‘Fatal Attraction’ Ending Explained: Who Killed Alex? And Will There Be A Season 2?

Fatal Attraction, Paramount+’s present-day reimagining of the 1987 thriller starring Michael Douglas, Anne Archer, and Glenn Close, aired its final two episodes of the season on Sunday, May 28. And I think I can speak for everyone when I say I did NOT see those last-minute twists coming.

Created by Alexandra Cunningham, the eight-episode series starring Lizzy Caplan as Alexandra Forrest, Joshua Jackson as Daniel Gallagher, and Amanda Peet as his wife Beth starts with a steamy affair between Dan and Alex, then follows its deadly, ruinous aftermath. After spending 15 years behind bars for Alex’s murder, Dan is finally released from prison and sets out to prove his innocence while reconnecting with his friends, now ex-wife, and daughter Ellen (Alyssa Jirrels).

Fatal Attraction‘s two-part season finale night (Ep 7,”Best Friends” and Ep 8, “Caregiver”) finally gave viewers the answer to their most burning question: Who killed Alex Forrest? But in doing so, it set up a number of gripping new cliffhangers begging to be explored in a potential Season 2.

So how does Fatal Attraction Season 1 end? Who killed Alex? What the heck was Ellen doing in that final scene? And will there be a Fatal Attraction Season 2 on Paramount+? We’ve got all the answers below, but be warned, spoilers lie ahead.

Fatal Attraction Ending Explained: Season 1, Episode 8 Recap

The Fatal Attraction finale kicks off with a flashback that shows a secret meeting between Beth and Alex post-affair. Beth directly asks Alex if she killed her mother, and Alex simply replies by telling Beth she’s pregnant, then she suggests Dan hasn’t been fully truthful with Beth. We also finally see what happened when Alex kidnapped Ellen as a child, the emotional toll the affair and Alex’s threats took on Beth, and just how much she confided in and sought comfort from their friend (and her future partner) Arthur (Brian Goodman).

In present-day, Dan deals with upsetting developments at work but grows closer to Ellen. Even though the judge denied his request for a new trial in Episode 7, Ellen encourages him to keep fighting to prove his innocence and submit an appeal. And in his free time, Dan, Mike (Toby Huss), and even Earl (Reno Wilson) set out to investigate and solve the murder themselves.

In Episode 7 we got a crucial glimpse into Alex’s past and learned that the mystery man she’d been having phone calls with all season was her father, Stanley Forrest (Cliff Chamberlain). I’m not going to lie, Stanley seemed like a deeply creepy dad and before the end of Dan’s trial, I was nearly convinced he killed his own daughter and set Dan up to take the fall. But no matter how guilty Fatal Attraction makes Mr. Forrest look, finale flashbacks reveal a different — even more unexpected — story behind Alex’s death.

Who Killed Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction on Paramount+?

Dan did the time. But did he do the crime? Not according to the flashbacks!

As Dan and Mike have dinner at Beth and Arthur’s house, scenes from 15 years ago show Arthur simultaneously caring for his late wife who suffered from cancer while trying to comfort Beth during the whole Dan/Alex mess. As things get worse for both of the women in his life, Arthur starts tailing Alex, poses as a repairman in her building, and breaks into her apartment. One night, after a particularly distressing call from Beth, Arthur heads back to Alex’s apartment to handle the situation once and for all. We see Alex crying to her dad on the phone after Dan assaulted and threatened her, and he tells her to pack a bag and stay with him. As Alex is getting her things together, Arthur comes in and strangles her, then smacks her over the head with one of her weights, puts her body in his trunk, and dumps it in the water.

Another flashback reveals that Arthur later sought out a legal expert, confessed to killing Forrest under attorney-client confidentiality, and expressed a desire to turn himself in so Dan could walk free. The lawyer told Arthur that Dan was a big get for the DA’s office, and that confessing would get him locked up, but likely wouldn’t change anything for Dan. That’s why Arthur stays silent for Dan’s entire sentence.

What The Heck Is Going On With Ellen And Stella…And Professor Richard Macksey? Fatal Attraction Cliffhanger Recap:

In Episode 5, Ellen confronts Macksey about having an affair with a grad student, and in our Episode 6 recap, we noted that Stella drunkenly turns on Ellen because she thinks she’s behind Macksey calling off their relationship. Ellen is furious when Stella starts questioning her about her dad’s case, and she’s even more upset when she sees Stella and Macksey back together again at the end of the episode.

In Episode 8, Stella confronts Ellen on campus and accuses her of calling admissions to reveal that she lied about the probation and conviction. Stella says she was kicked out of school and has to leave LA and go back home, and Ellen claims she had nothing to do with it (even though she definitely did). With seconds left in the finale, we see Ellen sitting on a couch editing audio clips of Macksey on her laptop to make him say, “Ellen, I’ve been afraid to be this direct with any other person. No matter what my colleagues think, I need you. I didn’t think it was possible to even dream of a woman like you, so completely generous and loving. I want you in my life for the next morning and every one after. We could be together forever.”

As she sits smiling and listening to her inappropriate edit, a frightened Macksey appears and asks how and why she’s inside his house. She tells him she found his hidden key, walks over and says, “I feel like you’re mad at me. Are you mad at me?” and BOOM the episode ends. Unfortunately, it looks like we’ve got another obsession on our hands and so many questions that will hopefully be answered in the future.

Will There Be A Fatal Attraction Season 2 On Paramount+?

After such an eventful finale, Fatal Attraction fans will likely be craving more episodes of the Paramount+ series. As of Friday, May 26, Fatal Attraction has yet to be renewed for a Season 2, but it hasn’t been canceled either. It’s not uncommon for streamers to renew shows after their season finale airs, and it’s clear that the series set itself up for an additional season.

Decider reached out to show reps for comment and will update this article with any additional information.