How Tom Ripley Gets Away With Murder (Again) At The End of the Netflix Series

In Episode 8, the Ripley series finale aptly titled “Narcissus”, Tom aims for a fresh start in a stunning Venetian mansion. Things get complicated when he’s visited by Inspector Ravini, Marge, and Dickie’s suffering father. From the outside, he looks surrounded, but Tom Ripley is a slippery and brilliant individual (or he’s surrounded by morons), who might just get away with two murders and theft. Not only is the ending of the Netflix limited series a nail-biting piece of entertainment, but it also features a cameo from John Malkovich, who played Tom Ripley in the 2002 film, Ripley’s Game. 

The episode opens with a 1606 sequence where an artist goes into hiding after murdering a man in Rome. He seeks shelter in his family’s mansion in Venice.

Back in the 1960s, Tom is living the Venetian dream and looking to move into that same manor house. He’s pleased with the grand home and signs a six-month lease but uses his real name. 

The Hunt For Richard Greenleaf

While Tom gets comfortable in his new home, Inspector Ravini asks his Palermo counterpart to investigate the whereabouts of “Richard Greenleaf,” who failed to make it to Rome for his scheduled interview. Of course, poor Dickie is at the bottom of the Mediterranean, and the guy who’s been impersonating him ran off to Venice. 

Inspector Ravini holds a press conference where he accuses “Richard Greenleaf” of evading authorities. He names Greenleaf as a suspect in Freddie’s murder and Tom Ripley’s potential homicide. 

Ripley’s Disguise

After learning he’s a missing person, Tom goes to a Venetian police station to declare himself found. Things get complicated when the Lieutenant calls Ravini, who decides to immediately travel to Venice and speak to Tom in person.

Normally, Tom would make a run for it, but the Venetian Lieutenant is holding his passport until after he talks to Ravini. So he starts working on a clever disguise to prevent Ravini from recognizing him. 

Surprisingly, Tom’s disguise works and Ravini shows no signs of recognition. The two talk about Ravini’s belief that “Dickie” killed Freddie and even implies the motive may have been romantic. At the end of the interview, Ravini promises Tom he’ll have Venetian authorities return his passport the following day. 

An Unexpected John Malkovich Cameo

In Atrani, Marge is reading about Tom’s appearance in Venice in the papers before allowing a reporter to photograph her. 

Now that he’s a mini-celebrity, Tom receives a party invitation from Count Vittorio Araldi. At the party, Tom meets a fellow drifter, Mr. Reeves (played by John Malkovich), who offers him his business card. 

As Tom is getting comfortable in his charming new life in Venice, he receives an unexpected phone call from Marge. She’s at the train station in Venice and is on her way to visit him. 

Ripley | Image via Netflix

Ripley Debates Killing Marge

Upon arriving at Tom’s house, Marge seems surprised at the luxury he’s living in. We find out that Mr. Greenleaf is in Italy and plans to visit Tom after he’s finished talking to the police. Tom tries explaining his newfound wealth is just an inheritance his dear old aunt left him. While Marge acts outwardly friendly, she’s as suspicious about Tom as ever. She does, however, jump at the chance to spend the night in the manor. 

Marge talks Tom into taking her to an upper-class party he’s been invited to and uses the opportunity to tell the guests about her new book deal with a New York-based publisher. After she’s had a few drinks, Tom insists they leave early but relents when she asks him to take a gondola back home. 

To Tom’s infinite annoyance, when the gondola drops them off, he realizes he forgot his key and the grand entry door is locked. He needs to climb over a fence to gain access to the house but leaves an inebriated Marge waiting next to the door. After opening the door from inside the house, he briefly considers pushing Marge into the canal and claiming her death was an unfortunate accident. Luckily, he quickly dismisses the thought. 

Put A Ring On It

The following day, Tom meets with Mr. Greenleaf who appears almost resigned to never seeing his son again. He doesn’t care for Marge much and doesn’t seem to suspect Tom of any wrongdoing. Mr. Greenleaf is, in fact, grateful for Mr. Ripley’s assistance.

While looking for a sewing kit in Tom’s bedroom, Marge comes across Dickie’s prized ring. When she confronts Tom about it, he says Dickie gave it to him for safekeeping. At first, it appears Marge finally put two and two together, but lucky for her, she just assumed Dickie gave Tom the ring because he was planning on taking his own life. 

Marge calls Mr. Greenleaf who asks to meet with her and Tom. He’s also brought in the private investigator who first tracked down Tom back in Episode 1 (I wrote a full season recap if you need a refresher.)

Dickie’s Death Is Written Off As A Suicide

When Tom is in a room with the PI, he’s initially paranoid the detective is about to accuse him of killing both Dickie and Freddie. Instead, the PI wants Tom’s opinion about his dearly departed friend. 

Relishing in the opportunity, Tom paints the picture of Dickie as an insecure rich boy struggling with his homosexuality. According to Tom, Dickie confessed his feelings for him when they went to San Remo. Tom allegedly rejected Dickie’s advances, which may have caused him to spiral into murdering Freddie and ultimately taking his own life. 

After the illuminating conversation with Tom, the private detective presents his theory to Mr. Greenleaf and Marge. He believes Dickie checked out of his Palermo hotel, where the clerk remembered he appeared “depressed,” boarded a ferry to Tunis, but never reached his destination. 

A letter to Dickie’s landlady in Rome further confirms this theory as the letter implies his paintings are “worthless” and gives her permission to sell all the personal belongings he left inside the apartment. The rest of the letter reads like a suicide note that heavily implies Dickie’s guilty conscience over Freddie’s death. 

Ripley Ends With Tom Getting Away With It

Satisfied with the unlikely story, Mr. Greenleaf heads back to the U.S. to console his grieving wife. Before he goes, he gifts Tom the ring he once pried off Dickie’s dead body. Mr. Greenleaf thanks Tom for being such a true friend to his wayward son. 

Marge also boards a train out of Venice but tells Tom she plans to go back home to the U.S. 

Now that he’s gotten away with everything, Tom meets his new friend Mr. Reed, who’s forged him a new passport in the name of Timothy Fanshaw. Tom used that name to send Dickie’s Picasso to himself via American Express. With no heat on him anymore, he was free to pick up the grand prize. 

Tom goes home and hangs the painting on the wall. He then sits down and contemplates everything he went through to get to this perfectly serene moment of joy.

Ripley ends with Inspector Ravini opening his mail. Marge sent him a copy of her newly published picture book. The first page features a dedication to the late Richard “Dickie” Greenleaf, along with a photo of him. That’s when Ravini finally figures out he’s been duped. 

My in-depth, spoiler-free thoughts on the limited series overall can be found in my Ripley Review.