We present Antonio Campo’s miniseries The Staircase finale explained. After its eight-episode run, the limited series starring Colin Firth and Toni Colette is based on Jean-Xavier de Lestrade’s documentary series and its true-crime drama enthralling nature manages to captivate all of us.
The show’s premise is simple, a crime novelist is accused of killing his wife. But as the investigation of the murder goes on, a difficult legal battle ensues, and a group of documentarists takes on the issue. Now without further ado, let’s take a look at how this series concludes.
The Staircase Finale Recap
It begins with Jean-Xavier questioning Michael about a secret he had kept from Sophie and everyone involved with him. Michael requests that the director not divulge the discovery to Sophie so she can view it for herself. Margaret, Martha, Todd, and Clayton gather for Michael’s retrial. Candace states at the hearing that “the killer” of her sister should not be allowed a new trial. Evelyn Ivins testifies in court that Duane Deaver’s testimony is not believable. David Rudolf establishes that the analyst lied under oath about his experience.
Despite Candace’s concerns, Judge Orlando Hudson gives Michael a new trial due to Deaver’s influential-yet-misleading testimony in the first trial. After granting a new trial, Judge Hudson releases Michael from prison with a tracking anklet. In parallel, in flashforward sequences, Michael accepts an Alford plea in 2017 and pleads guilty to Kathleen’s voluntary manslaughter while maintaining his innocence under the terms of the plea. He leaves the court as a free man because he has already fulfilled his required prison sentence.
Kathleen’s finances were harmed by the decline of the Nortel stock in flashback sequences. She contacted Candace and discussed going on a trip, but she decided against it when the latter did not share her enthusiasm. Michael and Kathleen attended a private party.
The Shocking Truth: Michael Was Bisexual
Michael’s bisexuality is questioned during Kathleen’s inquiry and Michael’s subsequent trial. His affairs with other men, the pornography seized from his personal computer, and the confessions of Wolgamott and Dennis Rowe lead the prosecution to believe that Michael murdered Kathleen after she confronted him about his actual sexual orientation and affairs on the night of her death. Michael’s argument against the theory is that Kathleen was aware of it and accepted it long before her death. Throughout the inquiry, prosecution, and imprisonment, Michael maintained that Kathleen had no cause to confront him about the same.
Michael claims that he and Kathleen did not argue about his sexual orientation or extramarital same-sex encounters because she had previously accepted it. The argument persuades Sophie, Michael’s attorney Rudolf, and his family that Michael had no reason to murder Kathleen. However, in the interview Jean conducts at the beginning of the episode, Michael discloses that Kathleen was unaware of his sexual orientation or affairs with other men. He admits to lying about the same thing all along. Sophie is astounded by the discovery, as she accepts Michael’s claim that he is innocent. Michael appears to be a liar to her, raising suspicions about his version of the circumstances that led to Kathleen’s murder.
The Staircase trailer
https://youtu.be/TftAFQflBy8
The Staircase Finale Explained
The big question is: Was Kathleen murdered by Michael? Well, Michael’s admission that he never told Kathleen about his bisexuality or same-sex encounters begs whether she learned about them on the night she died, as the prosecution suggests. Kathleen questioned Michael about his bisexuality in a flashback sequence, wondering why he didn’t inform her about a particular something. Michael said that he became increasingly disconnected from his bisexual identity after she entered his life.
Suppose Kathleen had discovered Michael’s sexual orientation through his computer, and they had a severe argument. In that case, he might have kept it a secret from the authorities, attorneys, and his family to avoid raising suspicion. According to Michael’s version of her death, Kathleen may have clashed with her husband and stormed upstairs, only to fall down the stairs and die. Because the fight is an apparent reason, even if he did not kill her, he may have opted not to mention it so that no one would suspect him.
Michael’s Caveat
Michael may have realized that he needed to keep the potential fight hidden to have a fighting chance in court. Otherwise, according to the prosecution’s hypothesis, he may have slain Kathleen on the spur of the moment. The lack of irrefutable evidence and witnesses makes determining whether he killed Kathleen beyond a reasonable doubt impossible.
What Happens With Sophie & Michael?
Michael leaves the court as a free man after entering an Alford plea. Sophie encourages Michael to pack for their upcoming trip to Paris. Sophie fantasizes about a life in which they will be united in a city far away from Kathleen and her death. Michael, on the other hand, is hesitant to travel to Paris. Michael wishes to use his freedom to spend time with his children and their children as their father and grandfather, respectively. He wants to spend time with them and believes they require his assistance.
Michael also refuses to remove his wedding ring and insists that Kathleen is still a part of his life. These factors enrage Sophie, who has given up a lot to fight for him. Therefore, she believes Michael is ignoring and avoiding her and accuses him of “cutting her out” of his life. In the end, Michael finally informs his children that he has decided not to relocate to Paris, implying that he has broken up with Sophie.
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