Summary
Malice delivers a ballsy ending that denies its characters and audience of any payoff, despite them having seen the light. Some may quibble with its lack of proper resolution, but it’s an effective portrait of delusional villainy.
In most shows, the finale of Malice would constitute a happy ending. The pampered, privileged family is taken to task for their selfishness, after all, and that has proven a winning theme in movies and TV for a long time. But Malice isn’t that kind of class-conscious thriller. It’s instead a portrait of delusion and villainy, almost for its own sake, about how a maniac justifies his psychopathy by positioning himself as the hero in his own story. And, gallingly, he gets to win, just at the point when his actions have redeemed his selfish victim and taught him to appreciate what really matters in his life.
That’s the real sting in the tail of this final episode. David Duchovny’s Jamie Tanner was never really presented as an outright bad guy, just a ruthless businessman, but by the finale, he has been ruined so comprehensively that he’s truly a victim. But even in that, he reveals himself as more morally complex than Jack Whitehall’s vengeful Adam, finding it in himself to forgive him, to apologise for what happened to him and his family, and to be willing to walk away from it all for the sake of his wife and kids. No such luck. And while that’s unsatisfying in many ways, it’s a large part of why Whitehall’s first dramatic lead role is likely to linger.
Adam’s Motive Is Unsurprisingly Mundane
Adam definitely has a reason to be mad at Jamie. It’s clear from very early on that the two of them have a personal connection, albeit one that only one of them is aware of, but it isn’t until the finale that the precise nature of it is revealed. It’s actually Jamie who puts it together, though admittedly from very obvious clues provided by Adam to lure him to the final confrontation in Greece.
But Malice is also careful to point out that Adam’s view of this situation is warped. Growing up, he had idolised his father, but in an earlier conversation with his sister, Sophia, it was made obvious that the relationship was abusive. Adam’s father wasn’t a nice guy – and was potentially even a sex offender – and Adam had idealised him in mind, both while he was alive and perhaps even more so after. The evidence that Damien dug up about Adam’s time in Thailand, where he may have murdered a young male sex worker, is intended to suggest that the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.
Jamie had invested in Adam’s father Colin’s business years prior, but despite hefty investment, he had failed to become profitable, and the business was shuttered. In his despair, Colin killed his wife and then set fire to the house. Adam and Sophia survived, but Colin didn’t, and for that, Adam blamed Jamie. The truth of the matter is likely that Colin was just a borderline psychopath who wasn’t very good at his job. Jamie’s involvement was harsh, but it wasn’t exactly cause for famicide.
Jamie Realises What’s Important (But Too Late)
Throughout Malice, Jamie is ruined in every way. In Greece, he’s accused of assaulting his neighbour, Dimitri. Back in London, his dog dies, his oldest son returns to drugs, which causes one of his friends to overdose and results in his expulsion from school, he’s accused of sexual misconduct in the workplace, an allegation which is promptly reported on by the Financial Times, and then his house is burgled while his daughter, April, is inside. Everything he owns, and everything he built, is gone.
All except his family, who are trying to regather themselves in Greece while Jamie puts the pieces together about who has been deliberately destroying his life. After receiving some Tilderman luggage full of human faeces, he’s able to eventually figure out who Adam is, but he does so while he’s still in London, and Adam is already in Greece, distressingly close to Nat and the kids. When Jamie calls Nat to warn her, it’s Adam who answers.
In losing everything, Jamie has realised what he truly cares about – his family. So, he races to Greece to protect them and finally confront Adam.
Adam Gets His Revenge
Jamie’s newly enlightened perspective doesn’t save him from Adam, despite his apologies for what happened to his father and his willingness to walk away and let bygones be bygones, despite having lost everything. This isn’t enough for Adam, who shows no remorse whatsoever for what he has done to the Tanner family. It’s clear here who’s right and who’s wrong, but it has no bearing on the outcome. Adam gets his revenge anyway.
Adam had clearly intended to kill Jamie all along, since his endgame involves elements he had set up during their first visit to Greece. Adam, since childhood, had refused to see any fault in his father, and so even with Jamie’s explanation, he still perceived him as the ruthless businessman who had ruined and killed his kindly dad. It didn’t matter what Jamie did or said after that point. His recognising the importance of his family wasn’t enough to save him, since Adam wasn’t trying to teach him a lesson. He only wanted to make him pay for the sins he had convinced himself that Jamie committed.
So, Adam shoots Jamie in the leg so he can’t get away, and summons Yorgos, Dimitri’s son, to the scene. When a visibly confused Yorgos spots Jamie writhing on the floor, Adam executes them both. Since the police were already involved after Dimitri’s assault, and Yorgos had earlier threatened Nat at the villa, it won’t take much for the local police to believe that Yorgos and Jamie simply shot each other.
Even if they have questions, Adam won’t be around to answer them, since he boards a boat for pastures new. Thanks to the opening of the first episode, we know he ends up in the United States, where he’s detained and interrogated at the border. He’s on his way to ingratiate himself with another family. Whether he makes it all the way there is left ambiguous. But something tells me he’ll probably get away with it.
