Pippa has gone to hell and back to solve this Andie Bell case. As if nearly losing her best friend and the death of her dog weren’t big enough consequences, Pip now must face two near-death experiences in putting an end to this murder mystery.
For the most part, these traumatic experiences are all worth it for the satisfying conclusion we get in a gripping (and romantic!) finale. While the episode prior was weighed down with too much exposition and not enough thrills — no, a dead dog doesn’t count as a thrill, that’s just depressing — this final chapter gives us one much-needed final twist to really seal the deal.
We begin in Mr. Ward’s attic, where Pip is now trapped with Isla. Isla has been stuck in Mr. Ward’s house for five years since he picked her up at a bus stop in April 2019 following Andie’s disappearance. Thinking she was Andie — tall, blonde, gorgeous, could also be mistaken as a contestant on Love Island — he invited her into his home. It’s kind of like that Sears Optical commercial where a woman allows a raccoon inside instead of her pet cat. Perhaps Mr. Ward could use a pair of new eyeglasses.
Mr. Ward could also use some prison time. Because after he brought Isla into his home and realized she wasn’t who he thought she was, he held her captive. Burdened with guilt, Mr. Ward found that Isla would be the perfect person to listen to his struggles with Andie Bell. Thinking he had killed Andie with that head wound, Mr. Ward pinned everything on Sal — used Naomi to fake the alibi, planted the confession text message — and then smothered him to death in the forest.
Ravi has already sent the police to Mr. Ward’s secret hideaway, so Isla and Pip walk away unscathed. But I must ask: Why did everyone care so much about Andie disappearing and not Isla? They went missing around the same time. Two leggy blondes, gone into the night. If I were a detective, I’d connect these two together.
When Pip returns home, she starts to think that Mr. Ward maybe didn’t kill Andie and that the real murderer is still out there. After all, the day Barney died was the same day the Ward family went on a college visit to Oxford. Pip uncaps her marker for one final, brilliant note. Work your magic, girl. “SO,†she scrawls out on her crime scene map. “WHO KILLED BARNEY?†One has to imagine that Pippa’s parents will poke their heads into Pip’s room, and when they do, they’ll see “SO WHO KILLED BARNEY?†on the wall. Imagine how tired they are.
All signs point to Andie’s dad Jason (Matthew Chambers), Pip thinks. Every source Pip has encountered has recalled how terrible Jason was to his daughters. Mr. Ward also claims to have seen Jason driving around on the night Andie disappeared, upending the Bell’s “at dinner with friends†alibi.
This wrong lead is the only weak part of the finale, the sole reason it’s a step away from perfect. Shave this seven minute fake-out stretch off, and I’d be riveted the entire way through. But we have to sit through Pip poking her nose around Jason’s workplace, only to be discovered by Jesse (Oliver Wickham), who also works at the car park. They know each other — but I hardly recognize this “Jesse†person.
Here I was, thinking Isla was the most random character of all time. Nope: That title actually belongs to Jesse. I had to pause and rewind and Google this character before I connected the dots — Jesse was the same person who helped Pip get out of the calamity party. Jesse clears up Jason’s alibi (he was driving to turn off security alarms) and gives some insight about Becca Bell. In the original novel, Jesse is Becca’s best friend, although the adaptation takes no time to explain this to us.
If Jesse is Becca’s true bestie, why are they spilling all of Becca’s super personal information to Pippa? On the night Andie disappeared, Jesse explains, Becca went to her first calamity, hoping to be as cool as big sis Andie. But Becca was roofied and raped and hasn’t been the same since then.
Thankfully, we’re out of that side quest in a jiffy because Pippa has finally — for real this time — cracked the case. Broken down in simple terms, for you: Max raped Becca. Becca went to Andie for support, but because Andie sold Max the same rohypnol used to drug her sister, Andie couldn’t go to the police with Becca. Becca retaliated, leading to Andie’s real death.
This is a marvelous twist, particularly because Becca Bell has been so blazingly bitchy to Pip this entire time that I’m now on the edge of my seat waiting to see Pip and Bec go head to head. This also handles important topics — sexual harassment and assault in high school — with grace. Becca has been wronged not only by Max Hastings but also by her sister, someone she thought would be her closest ally. Without any reinforcements, no police backup nor Ravi waiting in the wings, Pippa marches right over to the Bell household.
On that note, we now pause this recap to bring you your regularly scheduled programming of the Ravi/Pippa romantic comedy subplot.
Pippa has lost the trusty Watson to her Sherlock. After Sal was proven innocent, Ravi becomes a new man, and thus, he plans to leave Little Kilton forever. “We’re supposed to be a team, the two of us,†Pippa says, pleading with Ravi to stay as he packs his bags. He still leaves. Right before Pip finishes the puzzle, Ravi boards a one-way bus to get out of dodge.
But this love story has always predictable subplot in a sea of unpredictable mystery twists, our grounding force. These two belong together. In fact, having Ravi leave at the most important moment only elevates the stakes. When he’s just a few minutes out of town, he says the most romantic thing ever: “STOP! THIS! BUS!†It’s cheesy, it’s wonderful, it’s not quite as dramatic as running through the airport, but my heart is pounding, so it’ll do.
Even better: He reunites with Cara, who has Pip’s location. Both are very awkward about working together — how are they supposed to act when, uh, Cara’s dad killed Ravi’s brother — but they immediately know they have to look past it to save Pip. We love to see a boyfriend(-ish) and best friend team up for the sake of their mutual connection.
Pip confronts Becca, who almost immediately confesses to the murder. Becca then invites Pip to go see where Andie is buried. Um … no thanks? Pippa says yes, because of course she does, and I am over here sending up prayers that Ravi’s long legs propel him to reach our girl fast enough.
As Becca and Pippa approach the same cave where the calamity was held just a few weeks ago, Pip’s knees start to tremble. Becca cackles. Oh, that? That’s just the Rohypnol she slipped into Pippa’s tea. Becca shows Pippa the pit where Andie has been decomposing for the past five years, revealing that Pip will face the same fate as soon as the drugs set in. Hearing an evil person narrate their evil plan in detail is so pleasing — prissy Becca Bell is the perfect villain, far better than creepy Mr. Ward.
With all of her remaining energy, Pip pushes Becca away, sneaking off into the winding pathways of the cave. Remember how cool the calamity was? This final chase finally gives us more time in such an impressive setting, full of rocky archways and hidden curves, which is a really exciting way to put an end to the case.
Right when it seems like Pippa can’t escape the cavernous maze, Cara and Ravi appear with the police not far behind them. The Rohypnol lulls Pip into fever dreams, and when she wakes up, the world is back to normal. Her EPQ is complete. Ta da!
Sure, Pip probably needs a ton of therapy following all of that chaos, but maybe she and Ravi can tackle that beast together. With that, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder ends by doing what Twisters couldn’t: allowing its leading lady to land a big, swooping, dreamy kiss with her man. Ravi and Pip, together forever.
The kiss is a perfect ending; not only does it leave us all giddy — going to go scribble R + P in hearts in my notebook — but it also stays true to the show’s realistic depiction of high school girlhood. For Pip, solving this case was, in part, about justice, but it also became more about impressing Ravi. Hormones lead you to the oddest places — in this case, to solving a murder. A kiss is the perfect way to see Pip out of this tumultuous murder mystery and into her (hopefully more peaceful) college years. Our modern Jane Eyre has come of age, now a full Sherlock Holmes.
Ring a Bell?
• There must be a clause in the Netflix handbook that every show must use the song “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)†by Irma Thomas. It’s in Black Mirror, it was just in One Day, and it plays in the final kiss sequence here, too.
• Will there be a Season 2? There are two more books in Holly Jackson’s series. If I was a betting woman, I’d place money on a plot revolving around Max Hastings. Pippa promises to get revenge on him in the finale, and it’d be pretty darn satisfying to see her and Ravi put that loser in jail.