Summary
Despite no conclusion, episode 5 ends on a chilling yet engaging note.
What a fascinating story. Considering it is an unsolved murder case, the series has managed to keep it interesting. That was key. It’s challenging to stay engaged in a true crime story when there’s no conclusion, but the writers have done enough to maintain interest.
The Unlikely Murderer episode 5 recap
Episode 5 returns to the night of the murder, with Stig Engström eyeing Prime Minister Palme outside the theatres. He notes the time and walks away, returning to the Skandia offices. It then flits to 1998 — a police officer finds Stig asleep in his car at the side of the road late at night. His mental health has deteriorated. He stays at a rehabilitation center. His wife tells him he cannot go a third time. Stig sees a psychologist, but he does not believe anything needs solving. He tells her about the Palme murder and how he was a key witness. After all these years, he sticks to his same, convoluted, false story.
In 2017, the prosecutor is still looking into the murder of Palme. He’s relentlessly looking into Stig’s life and how he knew how to shoot from a young age. His colleague believes he now has all the answers. Episode 5 then returns to 1986. In the Skandia offices, Stig gets to work after 9 pm, but something is clearly irking him. He opens a locked draw and pulls out his gun. The chamber is empty, so he fills it with bullets. Episode 5 flits to 1946, showing a young Stig. His parents want him to be a Swedish boy, as he’s from Sweden. This clearly impacted him as a child; his parents sent him to his Aunt and Uncle.
The series then moves to 1998, and Stig talks to his psychologist about his difficult childhood. The psychologist asks if he regrets anything — Stig refers to the night Palme died and how he wanted to make things right. It looks like he’s about to confess, but then he diverts and states he wishes he spoke up. Later on, Stig hears about a book being released by Sven about the Palme murder, claiming it was a cover-up — it refers to the “Skandia man who lied.” Suddenly, a journalist calls about the book and wants a comment. Stig puts the phone down and has a panic attack.
And then back to 1986 with Stig at the Skandia offices; he’s keeping a close eye on the time, knowing full well that Prime Minister Palme is due to leave the theatre. He places his gun in his inside coat pocket and heads out.
In 2017, Margareta was contacted again about Stig. They ask her about a planned trip with Stig after Palme’s murder. She claims nothing was unusual. The prosecution team asks about a wrist bag that the killer held and more specific questions. However, Margareta’s answers are not helpful.
The ending
To end the intriguing series, a couple of things happen.
With the stress getting Stig and his mental health deteriorating, he eventually dies. The episode then moves to 1986, and Stig waits for Prime Minister Palme outside the theatre. He stays for a while, but the Prime Minister does not appear.
On June 10th, 2020, the prosecution team presented their decisions and conclusions on the murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme. There is one suspect they cannot ignore — Stig. However, they cannot prosecute him as he’s no longer alive. They go through the evidence. Flashbacks show Palme and his wife walking the streets, pondering on whether to go to some shops. Stig clocks out at work, and he sees the Prime Minister and his wife. He takes his opportunity and shoots the politician. As he makes his way home, he hears the announcement that the Prime Minister is dead. He has a wry smile on his face. To this day, it’s not proven that he killed the Prime Minister, but he’s heavily suspected.
What did you think of The Unlikely Murderer episode 5 and the ending? Comment below.
