Detective Hole Ending Explained: Detective Harry Hole struggles to nab a serial killer while fighting against corrupt police officers, all the while struggling with his own troubled past.
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Detective Hole Netflix Cast
Tobias Santelmann, Joel Kinnaman, Pia Tjelta, Peter Stormare, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Ellen Helinder, Simon J. Berger, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Kelly Gale, Kåre Conradi
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Detective Hole Series Directors
Oystein Karlsen, Anna Zackrisson
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Original Title
Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole
The series has 9 episodes, each with a runtime of around 50 minutes and is based on The Devil’s Star by Jo Nesbø.
Detective Hole Review
In Netflix’s newest gritty detective thriller that suspiciously resembles every other Prime Video show in the genre, we see Detective Hole, haunted by his dark past and heartbreak, trying to solve a murder whose perpetrator has haunted him for years. The series, much like every other detective series I have watched this year, focuses on the dark and brooding streets of Oslo, too many naked murdered women and his own grief spiral for it to stand on its own two feet.
It somehow feels like I am watching something new and something old at the same time, a feeling I wish on no one at this point. The storyline is fine, but not unlike others I have seen in the genre this year. Again, it has moments that collectively help the series to stand out, but it’s just not different enough to warrant being called unique in any way. Focusing on the same-old things results in the series not being able to differentiate itself from others in the end.
Despite good performances from across the board, there’s something in the show that makes you roll your eyes. Is it still enjoyable? Definitely. But in the way that shows like these usually are – you watch them, enjoy them and then forget about them. The rivalry between Kinnaman’s Tom Waaler and Santelmann’s Harry Hole is possibly its most interesting part, made more watchable thanks to their stellar performances and Waaler’s complex character. It’s one of the reasons the series makes whatever little impact that it does and leaves us feeling satisfied, despite the overabundance of red herrings and whatnot.
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Detective Hole Ending Explained
The story opens with a terrifying accident involving Harry and his partner, as a result of which he dies. Five years after the tragic accident, Hole finds himself investigating a string of murders while battling with his own inner demons. The case starts as a standard murder investigation, but soon turns more complicated after patterns emerge that point to something deeper. It’s clear that it’s not just random violence – there’s a psychological pattern to his acts that Hole must figure out.
Along with the complicated case, Harry also struggles with internal politics and corruption surrounding another colleague, Tom Waaler, although he doesn’t have any proof to substantiate these accusations. Either way, he jumps headfirst into solving the case, realising soon enough that there’s a broader criminal network that’s working behind the killings.
Who is the real killer? Why did he commit the crimes?
In a rather surprising twist for Harry, the real killer turns out to be Wilhelm Barli, Lisbeth’s husband, who murdered her because he realised that she was cheating on him with a man named Martin. Out for revenge, he concocted a complicated ruse wherein he ordered weapons from Martin and killed people during the times when he would come to town, in the hopes that the police would link the two situations. He was playing the long con to frame Martin for the murders and get his revenge as a result of it.
Of course, it can also be argued that he got a bit too obsessed with the act afterwards and with his flair for the theatrics, he started to commit these gruesome murders as a way of fulfilling his fantasies as well.
How is Tom connected to the larger criminal ring?
Throughout the season, Harry is convinced that Tom is corrupt. He finally gets his hands on proof of this accusation when he links Tom to Martin, as he confesses to being his weapons runner in the weapons smuggling business. It’s also the reason why Tom was trying to kill Martin, hoping to keep his secret under wraps. The truth comes out soon enough, which triggers Tom to kidnap Oleg as a bargaining chip and make a run for it. Thankfully, Harry stops Tom before he hurts Oleg, and, in the resulting scuffle, his hand is cut off. Harry leaves him bleeding and walks out.
What happens in the end?
In the end, Harry solves another old case involving a bank robbery, realising that that, too, was a crime of passion and the bank teller who died was killed by her husband for cheating on her.
Another interesting development happens when, while investigating Tom, Harry stumbles upon the shocking revelation that the person behind the smuggling ring is none other than Agnes, who runs this criminal organisation as a cult. Although Tom’s death is a setback, she is sure to keep her operation running and recover the loss eventually. In a rather interesting move, Agnes reinstates Harry as a police officer, possibly hoping to keep him under her thumb.
Detective Hole Mid-Credit Scene
In the last scene of Detective Hole, we see Harry going to Tom’s hometown to learn more about his past. A store clerk recognises Tom and opens up about the abuse that he faced at home at his father’s hands and his father’s eventual death. Was Tom responsible for his father’s death? Is Tom a murderer, too? Maybe we will get to know in a possible second season.
What are your thoughts on Detective Hole? Let us know in the comments below!