RIPLEY Netflix Ending Explained 

What did you think of this version of Ripley? Definitely different, but I think it's enjoyable and from a stylistic point of view, completely different! Let me know your thoughts below!

The Italian actors ... the front desk clerks, each added so much. I enjoyed their performances almost as much as the main actors. Carlos, too.

The whole series is simply beautiful. The cinematography is breathtaking. The acting brilliant. The silence deafening. The goat peculiar. The cat .... everything. That cat saw things that none of us saw and he wasn't even acting.

The stairs were almost another character in the show. I thought it symbolized the difference between social classes and how much work it required for Ripley to “climb” to where he wanted to be.

In episode 2, there is a scene where a female singer performs in front of a small audience. That scene is utterly mesmerising. Probably the best series ever on Netflix.

Ripley is a masterpiece, Being shot in black and white, with amazing photography, use of light and shadows and its art house/film noir quality was genius. The acting was sublime, the attention to detail with the gradual evolving story all moving at an elegantly immersive pace. Totally transfixing from beginning to end

There's an excellent documentary on RU-vid in which they talk to a make-up artist who worked for the CIA. She says the mistake people make when using a disguise is to go too far. Simply changing eye-brows, hair-style and facial hair is very often enough to fool most people. The success of the disguise stands and falls in the first ten seconds. Once you get past that mark the viewer begins convincing himself that he couldn't be so stupid enough fall for such a ruse. The longer the interaction the greater the conviction. The reference to "light" is also important. It was Caravaggio's use of dramatic lighting which turned the characters in his paintings from the mundane to the spectacular. Remember, Ripley knew the inspector was an admirer of art - especially paintings. He was using his psychology against him. Genius.

One thing the series really did underline is - game recognizes game and artists (whether they be great painters, sculptors or .... grifters) recognize like. I loved the fact that - at several points in the show - other grifters saw Tom for what he was - an artist at his craft and were only too happy to aid him in his endeavors. A nice touch.

I was just waiting for someone to ask for a photo comparison of Ripley and Greenleaf to unravel the entire thing.

This is the greatest body of work to ever be released on Netflix. Cinematic art at it's best.

This was an amazing series. Such respect for the audience.

Great series. The cat was awesome

Loved this show, the cinematography was just amazing, it's great to see so much focus put on the artistic qualities of a show than simply relying on the actors and fake backdrops ala Hollywood style. It was the little things for me, the landmarks to tell the audience where we are, like the clothes on the line everytime we went to Marg's house, or the bus driver changing gears driving to Atrani, or the cat watching Tom Ripley's movements. The facial expressions of the bank managers while Tom was reading their letters. Body language played a big role in the movie, you didn't need to know Italian to understand, hence why some subtitles were in Italian. I loved the black and white, it fitted the scenes so much better than it be shot in colour. Making a movie in 2023 of the 1960's is a huge task in itself, I was amazed how they managed to encapsulate everything so well. It was a great show, I hope to see more like this in the future.

Nice to see Malkovitch, he also played an excellent Ripley in Ripleys Game.

Just binged this! So happy you’re covering it

Matt Damon’s Ripley was a great performance but there was one problem with it. His Ripley was not the same Ripley Highsmith created. There was a homoerotic tension between Ripley and Greenleaf that simply didn’t exist in the books. Ripley in the current Netflix show absorbs identity and was incapable of emotional connection and this is the true Ripley as the author intended and wrote another four novels from 1955 to 1995. This could be a basis of a series that could be in the same vein as Saul Goodman and Walter White. I was dismissive of the Damon version when it was released way back because of the attempt at humanizing Ripley. Something I doubt Patricia Highsmith would have approved of. This was the choice of the late great film maker, Anthony Mighella, and not Matt Damon and I appreciate the effort and didn’t “hate” the original movie. It was a relevant interpretation but not that landed with me personally at the time of release. I’m glad both exist but a believe that comparing the two Ripley’s is not relevant or comparable. Enjoy both as separate interpretations but Netflix Ripley is the more faithful adaptation of the two by far. Sorry if there are any typos. It’s late and I’m a lazy.

Nothing worst than waiting to watch a episode. This was a masterpiece and even better because it was released all at once.

Brilliant filmmaking on all levels.

Among other unbelievable parts of the show was the detective visiting Marge at her apartment. She's a photographer and has photos lying all around, and he doesn't ask for or see one of Dickie? And she doesn't give him one?

The cat was so majestic! Every frame, every angle was simply perfection 👌 Thank you for explaining the statues, paintings and animals. I was trying to find meaning to it and you put it all together very well. Amazing series, wish there was a second season.

Love it, the cinematography was outstanding as every frame was a visual feast despite it is in black and white. The 8 episodes were all amazingly done, superb writing, directing and all actors were all just giving their best. Can’t wait to see them being nominated at Emmy’s and hopefully win for Andrew Scott. Dakota as Marge is also an effective casting, she truly gave a different take on the role. The whole series made me fall in love again with the diverse beauty of italy. In addition, the soundtrack is just perfection.

Loved it, loved all the details and art.

The subtitles was a nice touch how they had italian subtitles, i thought I had it on the wrong settings at first. Then I realized that its giving us the POV of Ripley and his experience the whole way through.

I am so glad that this came out…my wife and I were on our honeymoon in Venice in January 2002 and they had closed off St Marks Square for filming. We had no idea what and sat through Branagh’s death in Venice thinking it was that…it wasn’t. It turns out that we were a hundred feet from Andrew Scott and John Malkovich. Best series on a platform in ages…Scott was a fantastic piece of casting.

Fantastic and so pleased that it all was released at the same time...I watched every episode and the suspense and intrigue kept building....would have lost a lot of punch watching only an episode a week

At first I couldn’t believe it wasn’t in colour but that soon didn’t matter at all, as the quality of the Ripley series soon shone through quickly! A great show from beginning to end, I know it’s said to often but Ripley really is a must watch!

I loved it, I hope they will keep on going with new seasons. I m from Napoli, and I loved hearing them speaking Neapolitan in certain scenes. I think you really summed up everything. One thing I would add is, they really make you hope that he is not captured, and every time when he gets away, it's a relief. Usually one would hope that the villain is captured. Not here. Great great serie.

Statutes and Paintings are just imitations of real world things. No matter how hard they try they will never be the real thing. So, it's a reminder to Tom that no matter how hard he tries he will never actually be Dickie. Tom will only ever be a copy of Dickie.

The cat....."I see you Ripley..."......loved the cat

Excellent in-depth, detailed review. Thanks

Just gorgeous to watch. Andrew Scott is absolutely mesmerizing in this, just loved it.

Ripley was simply the best show I have seen on any streaming portal for a long time. Story and acting we’re working together so well, but my god the cinematography was from another world.

The actor that played Inspector Ravini is an Italian theater actor. I loved his facial expressions and how he pronounced certain words.

its top notch - 10x better than the movie and i hope they continue the series, I believe she wrote 5 more books...magnificent to look at, I was mesmerized and on the edge of my seat many times, its great writing, acting and it looked amazing. Every shot was a piece of art...Andrew Scott was awesome, they all were...although everyone felt a tad too old, it still worked. don't miss this one!

Outstanding review and heartfelt commendations to everyone involved in this project. It shines brilliantly in every aspect imaginable. Patricia Highsmith herself would undoubtedly commend such mastery.

The set where he drops off Freddy with the trees tops lit in the distance looked so amazing. The scenery tells a story along with the characters throughout the series.

Nice interpretation of this masterpiece in film making, especially how the art and animals are watching Ripley when no one else is present. This is one of the best film series I've ever watched. Nothing else comes even close to this. Every scene is cinematic perfection. People really need to go into it not comparing it to the Minghella (Matt Damon) version. Do not compare it, they are two completely different animals.

The ending was so frustrating 😤 😂 but hopefully, we get more. As for his last disguise, yes, it was ridiculous, BUT I felt he was also embodied Caravaggio his hair, the wine, the "castle" like manor. Just my two cents.

Purple Noon gets forgot too much - the only version that implies he gets caught at the end.

Fantastic. I reread the book after watching the show and was in awe how congeniusly the series had been made. But the series was piece of art in itself just from the perfectly choreographed lighting. And of course it's so much fun to recognise all the places from my own visits at Costa d'Amalfi, Napoli, Roma and Venezia.

When I first heard about a series of Tom Ripley, I was hoping we'd get into the other books in the series, but no, just a third version of the first novel. I appreciate all the things you appreciated about this new Netflix series--I had fun watching it. I'm even going back to the novel again to see what they used vs. what they invented for this version. However, I probably won't return to it the way I love to return to the 1999 film annually.

Felt so ridículous that the detective didn't recognize him because of a wig!

Absolutely fantastic review. Everything you said was exaclty how I felt, it was uncanny!!!

Loved your commentary about the art and statues, and even the animals.

Perfect review! I agree on everything and thank you for the interpretation of the presence of the statues and animals (I loved it). The high level cinematography of this serie is unparalleled, especially on Netflix.

Loved the show binged all night ❤❤

With Malkovich's appearance being a deliberate nod to him having played Ripley in "Ripley's Game", I guess symbolically speaking, Andrew Scott's Ripley did get to meet his future, more efficient, self.

Loved it . Made me want more

For me this series was great. Some tedious scenes and probably could have shaved two episodes off but those tedious moments were great to look at. I think it dropped the ball at the end with the “disguise” and the inspector never bothering to get a photo of Dickie in the first place.

One of the best shows I've seen in a long time. Hopefully they renew it for a second season.

Although it is a remarkable series, a significant blunder completely undermines its quality. A universally accepted practice in investigative and operational work is to provide a photograph of a victim or suspect throughout the course of an inquiry for identifying purposes. It is to note we are referring to the 1960s rather than the late 19th century.

Can’t thank you enough for this ending explained

This is not the end of Ripley. This is the end of season one of Ripley.

Was a good show… 10/10

A gripping show. I forgot I was watching it in black & white. Well done! to all the characters who made you forget that they were actors.

As someone from Italy, I can only admire the protagonist Italian fluency. It's not an easy language to learn. His accent is strong but his line delivery is much better than the Italian actors speaking English.

Well Robert Elswit made the cinematography (Academy Award dinner that's why). He won for There Will Be Blood.

Not recognizing him under the disguise is the most ridiculous thing in an otherwise brilliant series. I guess the idea is that time has passed so he wouldn't recognize him; however, not only was that terribly communicated, but also, their prior interactions make it unimaginable that he wouldn't recognize him. He should have either used a better disguise, created a scenario where he wouldn't be able to see his face, or just used a stand-in.

Ripley is amazing on many levels, the story, the shots, the actors, the angles, the art. Even the sound. Did anyone notice how much time was spent on the sounds? I loved it.

I wonder if he really was Tom Ripley at all from the beginning, or had he stolen someone else‘s identity in the past , in the US, before ever meeting Dickie‘s father.

I thought the show was solid. I think this story being set with Tom & Dickie as 40 year men instead of college or grad school age was a bit tough to swallow. I mainly mean by the time a person's late 30's early 40's they tend to be fully formed so for Dickie's father holding out hope he would change & grow doesnt make sense. While the B&W was ascetically pleasing & cinematography was exceptional the script included a lot of clues/detail related to color yet the audience was rendered color blind.

I adored this series! Although there were a few flaws in the storytelling (e.g. Ripley's feeble disguise at the end), the look, sound and atmosphere were stunning. I also enjoyed the black humour. Thanks for your comments which really enhanced my appreciation of it. I'm also loving your commentary on Shogun. Keep up the good work.

Very 50's styled cinematoloogy

every scene is perfectly set….each is a work of art. black and white….che bella

A perfect adaptation. Beautiful. The reuse of shots to show Tom's evolution was such a genius technique. Also making Dickie a likeable, if a bit sad, character was a great adjustment.

Robert Elswit’s cinematography was superb throughout. Shot in black & white in a film noire style. The detail is astonishing. It’s Andrew Scott’s series. He’s slimy & menacing but totally believable. In truth, none of the people close to Richard Greenleaf really care about him. Not his parents who couldn’t be bothered to fly to Italy to get him back, his college friends, none of whom wanted to do the job, his talentless girlfriend whose living as a writer depended on Greenleaf, his poser friend Freddie, who must wants him to party when he wants. All of them are con artists, leeching off Greenleaf to some extent so their hypocrisy is sickening. The only people who really cared about Richard Greenleaf are the poorer people like the landlady and Inspector Ravini. All of the actors in this series are great, apart from Freddie (we’re missing Philip Seymour Hoffman’s pivotal performance in the movie as the person who susses Ripley out). With regard to the ending, I think we share Inspector Ravini’s frustration but it shows how much people take people and situations at face value.

I have a feeling the Inspector wouldn’t go after Ripley because the press might possibly portray him as the Policeman who got himself played by a conman . Especially as he told that other detective to act like a detective then didn’t do it himself .

The show relied too much on suspended disbelief or whatever it's called. It was soooo drawn out. And the only reason I enjoyed it, was the cinematography.

This is now one of my new favorite limited series! I’ve never seen the movie, but apparently there are three books? Hoping they make more!!!!

So person is missing, and the police is looking for him but they don't have a photo. So how do they know who are they freaking looking for??

The only part that pissed me off is when the inspector couldn't tell that was Tom. Could of been a better disguise but I get there will be a season 2. Brilliant show

Great review, but you didn’t mention Plein soleil (English title Purple Moon) from 1960 with Alain Delon playing Ripley.

Cinematography was outstanding. I could watch this with the sound off.

Although I liked the story, the two cops (Until the old one figured it out in the very end) could not have been more incompetent. I won't even talk about the older cop failing to recognize Tom with the disguise on, which he should easily have been able to do. Both cops visited Marge at her home. They both know she is writing a book about her time in Atrani with Dickie. There are literally dozens of pictures on her table showing her and the real Dickie. Both cops even take a moment to look at the pictures and neither one notices that the guy is not the person they think is Dickie or thinks to at least ask Marge "Oh, who is this in the photo with you?". Tom's game would have been up right then and there.

I thought Penn Badgley would be a better Ripley. I watched the series at 1.5x cos it's so slowmoving

For me the best Netflix production since I watch Netflix 🙂

Why did the police never ask for a picture of Greenleaf or Ripley. Not one cop thought to ask for a picture. I know they thought they knew who was who, but they still should've asked people for a picture to post at ferry locations.

One of the best series I’ve watched in a long time. I never watched all of The talented Mr. Ripley so I only knew he kills Dickie but that was it. Thought it was a masterpiece

I gave it a 8/10, you accurately explained what we watched. It was worth the watch. I'll have to see Matt Damon's take of Ripley.

I think your review is right on. I did not see the connection to the artwork - but now it clearly seems the artwork is a metaphor for witnesses, including us as viewers, to Ripley's actions. I also liked that we could see Ripley's becoming more skillful as the show progressed. I thought the ending was the best way to end a dramatic series I've ever seen - or at least, the most clever. Hope they make another season, and I hope the chief inspector is still on Ripley's case. Wish more TV shows were this good. Carry on.

I liked the first chapters, it is well made and well acted, especially by Scott and Dakota Fanning, but, I don't know, at one point I started to think that it was very implausible... Even so, I finished watching it, obviously.

I really loved Ripley, and appreciate your thoughts. ⭐️

I love Scott's way more than Damon's. Damon we never really got into his head the way we do with Scott. Damon is all charisma but Scott you can see him thinking, and planning, and the music perfectly shows the contrast between the tension of Ripley's mind and Scott's smiles.

I imidiately knew what the shots of the statues meant because of that scene in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The director is brilliant.

i also really liked how the subtitles were used. when ripley could understand smth, so could we.

Cool touch that Malkovich plays Reeves, since he also played an elder Ripley in Ripley's Game

All actors in the series are good 👍

Clever detective suddenly becomes very stupid when he sees Ripley with same voice behind a fake beard.😂

Extraordinary on all levels; I loved The talented Mr. Ripley movie and read the P. Highsmith's book. The series worth watching it again

10/10

Nice to see the "bad guy" win. Also there were moments where I thought he was incredibly clever but then also moments where he jsut made stupid decisions and had a lot failure and lucky misses. But at the end all the pre planning stuff that's revealed was genius.

A similar theme to Ripley is the film Saltburn. Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen also recommended.

The casting of Freddie Miles was completely off. Killed the show for me

Thank you

Does anyone know what happened exactly to Tom's aunt at the dentist?

I agree with almost everything you said, but I was put off by Andrew Scott's age. He is 20 years older than Ripley is in the book. Highsmith was happy with Alain Delon in the part in the 1960 film because, at 26, he was exactly the same age as the Tom Ripley. In 'Ripley' Richard's father didn't look old enough to be a father to Richard (or Tom). I did get over it, but only by parking what seemed like an error. I was also irritated by the change of the title from 'The Talented Mr Ripley' to simply 'Ripley' because the story is about the revealing of Ripley's appalling talents, not about Ripley the man who we still do not know by the end of the story. Maybe I should have just stayed with the books. Other peoples interpretations are rarely like one's own - don't get me onto TV adaptations of EF Benson's books, for example!

Worth reading the book.

I swear in episode 1, I thought the detective was Dave Chappelle. 😂

The cat in Ripley's apartment in Roma is too cute