Shetland series 8 recap: Why did DI Ruth Calder arrive on island, and why did she decide to stay?
By Helen Fear | Mon Nov 04 2024Shetland series 8 ended in December 2023 with the MOTHER of all twists so, as series 9 begins, here's a handy recap in our ending explained.
In the first series after the sad departure of DI Jimmy Perez, Ruth Calder (reluctantly) arrived in Shetland to investigate a missing girl.
When the girl later turned up murdered, Ruth was forced to stay on the island. As she teamed up with Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh, the pair initially clashed over their differing approaches to the investigation.
However, they soon came together to uncover the murderer. Meanwhile, Ruth was forced to uncover some difficult truths of her own from her troubled past...
Here's everything you need to know about the shocking finale to Shetland series 8 in our recap of the ending. Including, who killed Ellen, was Cal's death an accident, and why did Ruth decide to stay?
***Warning: spoilers from Shetland episode 6 ahead***
What happened in Shetland series 8?
Shetland series 8 came to a dramatic, emotional - and icky - ending in December 2023. After six rollercoaster episodes, viewers finally learnt who had killed runaway teenager Ellen Quinn. Ellen's whereabouts, and subsequent murder, had been the central storyline of Shetland series 8.
We also discovered what had caused Cal's death. Viewers will know that Cal was Calder's old flame - and there was clearly still some flaming still going on.
In the grand finale, Tosh and Calder reunited and turned their focus on Ellen's family. Police searched the property, knowing that Ellen had returned to her home on the night of her death.
Over the hour, the finger of suspicion pointed first at Bobby Bain, then matriarch Grace, and subsequently Ellen's 'dad' Kieran. But the ending was more horrifying than anyone could have imagined.
Shetland ending explained: Who was Ellen Quinn's dad?
At the end of episode 5, DI Ruth Calder and 'temporary DI' Alison McIntosh discovered that Ellen Quinn had returned home on the night she died. Realising that she was killed by one of her own family, they searched the property and hauled several relatives in for interrogation.
At first, Bobby Bain seemed to be the likely suspect. He had visited Ellen in London just days before she returned to Shetland. Most importantly, however, they were seen arguing. Also, she had blocked her 'uncle' on her mobile phone months before.
However, in a sickening twist no one could have seen coming, we discovered that Bobby Bain was in fact Ellen's dad. Brother and sister Bobby and Stella had sex in a drunken moment of grief after the death of their dad. The end result of the night of incest was Ellen.
Having kept the secret for years, Bobby blurted out the truth one fateful night in September the year before on the anniversary of his dad Kenny Bain's death. This was the night which caused Ellen's breakdown (not the death by drowning of Akmal Sadat as previously thought).
After that night, Ellen understandably struggled with her mental health, fled Shetland for London, and distanced herself from her family.
Shetland series 8 recap: Who killed Ellen Quinn?
Bobby Bain did not kill his daughter Ellen. In fact, he seemed broken by her death. Her killer was actually Kieran Quinn, the man she thought was her dad all her life.
Stella (Dawn Steele) was four months pregnant with Ellen when she married Kieran Quinn. He believed it was his child. On the night Ellen returned to her family home, her family had no idea where she was. Worried sick, Kieran couldn't sleep and went looking for her.
Having finally found her walking the streets, he offered her a lift. She told him what had happened in London, and that two thugs were after her. Naturally, Kieran pleaded with her to go to the police.
However, she was adamant she didn't want to go. The pair clashed, with Ellen cruelly blurting out the truth that Kieran wasn't her real dad.
Goading him, she told Kieran that he'd been "played like an idiot". Having been pushed, he lost control and lashed out. Kieran strangled Ellen in the car until she went limp. Realising what he'd done, he tried to help but it was too late, she was dead.
As for the missing money, Bobby Bain did the right thing and gave it to Tom Knox. Viewers will know that the Bain family cheated the Knox family out of their land, so the money was a way of righting that wrong.
Shetland series 8 recap: Who was Cal and what happened to him?
At the end of Shetland episode 6, Tosh delivered some important news to Ruth about her former flame Cal. Having received the traffic report on Cal's car crash, the evidence showed that his death was an accident. He had not been murdered.
Cal was twice over the limit, and had drugs in his blood stream. There were no other vehicles involved.
Why did DI Ruth Calder decide to stay in Shetland?
DI Ruth Calder (Ashley Jensen) reluctantly arrived in Shetland in episode 1 with a lifetime of baggage about her hometown on her back. However, having spent some time back home, she began to appreciate the island for its beauty, and her history with the place.
Having finally become closer to her estranged brother Alan, Ruth felt connected to her only living family member. At the end of Shetland episode 6, she told Tosh she was taking extended leave from work at the Met Police.
Ruth planned to spend "a month or two" on the island reconnecting with her family, and her hometown.
As Shetland series 9 begins, we discover that Ruth Calder is now living in Shetland, having decided to stay.
Actress Ashley Jensen explains why her character decided to return to Shetland for good, saying: "Calder's decided to return to Shetland because it almost felt like there was unfinished business there, or a sort of magnetic draw back home. She's there to find out who she is which, I think, goes against all her previous instincts."
