The Castaways ending was eventually a happy one for sisters Lori and Erin, but not so much for some of the other characters - here's the series finale explained in our recap.

In episode 5, Erin finally learnt the truth about her sister Lori's fate. In fact, she found herself on the very island that her older sis had crash-landed on - and an emotional (if dangerous) reunion took place between the siblings.

A final deadly face-off subsequently took place between the island villain Daniel, and the sisters... But who got out alive?

Here's everything you need to know about The Castaways series finale in our ending explained, including if the episode was the same as the book, and if there'll be a series 2.

***Warning: spoilers from The Castaways ending - episode five - ahead***

The Castaways ending explained

The central plot of The Castaways centred on sisters Lori and Erin. Lori's plane had crashed on a remote island, with the passengers and crew all presumed dead. But Erin refused to believe her older sibling was gone.

There were many questions to answer... Why hadn't Erin got on the plane as planned? How and why had the plane crashed? And who survived?

Viewers got all the answers they needed in The Castaways ending. The villain, who had plotted the plane's downfall was revealed to be Daniel Eldridge. A cowardly man who hatched the plan to cover his own mistakes - namely an affair. Far fetched? Yes. But we bet you didn't guess the ending either!

What happened at the end of The Castaways?

In the final episode of The Castaways, we finally discovered that Daniel Eldridge (Dominic Tighe) had planned the 'crash'.

In flashback scenes, we saw Daniel meet up with pilot Mike to discuss possible ways of getting rid of his problem, or rather, what he referred to as a third party.

Daniel told Mike that he'd had an affair with "a third party" - who we later realised was Amber. The woman in question then attempted to expose the affair, and potentially ruin his cushy life with his rich wife.

Snivelling Daniel asked Mike to do his dirty work - kill his lover. He said: "I need her gone." However, when Mike refused to do it, they plotted a "forced landing" on a remote island. They planned to blame a fault on the plane.

If Mike promised to bring down the plane with Amber on board, Daniel would have to do the rest in the few days it would take to get help.

However, Mike later told Erin: "The plane crash wasn't deliberate. The storm [bleeped] us."

So while Mike was planning a measured touch down to look like a technical fault, events got out of control...

Erin got it exactly right when she said to Mike: "You crashed a plane so that a prick could murder his girlfriend." Even worse, the plane had a newborn baby on board. Sonny was, of course, Daniel's son. Although he claimed not to have known about the boy until Amber boarded the plane.

Who died on the island?

At the end of The Castaways episode four, Daniel had killed Amber making it look like suicide. And, in going to save her, it looked like Felix was probably dead too thanks to the deadly rip tides.

As The Castaways ending began, it was just Lori and Daniel left on the island, with baby Sonny. Lori, having realised that Daniel was a killer, went deep into the heart of the island to escape him.

When Erin eventually found the island, Mike Brass was dead after being shot by Mrs Eldridge's henchwoman. Felix was luckily alive after all, and Daniel's chances didn't look good once Felix, Erin, and Lori combined forces...

Did Erin find her sister Lori?

Yes, Erin and Lori were eventually reunited at the end of The Castaways. Pilot Mike had led her to the island in a boat, although he died in the process of getting away from Mrs Eldridge's pantomime-villain-esque scalp-hunter.

Leaving dead Mike in the vessel, Erin stepped on to the island, little knowing that Daniel was watching. She found the camp, baby Sonny, and a smouldering fire. Erin headed into the jungle, with Daniel in hot pursuit. However, as Daniel edged closed, Lori grabbed her sister out of his path.

The sister finally reunited, after six months apart. But they weren't safe yet, not with Daniel lurking...

The Castaways ending explained: Did Lori survive?

With Daniel intent on killing both Erin and Lori, Lori struck a deal with Daniel. Not revealing the identity of her sister, she told Daniel police would be coming soon. She swore to keep his secrets in order for them both to get off the island safely.

He agreed. The pair headed to the boat, where Erin was waiting. Thinking quick, Erin pretended to be Mrs Eldridge's employee come to save her husband. She asked it there was any incriminating evidence on the island that would link Daniel to Amber, and he told her there was a photograph of them both at the stag do where they'd met.

Having gained his trust, Erin told him to go back to the camp and burn the photographic evidence, which he did. Grabbing their chance, Lori and Erin grabbed baby Sonny and made their escape on the boat. But it wasn't over yet, turning back to look at the island where she'd spent six months, Lori saw Felix collapsed on the beach...

She jumped out of the boat, and swam to Felix. But, of course, Daniel took his chance and a fight for life broke out. But the odds were against Daniel at last. After Erin stabbed him with a sharpened stick, Lori finished the job, and Daniel was last seen floating face down in the water. Is it wrong to say a little "yippee"?

Did Lori and Felix end up together?

Thrilled to find Felix alive, Lori tried to get him on the boat. However, he didn't want to go back to normal life and being judged for his past. And Lori decided she didn't want to live without him either.

Erin gave her blessing when she said: "The world already thinks you're dead. You can vanish; you can start afresh."

Just as Erin had found her sis, they said goodbye again, probably for the final time. But this time it was a happy ending.

After the sisters said an emotional farewell, Lori and Felix took the boat, leaving Sonny with Erin. Erin called the police with the satellite phone from the boat. She later told the police a narrative that closed the case forever, and allowed Lori and Felix to live an unmolested life.

The closing minutes of the episode saw Erin living a contented life as a writer, knowing her sister was happy. She's also financially stable at last, having received the settlement money from the plane crash and Lori's 'death'.

A glimpse of Lori showed her heavily pregnant on a secluded island, with Felix tending a fire nearby. Think Tarzan and Jane, only on a beach. And probably with a Boots nearby if Lori's beautifully made-up face was anything to go by...

Meanwhile, baby Sonny was reunited with his grandparents, Amber's mum and dad.

Other key spoilers in the series finale, like why did Erin miss the flight?

• Erin overslept the morning the plane was due to take off. After a drunken one-night stand with Mike, she woke up and rushed to get on the plane. However, she was too slow - not helped by the fact that Mike had taken her phone in a bid to stop her boarding (knowing full well what fate awaited the plane).
• We discovered the sisters had rowed because Erin had known about Lori's husband's affair. But, rather than tell her sister, she kept it quiet. In a heart to heart, Lori said she understood why Erin had done it. Because Lori and Pete were the only parents Erin had ever known, and she didn't want to lose them too.
• Viewers learnt that Lori basically bought Erin up after the death of their parents. Although we never learnt exactly what had happened to their parents, we know it was traumatic. Viewers saw them dead in a tent while the girls read stories about an enchanted forest nearby.

Is the ending of The Castaways TV series the same as the book?

The Castaways TV series has a very different ending to the Lucy Clarke novel it's based on. In the bestselling book, Erin never finds out exactly what happened to her sister Lori.

The story is left with a sense of lingering mystery and many unanswered questions. Despite her extensive search efforts, the plane was never found, and Lori's fate remained unclear.

Like the series, The Castaways book switched between Erin's present-day search for Lori and Lori's experiences on the island after the crash. But the exact details of what happened to Lori on the island are never fully revealed, leaving the reader to piece together the story based on clues.

Will there be a series 2 of The Castaways?

The makers of The Castaways have not confirmed a series 2 of the series. We don't want to hurt your feelings, but it's unlikely. Just think of the budget!

Unlike the book, the TV series was wrapped up pretty nicely, and doesn't really need a series 2. There is no sequel to the book either.

Ben Harris, who created, co-wrote and co-produced The Castaways series, hasn't ruled out a series 2 though, so there's still a glimmer of hope.

If you liked The Castaways, why not try Yellowjackets on Paramount+. A series three is landing on Friday, February 14, 2025. The hit horror/mystery series follows the members of a high school soccer team who survived a plane crash years earlier.

The Castaways is available to watch on My5.