Who Is the Killer in ‘Long Bright River’? Ending of Amanda Seyfried’s New Show Explained

[This post contains MAJOR spoilers from the entire season of Long Bright River.]

All eight episodes of Long Bright River were released on Peacock on Thursday, March 13, giving viewers the chance to binge-watch and find out how Michaela “Mickey” (Amanda Seyfried) solved the mystery plaguing her Philadelphia neighborhood.

The show features Mickey, a cop, teaming up with her former partner Truman (Nicholas Pinnock), who’s on medical leave, to investigate a string of murders in the sex worker community of Kensington. Mickey has a reason for being so invested — she’s connected to the women on the avenue via her estranged sister Kacey (Ashleigh Cummings), a drug addict who’s gone missing.

With the police department writing off the deaths as overdoses, Mickey and Truman are mostly left to their own devices to find the killer … and Kacey.

Who is the killer in Long Bright River?

The killer is revealed to be Eddie Lafferty (Dash Mihok), Mickey’s new partner in the field amid Truman’s medical leave. Mickey made the discovery after finding Kacey (more on that below) and getting some important intel.

First, Kacey’s childhood friend and fellow sex worker Paula (Perry Mattfeld) told Mickey that the killer was a cop who she knew. Mickey’s original suspect was Simon (Matthew Del Negro), her ex and the father of her child, who started pursuing her when she was an underage student at the local police youth academy. However, he checked out with a valid alibi (don’t get it twisted, though, he’s still the worst).

David Holloway/PEACOCK

Kacey was able to track down a woman named Emily Morris (Hedley Harlan), another woman from the avenue who had been messaging a man connected to the murders. Emily told Kacey that Mickey’s partner was the one who committed the crimes. Since Kacey wasn’t aware that Truman was on medical leave, she told her sister that Truman, whom Mickey had begun a romantic relationship with, was the murderer.

In the end, Mickey realized that Kacey’s wires were crossed and put the pieces together that Lafferty was actually the culprit. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. It got out of hand,” he told her when she approached him with her gun in an abandoned church. “I was lonely, so I was with some of the girls, and they turned on me. I didn’t mean to hurt nobody. They were threatening me saying they are gonna go to my bosses.”

Mickey’s gun was trained on Lafferty when Kacey and the other girls from the avenue came in, shooting him from behind her. The woman with the gun fired off several shots, naming each of the victims in the process. Mickey then fired the final shot and declared that it was “for Paula,” who also ended up becoming one of Lafferty’s victims.

Did Mickey and Truman end up together on Long Bright River?

Mickey and Truman did not end the show as a couple. He wasn’t able to forgive her for accusing him of being the murderer. “You pulled a gun on me, Mickey,” Truman pointed out. “We can’t come back from that. Even if I wanted to.”

Related

Is Amanda Seyfried's New Show 'Long Bright River' a True Story?

She explained to him that she never thought he was the killer, but wanted to prove to Kacey that she actually believed her for once. At its core, Long Bright River is about the bond between these sisters, and in the end, Mickey and Kacey were the ones who had a happy ending. They repaired their relationship, and the first step was Mickey taking Kacey at her word after the conversation with Emily.

Where did Mickey find Kacey on Long Bright River?

Kacey ended up being at the home of the sisters’ dad Daniel (Michael Gaston). Mickey and Kacey were raised by their grandfather, Gee (John Doman). Their mother died of a drug overdose and they spent most of their lives believing that their father had succumbed to the same fate.

It turned out that Gee had been lying to the girls because he worried Daniel would be a bad influence on them. He felt that Daniel was the reason for his daughter getting wrapped up in drugs, which ultimately led to her death. However, Daniel had actually gotten clean and was living a new life.

PEACOCK

When Kacey got pregnant and wanted to get clean herself, she found him and was hiding away at his home. But she had a reason for not telling Mickey her whereabouts. It turns out that Mickey’s son, Thomas (Callum Vinson), was actually Kacey’s child. She got pregnant with him after sleeping with Simon. Because Kacey was using during her first pregnancy, the baby was born in withdrawal, and it was a sight that broke Mickey’s heart. She didn’t feel like Kacey would actually stay clean or be a fit parent, so she legally assumed custody of him behind her back.

Kacey feared that Mickey was going to take away her baby again, which is why she ran away. Once the sisters reunited, Kacey proved that she was dedicated to staying clean, and she gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

Long Bright River, All Episodes, Streaming, Peacock

If you or someone you know has addiction issues, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration‘s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.