irrevocable damage to his family.

Mare of Easttown continually explores the way insular, small-town communities and tight-knit families will go to great lengths in order to protect their own, especially in difficult situations. While that kind of solidarity can be positive, the miniseries spotlights just how much harm it can cause too. For example, after John bullies Billy a bit, he's seemingly willing to confess to crimes he didn't commit to protect his brother. Ultimately, Lori embraces her role as DJ's mother, but with both John and Ryan behind bars, it's clear that John's actions led to irrevocable damage to his family.

Dylan & Jess' Big Mare Of Easttown Secret Explained

Dylan & Jess Hid Proof Of John & Erin's Affair

The Ross family weren't the only ones keeping shocking secrets during Mare of Easttown's 7-episode run. Dylan Hinchey (Jack Mulhern), Erin's ex-boyfriend, and Jess Riley (Ruby Cruz), Erin's best friend, both knew the truth about Erin and John's relationship. Jess, who had agreed to help Erin destroy her journals, ends up holding onto a photograph of Erin in bed with John. Instead of burning it, Jess hid the incredibly incriminating evidence with the hope that Erin would one day want to come forward about John's abuse. Jess was trying to protect her friend — not thwart Mare's investigation.

Dylan, meanwhile, had been DJ's presumed father, so he kept Erin's relationship with John under wraps because he wanted to maintain custody of DJ. As the miniseries shows, being grandparents meant everything to Dylan's mom and dad. Once John confesses to being DJ's father, Dylan has no real reason to keep the truth hidden. The reveal recontextualizes Dylan, who initially came across as a potential suspect in Erin's murder — but he wasn't actually covering his own tracks. For all of his faults, Dylan merely wanted what he believed was best for DJ.

Lori & Mare's Relationship Changes After Ryan's Confession

The Friends Eventually Reconcile Before Mare Of Easttown's Credits Roll

Willing to lie about her husband's heinous actions and his continued abuse of Erin, Lori is saddled with caring for DJ at the end of Mare of Easttown. While DJ is no doubt an innocent bystander in all the show's drama and crimes, the child is still a reminder of Lori's broken family. Although she doesn't have love left for John, Lori cares about Ryan — and her own small-town reputation. When Mare, her best friend, uncovers the truth, Lori's life is ruined. Initially, Lori can't forgive Mare for apprehending her son, but, eventually, the two mend their relationship.

Mare Finally Confronts Her Grief & Kevin's Death

Mare Of Easttown's Title Character Takes Steps Toward Repairing Her Family

Throughout Mare of Easttown, it's clear that Mare's unwillingness to directly face her grief over Kevin's death is stunting her life and relationships. Not only has Mare buried herself in work, but she isn't the ive parent she was before the tragedy. Mare's daughter, Siobhan (Angourie Rice), insinuates that the shared silence has taken a massive toll on the family. It's revealed that Mare's father, also a cop, lived with depression. Instead of ing him, Mare's mother, Helen (Jean Smart), would send her husband away until he was "better." Helen's approach was damaging, leading to Mare's father's death by suicide.

The cycle of avoidance and deflection continues to wreak havoc on Mare's family, but, in the finale of Mare of Easttown's final shot, Mare heads to the attic — the scene of Kevin's death — and takes a small step toward healing.

Will There Be A Mare Of Easttown Season 2? What The Cast & Creator Have Said

Season 2 Would Potentially Use A Time Jump

While the show's ending doesn't naturally set up a second season, there have been Mare of Easttown season 2 isn't currently in the works, a future outing already has some framework in place. For starters, a future season wouldn't necessarily take place in the immediate wake of the show's ending, but years later. Although Mare of Easttown feels like a solid standalone story, a time jump would be one way to convincingly continue the series, even if it does risk undoing Mare's growth.

The Real Meaning Of The Mare Of Easttown Ending

The VIctims Had To Stop Hiding Secrets To Recover

The theme in Mare of Easttown surrounds small communities and their propensity to hold secrets. The people in this close-knit town all have their secrets, and friends and neighbors will often do what they can to help bury the truth, no matter how dark and disturbing it is. In this case, it was an incestuous relationship and a devastating murder, and even those things were covered up by the townspeople who knew the truth. At the same time, Mare's trauma was another secret that she kept buried and wouldn't allow to bubble to the surface.

However, the real meaning of the Mare of Easttown ending surrounds how the town can't begin to heal until the secrets are unveiled and brought to the surface. This is both with the revelation of the real killer and the reason behind the murder. It is also with Mare finally coming to with her son's death by suicide and finally confronting that, which she did in the end when she entered the attic. By the end, everyone, from Mare to Lori, finally lets go of their secrets and hidden pain and can move forward in their lives.

How The Mare Of Easttown Ending Was Received

The Miniseries Was Universally Acclaimed

Mare of Easttown received universal acclaim from both critics and audience alike. Critics praised the film, awarding it a 95% "Certified Fresh" rating, while the audience ranked it just as high, with a 94% Popcornmeter score. Regarding the fans, the praise went from the start to the finish, with credit going to Kate Winslet and the entire storyline. One audience member wrote, "The real tough case to solve in the show is Mare's personal life, from her mistakes to her endured trauma, and in the end she seemingly is able to close it in parallel with the actual investigation."

As for the top critics, Kathryn VanDrendonk put it best in her review for Vulture:

"The finale hinges on a shocking reveal-twist-reveal that pulls together all of the show’s mystery threads, but the core of Mare is all the messy, horrible, endlessly sad, funny family stuff. It’s what makes the finale so much more satisfying than the simple “Oh, it was him?!” reveal, and it’s what has made Mare of Easttown so much more memorable than the dozen similar dead-girl-in-a-sad-place TV shows of the past several years."

As for other fans, some loved Mare of EasttownMare of Easttown, but they felt let down by the ending. In a Reddit thread, @throwaway_____FFS wrote, "While the show's main premise was a murder mystery, it ultimately focused on the characters, their lives, and built a complete picture of Easttown in a way that I haven't seen in a long time... I want to see more of this!... But, the finale...I feel so unsatisfied?... I found the resolution of Erin's murder disappointing. However, just to be clear, this was the only downside for me."

However, some fans explained that the purpose of the Mare in Easttown ending was never about the murder mystery. Redditor @cwatson214 wrote, "The show wasn't really about Erin or her murder, it was about Mare coming to grips with her son's death. All of the things that happen during this case bring her to that closure."