The following contains spoilers for The Last Thing He Told Me Episode 1, "Protect Her" and Episode 2, "The Day After," now streaming on AppleTV+.
Apple TV+ has released a new mystery thriller series called The Last Thing He Told Me, which is based on a novel of the same name. Author Laura Dave is one of the executive producers of the series. Jennifer Garner stars as Hannah, a woman whose husband, Owen, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, has gone on the run. He left Hannah as the caregiver for his teenage daughter, Bailey, played by Angourie Rice. His strange disappearance forces Bailey and Hannah to come together like they never have before.
The crux of the show is going to be Hannah and Bailey's pursuit of Owen and the truth behind his disappearance. He went on the run when his tech company was exposed for criminal fraud, but neither Hannah nor Bailey believes that that's the real reason he's running. They set out to find the person who connects them and the truth about where he came from. Before his disappearance, Owen arranged for notes to be delivered to both Hannah and his daughter.
Owen's Note to Hannah on The Last Thing He Told Me
When Owen disappears, he does leave something behind for Hannah. While at home, Hannah is unexpectedly visited by a teenage girl who comes bearing a message. She explains that Owen paid her to deliver a note to Hannah. This girl is not friends with Bailey and has never actually met or spoken to either Owen or Hannah before this encounter. Hannah reads the note, which contains only two simple words: "Protect her." That's it, those are the titular words of the episode and the last thing Hannah has heard from her husband thus far.
The note carries a sinister energy, but the meaning is quite simple. Owen is begging Hannah to do everything in her power to protect Bailey. Hannah is Bailey's stepmother, and up to this point the two haven't exactly found common ground; their only connection is through Owen. Hannah likely would have looked out for Bailey even without the note despite their cold relationship, but it's significant that Owen felt the need to write the note at all. This note clearly references a larger danger that lurks for Bailey (beyond the press attention) about Owen's culpability in his company's fraud. The note is a desperate plea, as well as a warning.
Owen's Note to Bailey on The Last Thing He Told Me
Bailey also received a note from Owen. He likely wrote the notes at the same time as they are written on the same yellow paper. Also, he left Bailey's note attached to a bag in her school locker -- the same location he paid a stranger to deliver the note to Hannah. Along with the note, he left Bailey a bag full of cash. The mystery really escalates with the delivery of Bailey's note.
Bailey's note is longer than the one that Hannah received. In it, Owen explains to his daughter that she knows who he truly is, and that's what matters. While he writes something longer to Bailey, it's still quite cryptic and doesn't explain where he's gone or why he's run away. Initially, Hannah suggests that the note means exactly what it says, and it's just his way of assuring Bailey that he loves her. However, after further reflection, Hannah figures the note must mean more than that. Owen has repeatedly said that his love and devotion for his daughter is his defining trait, so he wouldn't just abandon her. Bailey's note implies that there are more mysteries to be revealed as the series continues, specifically about Owen's identity and history. It implies that Owen is not the person he has let both Bailey and Hannah think that he is and that is probably why Hannah's note was a plea for Bailey's protection. The scope of Owen's deception will likely be revealed as the series continues.
The Last Thing He Told Me streams new episodes Fridays on AppleTV+.