Culprits – Season 1 Episode 8 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

A Forest

The finale of Culprits begins with the chance meeting between Jules and Joe at a bar in LA. Joe had taken Officer’s slot to arrive in the city, while Jules visited it for a conference which was cancelled at the last moment. Luckily for him, it led Jules to the love of his life. Their love has been put to the test in the show’s narrative and will once again be under immense pressure.

In another brief flashback, we see Dianne approaching Vincent in the men’s bathroom somewhere in London with a gun to his head. She gives him a choice between his reputation and wealth. Dianne demands that Vincent come out to the world for who he really is – a manipulator and murderer. He has no idea what she is referring to and Dianne doesn’t disclose that to him yet.

In the present, Joe is dropped off to make a triangle with black tape on an advertising hoarding. Watching the signal, Fixer and Dianne’s men show up the next morning. Fixer demands to know what Joe wants to say to Dianne. But Joe sticks to the plan and wins Fixer’s confidence by revealing that he has a message for her from Fuse. That is enough for them to take Joe to Dianne.

Why does Dianne want to destroy Vincent Hawkes?

Although Joe tries sticking to the plan at first, when Dianne says that she will hit the spot in around 48 hours, his desperation gets the better of him. He tells her the truth about everything and begs her to help him for the sake of his family. Dianne reveals that the box has Vincent’s crypto wallet which has billions of dollars. She wants to destroy it and essentially cut off his lifeline. All of this is revenge for her sister, Marianne, and her entire family.

Vincent’s company owned a majority stake in Eden Motor Company which designed a new car. When Eden found out that the new model had a manufacturing defect that caused it to burst out in flames, their board passed a decision to recall the cars. However, Vincent reversed the decision because it would essentially mean the company would be bankrupted. Marianne, her husband, and her young daughter, all died in that fire. That is why Dianne wants revenge. It is also the reason why she left a small toy car in the vault. 

What is Dianne’s plan to destroy the crypto wallet?

Dianne reiterates that she cannot complete the job without more skilled crew members. Joe pitches Azar and Officer as the fill-ins and Dianne agrees. Joe calls Officer and requests her to come on board. It doesn’t take a lot of convincing for her to say yes. She reveals that Azar decided to walk away when Joe was kidnapped. They find her at a park where Joe convinces her to join forces with Dianne.

The plan is to reach the box through the underground railroads. It is placed somewhere on an abandoned train station. The entire building is heavily guarded by Vincent’s men. Using this way to get access will prevent them from being spotted. Officer distracts two guards at a station by posing as a drunk bride. They are the only ones the quartet need to eliminate to get through. Once Dianne and Joe reach the designated area, Joe recognizes Corbeau cigarettes, a brand that Vincent adores, on a vending machine. Dianne’s eyes light up when she sees the box. However, just as she is about to open it, Joe points a gun at her head.

Ending Explained:

Joe snatches the key away from her and calls Vinent’s men. This was the plan all along and Joe betrayed Dianne’s trust to save his family. Vincent’s men take Officer, Azar, and Dianne’s other henchmen captive. It is all but over for them as now Vincent has the upper hand. He apologizes to Dianne for Marianne’s death but simply alludes to his decision’s transactional nature. David hands over an empty case to Vincent and before he realizes it, Joe grabs the gun he placed at a ticket counter.

He takes Vincent hostage and kills some of his men. Because he is outnumbered, Joe asks Vincent to instruct his men to stand down, which he does. Joe then proceeds to destroy the key, much to Dianne’s dismay. She asks why he did so and Joe replies, “This much money corrupts people.” Dianne takes solace in the fact that Vincent will no longer be able to wield his influence and will be exposed to the world. 

But instead, she shoots him dead. His assistant claims that the staff haven’t been paid in months and calls off the entire operation. As Officer and Joe are walking away and she is about to tell him her real name, Azar shoots Officer, as revenge for Malek and Youssef. There is nothing Joe can do and he simply walks away. Dianne recognizes Azar’s vulnerable state and inducts her into the crew.

Joe goes back to Canada where he has an emotional reunion with Jules. Joe offers to walk away, allowing Jules to start afresh. But Jules is willing to stick with him.

The Episode Review

Culprit’s finale takes the cake for one of the worst finales on television this year. Episode 8 is a whimsical abomination of all the faith we had put into the show in the first half. The second is almost unrecognizable and the creative team really had to do well to ensure that the two halves seemed distinct. This is as lazy and unimaginative scriptwriting gets. And because the foundation is so poor, no effort in the acting department or the staging can cover up lost ground.

Dianne really needed two “skilled operators” to act as a drunk bride and open one lock… Dianne and her troupe only had to get past two of Vincent’s men to reach the box… and the box – which apparently had 5 billion pounds – was completely left unguarded. The abysmal writing gave little chance for the finale to amount to anything. It is a shame that Culprits has to end this way. I have not seen too many occasions when a potential of this largesse has been drained out with such irresponsible and unprofessional creative instincts.