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After UDC’s murder in the penultimate episode, most of us might have already guessed what was going to happen next. And unsurprisingly there wasn’t anything surprising in The Day of the Jackal’s ending. [Spoiler Alert] Nuria left the house because she didn’t want to live with a killer anymore, and staying with Duggan would only have threatened the life of her young one. Meanwhile, Bianca Pullman, as usual, failed to catch Alexander Duggan because (as you know already) he’s the protagonist, the great Jackal, who can’t be captured or killed. So, the only question we are left with in season 1’s ending is: what is Duggan going to do next? And who are the people he’s going to be dealing with in season 2?
How Did Duggan Kill Bianca and Vince Pyne?
In the previous episode, Bianca came across a news report about the murder of a Cuban gangster, Jimmy Tejero, in a restaurant in Cadiz, Spain. Jimmy was assassinated by a meticulously executed sniper-style shot, which made Bianca certain that this was indeed the work of the Jackal, who might have killed Jimmy out of some personal vendetta. It finally brought her to the conclusion that Duggan was either hiding in Cadiz or might have some connection there, which was the reason why she wanted to go to Spain to investigate further. At first, Bianca’s senior, Isabel Kirby, didn’t allow her to continue with her investigation, and even fired her from the job when Bianca refused to let the matter go. But then, the very next moment, the British Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Whitelock, who had been working for the American billionaires from the very beginning, arrived at MI6’s office and asked Kirby to use Bianca as an unsympathetic weapon to get rid of the Jackal, and once she had accomplished her mission, they would find a solution for her as well. So, basically, Timothy Winthorp asked Whitelock to cover the tracks for him so that the world would never find out that he was the one who ordered a hit on Ulle Dag Charles (UDC) because his new software, River, would have turned his capitalist empire to ruins and exposed him to the public.
Long story short, Kirby wanted Bianca to go on an unsanctioned mission and kill the Jackal, but as soon as she reached Duggan’s house, she decided to arrest him instead, as Bianca knew that Duggan was just a hired gun and there was someone else who had been pulling the strings all along. Bianca, just like everyone else, wanted answers about why someone had hired Duggan to kill UDC, but before she could do so, Duggan killed her. Bianca’s close friend and teammate, Vince Pyne, died too, which Osita Halcrow confirmed in the end.
Will Osi Seek Justice For Bianca?
As per Osi’s phone records, he had been constantly receiving texts from a number in the United States. Now, I know that some of you might want to believe that Osi had been working for Winthorp, but that would make things too simple. I mean, why would Winthorp need someone like Osi if he already owns British Foreign Secretary Jeremy and head of operations Kirby (later promoted to chief). My best guess is that Osi had been in touch with the CIA or FBI, and the only reason why he didn’t help Bianca was because he didn’t want to blow his cover. I think the American intelligence agencies have been keeping track of Winthorp’s illegal activities and want to expose his closed network that includes rich businessmen and corrupt politicians from all around the globe.
The Day of the Jackal’s ending made it clear that Osi knew why Kirby sent Bianca and Vince on a suicide mission, and if I am not reaching, then he knows the truth about the foreign secretary too. But he didn’t want to act on that information, because it wasn’t the right time. He had even asked Bianca to drop the mission, but she let her emotions guide her. You see, Osi is the smart one here. He knows what kind of affluent people he is dealing with, and making hasty decisions isn’t an option here. But Bianca’s death might weigh on his conscience sooner or later, and he might decide to seek justice for her.
My second guess is Osi might be working for Zina Jansone, the woman who hired the Jackal on Winthorp’s behalf. He might be the one who helped Norman Stoke escape from Belarus, informing him about Bianca’s covert operation so that the Jackal could use his help to get rid of UDC. The show didn’t make it clear if Osi really was the mole in MI6 or just some coward who didn’t want to get involved in the mess. Whatever the case might be, I still want to believe that Osi, Leonora, and Duggan might join forces in the next season to take down their common enemy, Timothy Winthorp.
Will Duggan Go After Winthorp?
Casting someone like Charles Dance and hardly giving him 20 minutes of screentime over 10 episodes did seem one of the stupidest decisions at first, but the end of season 1 made it abundantly clear that his role doesn’t end with the death of his enemy, and he’s going to be the main antagonist in season 2.
In The Day of the Jackal’s ending, Winthorp ordered his loyal associates to tie up the loose ends, which simply meant: kill the man who pulled the trigger on their behalf and the woman who hired him to do so. It seemed like Winthorp wasn’t in the mood to pay Zina and Duggan for their services, or maybe it was way cheaper for him to get them killed instead of paying them. Leonora Boggs sent a man named Simon to get rid of Zina, but she had already sensed the threat to her life when Leonora invited her to dinner on the phone. As soon as Simon entered the hotel, Zina escaped, and before throwing away her phone, she called Duggan, informing him that Winthorp’s men knew about his house in Cadiz and would be coming after him. This was the exact moment a car hit Duggan’s car while he was driving to the airport to stop Nuria from leaving him.
The Day of the Jackal’s ending revealed that Duggan somehow managed to survive the lethal crash and later met Zina in Budapest, Hungary, where they sat in front of the Rakoczi Ferenc equestrian statue, planning their next move. The show’s ending revealed that Winthorp’s company benefited directly from UDC’s death and hit a four-year high of annual profits. I guess that’s what he wanted from the very beginning, and things would have literally ended here on a happy note if only Winthorp hadn’t tried to kill the Jackal and just cleared his payment without any fuss. But he didn’t do that, and now he might have to pay for it with his life. Duggan may even try to help UDC’s business and romantic partner, Teddy, to release the River software, the launch of which he had postponed indefinitely, most likely under the board’s pressure, or maybe because he didn’t want to meet the same fate as UDC. You see, killing Winthorp won’t be enough. Maybe Zina and Duggan would want to destroy his empire completely, and what could be a better weapon to do that than UDC’s River? It’s kind of poetic too. Also, season 1 didn’t reveal what exactly Winthorp’s line of business was. I mean, he’s super rich, but what exactly does he do? I guess the second season will shed more light on his character and the things he’s involved in.
Will Duggan Reconcile With Nuria?
In The Day of the Jackal’s ending, Duggan revealed that before going after Winthorp, he first wanted to find his wife, Nuria, and son, Carlitos. Duggan had his last conversation with Nuria after he killed an old couple near the Montenegro border. It was pretty obvious that Duggan felt remorse for his actions, which was why he told Nuria that he didn’t want to live this life anymore and wanted to leave it all behind to start over with her and their son. But you see, we all know Duggan cannot do that. Even Bianca knew this for certain. Duggan had been trained as a killer whose first instinct was not to find a solution but to eliminate the threat, and maybe Nuria understood that too, which was why she made the decision to leave him before any danger could befall upon their child. Before leaving, Nuria took the “American plane” (that Duggan had brought for his son) with her, which makes me believe that Nuria could be somewhere in America. And considering Spanish is her mother tongue, Nuria might be able to lead a much more comfortable life in South America. However, even if Duggan finds Nuria, the main question remains the same: will she want to spend the rest of her life with a killer? Duggan had told her that he was going to retire after finishing his last contract, but with Winthorp refusing to pay him, we all know his killing streak is not going to end anytime soon. Predators like an Eagle and the Jackal are always loners. It is their inherent nature to hunt, and they can’t survive without doing that. Maybe Duggan too would soon realize the fact that Nuria and Carlitos are much safer without him and not the other way around.
What Happened To Duggan’s Spotter, Gary Cobb?
If you remember, Duggan had blown up his entire platoon with an IED in Helmand, Afghanistan, except for his spotter, Gary Cobb. And, Cobb’s whereabouts remained one of the important unsolved mysteries of season 1. Bianca had a hunch that, just like Duggan, Cobb too had been living a secret life somewhere, and she wanted to get to the bottom of the truth before Kirby abruptly closed down the investigation to serve the interests of her masters. We did see Cobb leaving Afghanistan with Duggan in the eighth episode, but I am not sure what happened to him next or where he had been for the past 10 years. Maybe, in the second season, Duggan will reunite with Cobb to plan an attack on Winthorp. And trust me, I wouldn’t be much surprised if it happened the other way around, where Cobb, working for Winthorp, tried to kill his best friend from his army days for money. But whatever the case might be, I would really be happy (more than even Bianca) to find out more about Cobb and Duggan’s life after they fled from Afghanistan, and for that, I guess, we’ll have to patiently wait for the second season to arrive.
