‘The Night Agent’ Ending Explained: Do Peter And Rose Save The President (And Themselves)?

Shawn Ryan’s new political conspiracy thriller, The Night Agent, premiered on Netflix March 23. And if you quickly devoured all 10 episodes of the gripping series, your head is likely spinning from that action-packed finale.

Based on the 2019 novel by Matthew Quirk, The Night Agent follows low-level FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) on a mission to protect cybersecurity CEO Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan), whose secret agent aunt and uncle were mysteriously murdered by assassins. As the two forage for answers and fight to stay safe, they uncover concerning evidence that leads to the White House and forces them to question everything and everyone around them.

If you have yet to watch Episode 10, “Fathers,” and want to avoid spoilers, this is your chance to stop reading. But if you’ve seen Sutherland and Larkin’s high-stakes rescue mission play out and want a recap, or you simply need to know if the duo makes it out of their mess alive, read on to unpack the final 45 minutes of The Night Agent Season 1.

Wondering how The Night Agent ends? Curious if there’s a Season 2 setup? Buckle up for The Night Agent ending explained, and be mindful that spoilers lie ahead.

The Night Agent Ending Explained: Season 1, Episode 10 “Fathers” Recap

In Season 1’s penultimate episode, Sutherland, Larkin, Agent Chelsea Arrington (Fola Evans-Akingbola), and Agent Erik Monks (D.B. Woodside) finally rescue the vice president’s daughter Maddie (Sarah Desjardins) from her kidnapper. But in addition to the kidnapper, Monks and Ellen the assassin (Eve Harlow) were killed. After safely returning home, Maddie, Chelsea, Sutherland, and Larkin realize another attack — crafted to kill President Travers (Kari Matchett) and Omar Zadar (Adam Tsekhman) — is planned for the following day at Camp David, so they set out to stop it.

Peter and Rose also uncover evidence that links Diane Farr (Hong Chau) to the murder of Rose’s aunt and uncle. And we learn via flashback that although Farr wasn’t aware of the metro bombing plan ahead of the attack, the VP and Gordon Wick (Ben Cotton) filled her in after the fact, knowing she’d assist in coverup to help protect the president. In the final moments of the episode, Sutherland and Larkin fill Farr in on the plan to kill the president, and she promises to help them stop it.

After flashing back 11 years to show teenage Peter and his dad as their house gets searched by the FBI, The Night Agent‘s finale picks up right where Episode 9 leaves off. Peter and Rose hop in the trunk of Farr’s SUV and she casually sneaks them into Camp David. When Chelsea and Maddie arrive on site, communications are down, so can’t warn Almora (Enrique Murciano) about the explosives. Chelsea is quickly ushered into a room by a suspicious Secret Service agent, while the VP takes Maddie to an underground bunker and says they need to protect themselves from the president and Zadar.

Farr runs inside a cabin to warn Almora about the bomb, but Agent Briggs (Toby Levins) shoots them both then sets his watch timer for 10 minutes and prepares the bomb. Sutherland and Larkin rush to repair communications, while Agent Arrington fights her way out of secret service supervision and scours the cabin for a black hardshell case. Back in the bunker, Maddie pleads for her father to call off the plan, but he knows he’s in too deep and has to let things play out if he wants to get out of his bind, become president, and pardon his pals. After locating the bomb with four minutes to spare, Arrington evacuates the president, but Sutherland learns there’s a contingency plan in place.

Unaware that an explosion is imminent, Maddie begs her dad to release her from the bunker. He forbids his security from opening the door, but Maddie presses him, saying, “I can’t do this anymore…I won’t keep your secret. I’ll tell everyone everything and I’ll fucking tear you down.” With a cold look in his eyes, the VP — fully aware that his only living daughter would die in an explosion should she leave — says, “Let her out.” Maddie goes free, and thanks to another last-minute save from Arrington, they both escape before the building is blown to bits. (Give this woman a promotion!)

When Sutherland learns the president is at Air Force 1, he sprints to stop her from boarding, shoots a compromised agent, and takes Travers at gunpoint.“There’s a bomb on Marine 1 rigged to go off on liftoff,” he says, threatening not to let POTUS go until they kill the engine and conduct a search. After two walkthroughs, the agents locate something. Seconds later, the aircraft explodes in flames WITHOUT Travers onboard, so the VP’s grand plan is thwarted.

Fired up and ready to spill the deets on daddy, Maddie arrives to get Sutherland and Larkin off the hook. Farr is still alive to face repercussions for her involvement in the metro bombing coverup and the assassination of Larkin’s aunt and uncle. And later at the White House, Sutherland and Larkin meet with Travers and learn Gordon Wick evaded capture.

Travers asks if there’s any way she can repay Sutherland since he chose to remain anonymous in her rescue. He asks to learn the truth about his father and Travers gives him a video of his dad admitting involvement in a Pentagon breach and other illegal matters. Just when he’s about to lose all hope for his father’s innocence, Travers informs Sutherland his dad agreed to become a double agent to assist the White House and was being prepped for deployment when a foreign assassin killed him.

Sutherland and Maddie finally have clarity on their “Fathers,” and Arrington has a new job on the president’s detail. But that’s not the only staff shakeup at the White House. Travers offers Sutherland a spot in the night action program as a night agent. In the finale’s final minutes, Sutherland kisses Larkin goodbye on a tarmac, promises to call her (get it?!) when he lands, and boards a U.S. Air Force plane to his first mission. Once onboard, he unlocks his tablet and prepares to read his top secret Night Action Mission Brief. Where’s Sutherland headed? What awaits him and Larkin in their new chapter? And have we seen the last of Gordon Wick? Here’s hoping The Night Agent returns for a Season 2 with all the answers.

Season 1 of The Night Agent is now streaming on Netflix.