Transatlantic Ending Explained: Did Varian Fry and Mary Jayne Succeed in Their Rescue Mission?

Having premiered on April 7, on Netflix, here we have the latest wartime series Transatlantic ending explained for you. Worked out as a loose adaptation of Julie Orringer’s novel The Flight Portfolio, the 7-part limited series has been created and written by the Unorthodox show-runner, Anna Winger, alongside Daniel Hendler.

Stéphanie Chuat, Véronique Reymond and Mia Meyer led the directing team, whereas Winger and Camille McCurry produced the project. It stars Gillian Jacobs, Cory Michael Smith, Lucas Englander, Corey Stoll, Ralph Amoussou, Deleila Piasko, Amit Rahav and several others.

As mentioned by the crew members of the show in the ‘Making’ video, this 2023 series takes up real characters and events and sets them free in a fictional landscape. Set in the port city of Marseilles, Transatlantic brings alive the WWII happenings during the 1940s as the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC), led by American journalist Varian Fry and heiress Mary Jayne Gold, along with their instrumental allies, sought to resist Nazi forces and rescue European intellectuals and artists during WWII. 

The series takes an intimate turn inwards as it portrays the personal lives of the ones involved in this mission, and that’s where the fictional aspect of the plot jumps in. The WWII setting in Marseilles is life-like. However, the intimate romances developed throughout the seven episodes have been built up based on speculations and notes left behind by the real people pictured in the TV show. 

Throughout the episodes, we see Varian Fry trying to come to terms with his sexuality and deal with his inhibitions in expressing his love for Thomas Lovegrove due to his marriage with his wife. Mary Jayne, on the other hand, finds her own star-crossed love story with Albert, whose chapter in the story began with him being on the run due to his Jewish roots. He eventually helped his sister cross the border and safely reach the U.S. while he stayed back to help with the resistance. In the end, things take an unexpected turn. Let’s look at how the ending sequence of the series unfolded.

Transatlantic Ending Explained

Ursula, Albert’s sister, had acquired an American visa for him and had it sent to Marseilles for him to cross over safely. However, by this point, he’s far too deep into the mission as one of ERC’s assets. He joins the revolution led by Paul (who initially worked as the hotel Splendide concierge and assisted Varian and Mary Jayne’s ERC missions). As he and Mary Jayne had put their misjudgements aside, they were deeply in love. The latter urges him to leave for America with her, as her husband, not knowing that his American visa is already waiting for him at the consul.

Eventually, he tells her the truth, and she convinces him of the life they could have together in Chicago. Although he agrees, their problems are far from over as Paul is arrested, and his younger brother comes to Albert, asking for help. Margaux, the woman working with British Intelligence, is of no help to Paul’s brother as she walks away and directly disagrees with extending a hand for help despite Paul working for her.

While the rest of the ERC goes off to plan a rescue mission for Paul, Varian is away dealing with the Chagall family’s safety issue. Bingham helps in stealing the diplomat’s car yet again, which will act as a free pass for them to cross borders. As opposed to Varian and Thomas’ plans of staying together at Villa Air-Bel, the former again turns away from accepting his sexuality and love for Thomas upon acknowledging how their love wouldn’t work out in real life. Leaving Thomas behind, he escorts the Chagall family out of Marseilles, and they succeed.

Meanwhile, the American consul threatens Mary Jayne about her not-so-well-kept secret identity as the spy for British Intelligence when she comes to his office to collect Albert’s visa. Earlier, he’d come to know the truth about her when he chanced upon the documentation maintained by his secretary, who was secretly working as an informer for the Germans and had even installed a microphone at their hideout, Villa Air-Bel when she arrived there to attend Max Ernst’s birthday party.

On the other side, the rescue mission for Paul goes sideways as all POWs are being taken for deportation. While he gets out as planned, his younger brother dies in the crossfire along with another old prisoner. Lisa, who’d initially taken to Paul’s embrace (before she found out that her husband was still alive), consoles him after his brother’s death but ultimately sides with her husband.

After this event, Albert races back to the old mansion to find Mary Jayne, but she’d already taken off to board her plane (which had been held as collateral by a bureaucrat earlier), thinking he won’t be able to return. Moreover, Fry’s words about such love stories not reaching the enplane in real life echo in her mind. Before she takes off, Albert chases after her. However, upon finding her, he bids her farewell instead of leaving with her as planned because he decided to continue his work for the resistance with Paul.

Lastly, Patterson contacts Commissaire Frot, who’s been working with the Germans all this while, to inform him about Fry’s actions and how he helped the Chagalls escape France. While he’s agitated about catching him again, Frot takes the high road and advises him that they’re no longer their problem to deal with since they’re out of their jurisdiction.

Patterson is taken aback upon hearing these words as all this while Frot was pacing back and forth to extract information on them but was now completely turning away from catching Fry. While the response stuns him, it makes him reflect on his actions. This even leaves us a reason to wonder if he thought about how he could’ve assisted the ERC (if he wanted to), especially with all the connections and resources in his hands.

Transatlantic is now streaming on Netflix.

Also read: Transatlantic Review: Golden Age Glitz Overshadows Emotional Connect and a History of Bravery