The psychological series Fear, which premiered just a few days ago on Prime Video, has already been binge-watched by some fans. The three-part series brings to life every parent’s worst nightmare as a couple are accused by a neighbour of child abuse.
The ensuing drama sees a father pushed to his limits by false allegations that threaten to ruin his family and life. Fear features ‘s Martin Compston as architect Martyn Berwick, while Anjli Mohindra from Vigil stars as his gene scientist wife Rebecca Berwick.
Solly McLeod, known for roles in House of the Dragon, Outlander and Tom Jones, plays their sinister and troubled downstairs neighbour Jan Boyd. Supporting roles are filled by Game of Thrones alumni James Cosmo and Daniel Portman, Shetland’s Anneika Rose and Maureen Beattie from Deadwater Fell.
Here’s a look at the major plot points from the Fear finale.
Martyn and Rebecca faced false allegations of child abuse (Image: PRIME VIDEO)
[EXPLAINER] [VIDEO]
WARNING: This article contains significant spoilers from Fear on Prime Video
Rebecca and the kids
The finale saw Rebecca and the children leaving their new Glasgow home after Jan publicly accused them of child abuse and contacted the police. While Rebecca and the children stayed with her friend Anne (Rose), Martyn refused to leave, believing it would mean letting Jan win, reports the .
Rebecca and the children had a meeting with social services to discuss the allegations, with Martyn also expected to attend.
Jan promised to retract his accusations.
Martyn requested Jan to withdraw the statement in a letter addressed to the police and the family, which he agreed to do. However, upon reading the letter, Martyn discovered that only Rebecca was no longer accused, while he was now the sole target of Jan’s accusations.
This left him shocked and eager to prevent the situation from worsening. He also found out that Jan had been spying on them through their devices after connecting to the family’s WiFi.
Fear is led by Line of Duty’s Martin Compston (Image: PRIME VIDEO)
Martyn was left in dire straits
In his distress, Martyn sought help from his family. His brother Brian (Portman) arrived in Glasgow, and during a dinner, Martyn revealed how Jan had been terrorising their family.
Despite his pleas, the police refused to intervene, leaving Martyn increasingly angry and frustrated at being subjected to such baseless allegations. When he asked Brian for advice, the tattoo artist couldn’t provide a clear answer.
At his wits’ end, Martyn repeatedly called his mother Eileen (Beattie) to speak to his father Allan (Cosmo), but she lied, saying he wasn’t home. It was evident that Eileen was worried that if Allan found out, he would take drastic action involving a firearm.
Fear follows a family ripped apart by a sinister neighbour (Image: PRIME VIDEO)
Jan’s fate
Despite Eileen’s efforts, Allan showed up at Martyn’s house after Brian informed him about the situation. As expected, an aggrieved and trigger-happy Allan suggested killing Jan and taking the blame, so his son and grandchildren could return to their normal lives.
A conflicted Martyn agreed to Allan’s plan of showing up at Jan’s door pretending to be a distressed elderly man, before shooting him directly in the chest. Allan instructed Martyn to call the police, leading to both father and son being taken in for questioning.
Jan’s tragic backstory
As anticipated, Allan was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the murder due to his lack of remorse and the premeditated nature of the crime – he’d arrived in Glasgow armed with a gun and ammunition. The judge revealed that Jan, as hinted at in previous episodes, was a deeply troubled individual who had suffered an unimaginably horrific childhood filled with severe physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
Furthermore, he had a history of making false allegations but had sought treatment at a clinic in the past.
Troubled neighbour Jan caused chaos in Fear (Image: PRIME VIDEO)
The big reveal
In a shocking twist, it was revealed that Allan hadn’t been the one to pull the trigger; instead, it was skilled marksman Martyn who had committed the act.
This was unveiled in a flashback when a guilt-stricken Martyn visited his father in prison, with Allan warning him never to return. Martyn also confessed to Rebecca that he was the one who killed Jan, not his father.
In another twist, Rebecca admitted she had suspected it was Martyn rather than Allan based on her intuition. Despite everything, Martyn managed to evade punishment for the murder, allowing the family to continue with their lives.
Fear is streaming on Prime Video in the UK and Ireland now