WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Third Day Episode 6, "Last Day -- The Dark," now airing on HBO.
HBO's The Third Day has been a treacherous journey for Jude Law's Sam after coming to Osea Island, culminating in him being forced into being its king, the "Father." It all stemmed from him seeing a mysterious ghost, which lured him in and then got complicated thanks to an affair on the island which results in a pregnant Jess.
Now, as Osea's engulfed in a civil war, Sam's found trying to protect his estranged wife, Helen, as well as their daughters, Lu and Ellie, who have come seeking him out and are now viewed as threats to Jess' rule. This all leads to a Game of Thrones-like finale, filled with deception and gore.
Jess Takes Over The Island
Jess' faction starts killing natives who want to side with Sam as they don't think Sam's fit to bring bountiful times back. He's been there for nine months and it hasn't worked out, so Jess has her older daughter, Kail, bring a runaway Ellie to her. They gaslight the religious Ellie into thinking Osea's special and that her half-sister is meant to rule.
The girl is named after Epona, who killed herself to heal the island and Ellie actually buys into this warped dream. She even tricks her mom and Sam into meeting her, which leads to Jess' people capturing them. A ceremony follows and the throne's officially taken by Jess, but she has her goons lethally inject Mrs. Martin. Earlier, Jason axed Mr. Martin, so it's a brutal end for the deceitful couple who actually stole Sam's son, Nathan, years ago. This scares Ellie, however, as she realizes Jess isn't a benevolent ruler and she's doomed her family.
Lu Rescues Her Parents
Lu's also missing, but when Helen and Sam are tied up and placed in the Martins' hotel, Lu appears from under the bed. Luckily, she stole a knife as she's pretty resourceful, and cuts her family free, knowing Helen would have come back to this room they slept in. A distraught Helen begs Sam to man up, so he finally unleashes the rage over Nathan's botched kidnapping, going downstairs and stabbing Jason to death to free Ellie.
It's a bloody scene that plays into him being a descendant of Jack the Ripper, which further scares Ellie. However, she accepts her dad has to become this monster to deal with the other monsters around and starts thinking about survival just like Lu has been all along. To avoid death, their dad will have to kill, and now that they've embraced this, Sam arms himself with a gun.
Helen Gets Her Money Back
They go to the island's sacrificial church where Sam finds Jess' other goons, Tomo and Larry, with the fake Nathan. Sam shows no mercy, killing her at the altar as he takes a bag of money out of a statue. This was the family's savings he ran away with because he didn't want them to move nine months ago. But now, Sam accepts Helen needs it to start a new life without him.
He's chosen his destiny as he has to remain on Osea to pay for his sins, as he was a compulsive cheater. This led to him neglecting Nathan the night of the kidnapping at a fair on the mainland and he plans to remain here with fake Nathan (who's also a family descendant) because no matter what, Jess or the islanders won't spill their blood. But, as Helen departs, fake Nathan tells her he forgives her for not wanting to have him years ago, leaving her confused if Nathan's spirit is somehow alive.
The Ladies Escape Osea
After the massacre, Helen puts the girls on a raft and pulls them out into the water. The causeway's flooded so she begins a daunting trek, swimming back to the mainland to ensure they're safe. Going across the channel is perilous as the water's freezing, but just when it seems like she's going to drown, Helen sees a vision of the real Nathan -- which makes sense as the Martins dumped his body into the sea.
This inspires her to keep going and when they reach the shore, they bundle up in a small hut for warmth. Helen clings to the bag of money, shaking and seemingly experiencing hypothermia, but as she does, Ellie opens the blinds and lets the sunlight hit her. She's forgiven Helen for going cold when Nathan died and she's glad the betrayal is behind them. Ellie and Lu hug up their mom with the final shot showing them falling asleep, together, although it's left unclear if Helen is dead.
HBO's The Third Day stars Jude Law, Naomie Harris, Katherine Waterston, Nico Parker, Charlotte Gairdner-Mihell, Paddy Considine and Emily Watson.