The Strays Ending Explained: Does Neve Aka Cheryl Run Away From Her Family?

Thriller movies have some serious cliffhangers, so here is the The Strays ending explained to tell you all about it. This is a thriller starring Ashley Madekwe, Justin Salinger, Bukky Bakray, Jorden Myrie, Samuel Small and Maria Almeida, alongside other cast members. Directed by Nathaniel Martello-White, this film runs for 99 minutes. It is set in the town of Castle Comb, London, where a bunch of rich, affluent white people live in the neighbourhood.

The Strays Ending Explained

Neve has just started to fit in with the neighbourhood people. Almost everywhere, she seems to have to prove herself. Being the deputy headmistress at the local private school also doesn’t change the fact that she is Black, and it is difficult for her to blend in with any white-dominated neighbourhood. So, when she decides to keep a gala inviting everyone on the street, it is more about proving herself worthy of living more than anything.

Her kids, however, don’t feel the same way. Mary, the daughter, has been working at the candy shop and is currently sporting a hairstyle that would give away a lot about her than Neve would like. And her son, Sebastian, has been doing his level best in ignoring every value she has instilled in him and is speaking to the janitor, whom Neve has seen before and is not happy to see again. However, the man is elusive. He shows up when needed and leaves just when the suspicion should arise.

Meanwhile, Mary has been hanging out with a new friend Abigail who is helping her embrace her natural hair and take care of it in the best way possible. She hasn’t told anyone of this newfound friendship and has been keeping this on the down low extremely well. So, on the day of the gala, when the two of them show up and Neve completely loses her mind, we start to get a glimpse of what it was like for the man and Mary’s friend. They yell that Neve had left them alone and called her mother, which fully shited gears within the story.

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Carl and Dione, the duo that make their way to Castle Comb, have been secretly infiltrating the Williams family through Sebastian, Mary and Ian. Dione joined Ian’s insurance company and has been working there to pick up calls and run small errands within the office. For Sebastian, Carl is Marvin, the janitor at school who is teaching him how to be a man and, most importantly, how to be a black man. Mary has been embracing her roots, and speaking to Dione aka Abigail, is making her even more confident in herself.

Back to the gala, things have completely unraveled. Neve comes home, explains to them that her former husband was a really bad man, and she had to leave him to take care of herself in this situation. She had no other choice but to run. Reassuring them that she will explain everything once she’s back, she goes to a diner to meet her two estranged children. They remind her that she was gone for 20 years and that it was insulting when she left them with her auntie, who gave them away when she didn’t want them.

In order to buy them off and keep them away from the neighbourhood, Neve gives them both £20,000 to make sure they can sustain themselves in London and get up on their feet. This money is conditional and is only given when the two of them promise that they will live in London and not come back here. Carl and Dione agree to it and take it, which makes Neve really happy.

She goes back home to her family and tries to explain everything before they all go to bed. Ian doesn’t care. He is happy with Neve and this family they have built. They hug it all out before going to bed, resolving their problems. While they are all sleeping, Carl and Dione come into the house, turning the tap on in the kitchen and letting the water run. Dione runs a bath in the bathroom while Carl sets the television on high volume waking everyone in the house.

Carl reminds everyone that it is Dione’s birthday adding that they should all order Chinese in honour of the occasion and also play board games. When they all sit down for scrabble and make teams, Neve, who at this point is revealed to be Cheryl, plays along with this game where they pretend to be a loving family. The other members have no other option but to play the game too. But Carl gets annoyed in the middle, throws away the board, and calls Ian to work out together on the bench press.

Ian has been keeping his cool till now, but the gym thing sets him off, and he asks Neve, aka Cheryl, for a divorce. He and Carl go to the gym, and the former spots the bench press while Ian tries to bench the wait. Unable to hold any longer, the weight clatters on his chest, breaking bones. Meanwhile, their Uber Eats order is here, and the man is waiting outside with the food. Neve takes the bags and goes inside the room to bring her wallet so she can tip him.

While she brings it down and goes outside to give him the tip, the rest of the family hear a motorcycle revving and Neve not coming in from the front door. She has run away once again, and that sob story that she told her family in the beginning has already probably happened before, and her dire money situation didn’t make it better. Neve/Cheryl is a series con woman and has probably tricked many people the same way as she has done with these two families, leaving behind strays, children and husbands.

The Strays is currently streaming on Netflix. What do you think of Neve/Cheryl’s character? Let us know in the comments and read our review of the film below.

Also Read: The Strays Review: Retribution is Best Served Politely