‘Significant Others’ Ending, Explained: Does The Entire Family Get Closure? Will There Be A Season 2?

“Significant Others” is one of the most melancholic family dramas that talks about family dynamics almost accurately. The estranged siblings, kids aloof from their uncles and aunts, are all dealing with a possible tragedy that will change their lives and come to terms with the loss of a family member.

“Significant Others” began with Hannah watching her mother, Sarah waving for help from the water. As Hanna gets into the water to save her mother, Sarah disappears, and Hanna is saved by a surfer named George. Soon Hanna and her brother Ciaran come to know that their mother had gone for a swim in the sea, something she was used to but was unfortunately drawn away by the current. The police are looking out for Sarah, and they are considering this a case of a missing person because her body has not been found. Sarah’s estranged siblings: Ursula, Den, and Claire come down to Sarah’s home as soon as they hear the news. The siblings had a bad fallout over the inheritance of the house Sarah lives in. The home belonged to their deceased mother, which Sarah took over, alienating her siblings in the process. As the uncomfortable family reunion happens, secrets are revealed, and so are uncomfortable truths. Hanna believes her mother is alive, and Ciaran is finding it hard to deal with the loss of a parent.

Den is reminiscing about his memories of Sarah and his mother, while Wayne, Den’s fiancee, is being as supportive as he can during such troubled times. Claire, though, spirals just like she did when their mother died. She finds solace in alcohol but ends up controlling herself for her sake and that of her family. Ursula is still skeptical and uptight about the way Sarah ended things with them, though she drops everything to be by her siblings’ sides to take care of Hanna and Ciaran. Hanna has a crush on the surfer who saved her, while Ciaran’s girlfriend Becky tries to be there for her, but Ciaran, at this point, is acting out due to the tragedy. Sarah’s siblings and daughter Hanna start putting up posters everywhere around the town, while Den is trying to find clues to the day she disappeared, using Sarah’s phone and watch. Den’s investigation reaches nowhere. Meanwhile, Claire reveals to Ursula while she is drunk that their mother’s death was not natural but was induced by Sarah and herself. Sarah was a nurse who was accused of stealing drugs from her clinic. These drugs were used by her and Claire to help their mother have a peaceful passing while Den and Ursula were in Canberra for Den’s performance. Ursula is livid but makes sure she does not create a scene, and Wayne is stern about the fact that Den should not know about this at any cost.

The entire family is going through turmoil, and all the pain would end if they found any sort of closure. They want to know if Sarah is indeed alive or dead so they can finally move on and live life the way they want to. The day after Mardi Gras, the family is informed of Sarah’s body being found. The police received an anonymous tip from a caller mentioning the location of the remains. The family is in a tense situation as they prepare for funeral services, and Ursula accidentally reveals that Claire and Sarah euthanized their mother. Den is heartbroken over the fact that he had to know this piece of news on the day Sarah was found. Den and Wayne have a deep conversation about what they want from one another going forward. They agree to take Hanna and Ciaran in, as Wayne has always wanted to have kids around. Ciaran keeps wondering about the anonymous caller that tipped the local police. Ciaran is visibly disturbed, but he is also calculating if the person who removed the missing person posters is the same one who informed the police. As Ciaran walks out of the funeral service arrangements, he meets up with Jake for a boat ride to the spot where his mother was found. A slip-up by Jake makes Ciaran realize it was Jake who tipped the police and that he has some connection with his mother’s death. He throws Jake off the boat to kill him, but not before Hanna sends George to help Ciaran and Jake. Ciaran had informed Hanna that Jake was the anonymous caller, and she realized he would kill him. Ali, Sarah’s lover, informs Claire of a fight they had before the day she died, and he has given her a ring to apologize. He wants to know if she was wearing that ring the day she went for that fateful swim, which would mean she’d forgiven him.


‘Significant Others’ Episode 6: Ending Explained – Does The Entire Family Get Closure?

Jake is rescued by George, but in that process, she gets injured too. Ciaran is taken to the police station to be questioned about what led to Jake falling off the boat. The police inform us of the investigation to see Ciaran’s role in Jake’s accident. Ciaran is taken aback by the turn of events, and the family is trying to be as supportive as they can, but Ciaran, being a teenager, is resisting every bit of help coming his way. Ciaran’s closure would know how his mother drowned. Den, Ursula, and Claire are asked if any one of them would be willing to take up the guardianship of Hanna and Ciaran. Ursula takes up the responsibility and moves Ciaran and Hanna to her home. Den was keen on taking in the kids, but Hanna had a falling out with him over her closeness to George. Den is still disturbed by the turn of events around him. He and Wayne have a heart-to-heart over how they should live and talk about what the future holds for them. The family finally comes together for the funeral organized by Ursula, and they start preparing their eulogies, which makes most of them tear up. No matter what history Ursula, Den, and Claire shared with Sarah in the past, they are still bound by blood and are heartbroken over her untimely demise.

Claire is visibly disconcerted and reveals she cannot forgive Sarah for doing what she did after the death of their mother. Claire believes Sarah crossed the line by taking over the house. Jake is out of the hospital and requests that Ciaran meet him at his home. He informs the siblings that he was upset about celebrating his terminally ill mother’s birthday. In that mood, he went off on his boat to the point. While pulling up the anchor, he found Sarah’s dead body holding on to it. Panicked by what he witnessed, he cuts off the anchor, and Sarah’s body drops off at the bottom of the sea. Jake knowingly removed the missing posters and made a blank call to their home at night. Jake was aware of the fact that Sarah was dead but did not gather enough strength to reveal the truth to the police, keeping in mind that his mother was sick. Jake was afraid that he would be put behind bars for it. Jake apologizes for his behavior. Meanwhile, Sarah’s siblings are now coming to terms with the funeral, and all of them relive the memories they had with Sarah. As they prepare to bid her a final goodbye, they come to realize it is not right to hold on to grudges. Den, Ursula, and especially Claire decide to forgive Sarah.

As Ciaran chooses between a tie and a bow, he sees the good nature of everyone around him, especially Wayne. Wayne and Den are getting married, and they cannot contain their happiness. Claire, Ursula, Ciaran, and Hanna support them wholeheartedly, as they have been waiting for this day for years. It is implied that it has been a while since Sarah passed, the family is slowly moving on from the tragedy, and they are happy for Den and Wayne as they embark on a new journey. Ciaran and Hanna are closer than ever, Hanna reveals her love for George, and Ciaran starts working with Wayne at his flower shop, where he apologizes to Becky for his behavior. The family has been through a lot in the past many years and losing Sarah in the process added to the existing pain. The family coming together for Wayne and Den’s wedding is an indication of everyone moving on from the enmity they carried and accepting one another for who they are.


Will There Be Season 2 Of ‘Significant Others’?

There is no indication given by Tony Krawitz about the upcoming season of “Significant Others.” Since the miniseries ended with the family receiving the news of Sarah’s remains being found, it is the closure that everyone was seeking as their way to say goodbye to a controversial figure in their family once and for all. The chances of the network picking up the show for season 2 look bleak so far. But hope is a good thing, and we, as audience members, would like to know how the family is coping with each other now that Sarah is gone.


Season Finale Conclusion

The overall theme of the show “Significant Others” was dominated by the ocean waters, the motif of water. The ocean’s depth shows how deeply everyone cared for one another despite what transpired between Sarah and her siblings. Initially, the rift between Ciaran and Hanna and Ursula, Claire, and Den is an indication of an ocean of misunderstandings between them caused by Sarah. The blues of the show set the mood for everyone in a state of mind, which would turn them all gloomier as they wait for the news of Sarah from the authorities. Tony Krawitz did a fantastic job of bringing together a bunch of dysfunctional people and forcing them to deal with each other in the face of a tragedy. The melancholy, the hope, the sadness, and the uncomfortable truths are themes that kept the “Significant Others” engaged till the end. The show grows on you and lets you be a part of their shared pain. The performances of all the lead actors and actresses were what made “Significant Others” too real. It is relatable, the pain is palpable, and their hope of knowing the truth becomes a part of our home too. “Significant Others” is a good watch if you are looking for a good cry.


See more: ‘Significant Others’ Episode 4: Recap & Ending, Explained- Does Claire Reveal Their Mother’s Death To Den?


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Smriti Kannan
Smriti Kannan
Smriti Kannan is a cinema enthusiast, and a part time film blogger. An ex public relations executive, films has been a major part of her life since the day she watched The Godfather – Part 1. If you ask her, cinema is reality. Cinema is an escape route. Cinema is time traveling. Cinema is entertainment. Smriti enjoys reading about cinema, she loves to know about cinema and finding out trivia of films and television shows, and from time to time indulges in fan theories.

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