With Cape Fear having turned surprisingly serious in its penultimate episode, all eyes now turn to the finale, in which basically every major character is in some degree of mortal peril. Needless to say, Apple TV’s thoroughly demented adaptation jumped the shark weeks ago, so this last-minute pivot into proper drama was a little unexpected. But I fully expect the high-camp theatrics to be dialled up to eleven for the ending, which may or may not be conclusive, may or may not resemble previous adaptations, and may or may not make sense. Still, at least it’ll probably be entertaining.
But who will it be entertaining for? Well, probably not the Bowden family, any one of whom may die in grisly circumstances. For fun, we’ve rounded up the potential fates of all the major characters, none of which are especially positive. This isn’t a “happy ending” kind of show.
Max Cady
Max Cady dies in every iteration of Cape Fear, with the old classic being a rather watery demise. Given that the penultimate episode ended with Max arriving at an extremely chaotic scene on the open water, I think this is very much the direction we’re heading in. Since Tom is still in jail, Max will probably be killed by Anna, though it isn’t like the rest of his family are especially keen on him either.
Max is technically innocent in this adaptation, but only of murdering his wife and unborn son. We’ve personally seen him do all kinds of nutcase stuff, so his “innocence” probably won’t be enough to avoid a grisly demise.
Anna
I suspect Anna may survive her ordeal with Max, but it won’t be without cost. She has fallen off the wagon, alcoholism-wise; one of her hands has just had a knife through it, and essentially her entire world has been turned completely upside-down. There’s virtually no way she’s getting out of this unscathed, mentally at the very least.
Expect Anna’s professional and personal lives to both be ruined.
Tom
The key question about Tom that was lingering by the penultimate episode is whether he will take his own life. Personally, I don’t think he will, but it’s very much a possibility to bring his arc full circle. There’s also the small fact that he is guilty of trying to frame Max, even if he didn’t kill Ray, so he’s probably still looking at a prison sentence either way.
Expect Tom to flirt with death, but to ultimately remain alive. However, he may also remain in prison, so it’s not exactly a major win.
Natalie
Natalie was the only character who managed to do something smart in the penultimate episode, seducing Nevaeh to keep herself safe before being bailed out by Noa. She also took Nevaeh’s burner phone along with her, so she is now the only character with proof that it was Max who compelled Nevaeh to harass the Bowden family.
I don’t think Natalie is Max’s daughter, since I highly doubt the show would commit to the whole incestuous half-sister relationship thing, and her being able to prove she isn’t might give Anna some measure of peace, since she can’t recall clearly the night she spent with Max. I wouldn’t even be surprised if nothing happened between them at all.
Either way, I suspect that Natalie will probably fare best out of all the Bowdens.
Zack
Zack is currently missing, having escaped from the psychiatric facility he was being held in. However, it doesn’t seem like he’s with Max, which is a little weird, although it’s likely Max does know where he is.
I personally think Zack is too far gone as a character to get a happy ending of any kind. It doesn’t even seem like he was a particularly nice, well-adjusted guy before all this, so how could he possibly be redeemed? I imagine what we’re leaning towards here is either full-on, full-time psychiatric care after a psychotic break, or a straight-up death. I’m not sure anyone would mind much either way.
Nevaeh
While it’s easy to perceive Nevaeh as a victim in all this, as she’s largely been Max’s plaything throughout the series, I just can’t see a scenario where she gets out of prison. Max clearly doesn’t intend to bail her out, despite him having strung her along with that claim, and there’s no way any surviving Bowdens will trust her enough to do it.
Sadly — or not, depending on your perspective — it looks like Nevaeh may well be in jail for the long-term.
Everyone Else…
I don’t imagine a positive fate for the Bowden family. Robert probably should die to give us a bit of payoff, since he’s such an unambiguous villain, and Crystal seems destined for a grave of some kind, since she doesn’t strike me as being able to function especially well under ordinary circumstances. However, she may be able to maintain a relationship with Luke, although things aren’t going too well between them given the reveal about Max being his father.
Everyone else — such as Noa, for instance — should probably be okay, since they’re not in the immediate danger zone of Cape Fear or prison, and I suspect Max isn’t going to make it off that lake alive. But one thing’s for sure — Max certainly got his wish of causing the Bowden family all types of torment.
