WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Monsieur Spade episode 6.

Monsieur Spade's cast of characters fight for control of Zayd, a young code-breaker from Algeria.

Philippe’s plan for Zayd goes sideways, resulting in the deaths of several characters, including the hostile monk and the private investigator Mr. Khan. Elsewhere, Cynthia Fitzsimmons (Rebecca Root) kills George Fitzsimmons. Eventually, Virginia Dell (Alfre Woodard) sits the show’s principal characters down to parse out their alleged claims to the boy, though she winds up taking Zayd herself. After realizing they’d been tailed and shot at by secret OAS loyalist Henri (Oscar Lesage), Sam Spade (Clive Owen) and Teresa (Cara Bossom) tease their father-daughter dynamic ahead of the potential season 2 of the sequel to Humphrey Bogart's Maltese Falcon.

What Happens To Zayd In Monsieur Spade?

Virginia Dell Makes The Final Call On Zayd's Fate

Zayd's fate is a key storyline that runs through Monsieur Spade's six-episode season. While Spade has relocated to by choice, Zayd, who's from French-controlled Algeria, hasn't had any choice in shaping his life. As Spade suspects, the murder of the nuns in the pilot episode was connected to Zayd. At first, the young boy seems to possess otherworldly abilities, but as more truths emerge, it becomes clear that Zayd, although young, is an expert code-breaker. At one point, Samir (Hazem Hammad), Marguerite's hired man, and the local Imam think Zayd is a prophesied "chosen one."

...although the child is crucial to moving the plot forward, the boy himself isn't given the opportunity to be a full-fledged character.

Unfortunately, Monsieur Spade's finale confirms viewers' worst fears: Zayd is a MacGuffin in human form. In other words, although the child is crucial to moving the plot forward, the boy himself isn't given the opportunity to be a full-fledged character. In contrast, the titular Maltese Falcon is the perfect MacGuffin because it isn't a person. After Philippe's exchange plan for Zayd results in several deaths on the local bridge, Virginia Dell (Alfre Woodard) gathers the core cast of Monsieur Spade in the living room of Philippe's mother's house.

In typical whodunnit fashion, it's up to Dell, an alleged Canadian Special Forces and United Nations operative, to "sort the secrets from the nonsense." Everyone from Philippe and Henri to Marguerite, Cynthia, and Spade is part of Dell's big moment. The no-nonsense agent runs through everyone's involvement in the case one by one, ing who has a legitimate claim to the code-breaking Zayd. Although the characters fight over Zayd as if he's a valuable object, Dell deduces that no one has a "right" to him. Except for Philippe, everyone is dismissed and Dell decides to take Zayd home.

Is Philippe Saint-André Arrested For Any Of His Crimes?

The Murder Of Jean-Pierre Is Philippe's Downfall

The final episode of Monsieur Spade sees Philippe Saint-André landing squarely in police custody, which brings some measure of closure to the otherwise uneven mystery. While Philippe has done many dubious things throughout the season, murdering Jean-Pierre in cold blood is the ultimate transgression. Before his arrest, Philippe tries to set up a deal for Zayd's life. As the many involved parties descend on the bridge where the exchange is meant to happen, chaos unfolds. Providing cover from afar, Philippe sets up his sniper in his mother's house and, ultimately, kills Mr. Khan (Sofiane Belmouden), on the bridge.

Marguerite explains that Philippe and Jean-Pierre always understood each other...

When Marguerite turns up moments before the exchange, Philippe overhears everything that Jean-Pierre's widow is telling his mother. Without hesitation, Marguerite drops a gun on the coffee table, informing Philippe's mother that the weapon was a gift from her son to Jean-Pierre. Ultimately, it was the gifted gun that resulted in Jean-Pierre's death. A tearful Marguerite explains that Philippe and Jean-Pierre always understood each other, but, evidently, that wasn't enough in the end. After Marguerite leaves and Zayd's exchange fails, Philippe tries to flee, but gun-toting MI6 agent Cynthia Fitzsimmons stops him.

Henri's Real Allegiances Explained: Why He Works Against Sam Spade

The OAS Loyalist Tailed Spade & Shot At Teresa

In the episode's opening moments, Spade finally realizes who has been tailing him: Henri. In fact, Henri, who revealed himself to be OAS, is also the one who shot Teresa through the window. Spade calls Henri out for his heinous actions, suggesting he isn't really loyal to anyone or anything. Henri insists that he cares about Teresa and never intended to hurt her, but Spade assures Henri that, had he killed Teresa, Spade would've ended him. Although Henri has a superficial interest in securing Zayd, he does provide cover for Mr. Khan, a private investigator, during the bridge exchange.

Unlike Philippe, Henri doesn't kill any opposing parties. When the hostile monk shows up with Teresa as his hostage, Henri struggles to get a clear shot off, leaving Chief of Police Patrice Michaud (Denis Ménochet) to terminate the murderer. During an earlier scene, Spade receives a visit from Mr. Khan, who tells the ex-San Franciscan about the origins of the word "sabotage." According to Khan, a "sabot" was a wooden shoe that French workers would use to disrupt machinery during a strike. For Khan, Spade is "the sabot," but, for Monsieur Spade, the red herring-turned-sabot is Henri.

What Spade & Teresa's Relationship Means For Sam's Future In

The Duo's Father-Daughter Dynamic Teases Season 2

Since the very first episode, Spade and Teresa's dynamic has been one of the more compelling aspects of the AMC show. In Monsieur Spade episode 5, Spade and Marguerite discuss how Teresa's mother faked her daughter's birth certificate, which makes Teresa two years older than previously believed. Although there isn't a scene where Teresa learns this information from Spade or Marguerite, the young woman seems well aware of this revelation in episode 6. After confronting Henri about his spineless tactics, Teresa reveals that she's two years older and, in doing so, suggests Philippe Saint-André isn't actually her biological father.

Although AMC has not confirmed Clive Owen's Monsieur Spade season 2 pitch suggested ditching the French countryside for San Francisco, the setting of The Maltese Falcon. The most compelling thread is the connection between Spade and Teresa. After all, Monsieur Spade began with the two of them. Determined to have Spade like her, Teresa is quietly excited when Spade tells her to call him "Sam" in the finale, hinting at their future father-daughter dynamic in Monsieur Spade's sophomore outing.

What Monsieur Spade's Ending Really Means For The Maltese Falcon Character

Sam Spade's Future As A Private Investigator Is Unclear

Midway through the episode, the show finally reveals a bit more about how Spade and Gabrielle's (Chiara Mastroianni) relationship played out. Throughout season 1 of Monsieur Spade, the titular ex-PI has been a big fan of swimming in the nude. At first, this seems like a quirk, but the finale adds a new layer of meaning. In a flashback, Gabrielle calls Spade down to the swimming pool on her vast property. "I want you to know the whole place," she tells him, insisting that he spends all his time in the house.

Sam's wife doesn't even want to say a proper goodbye...

Sam explains that he isn't really one to care for wine, meeting the property's workers, or swimming — he just wants to make Gabrielle happy. When she's insistent that he spend more time by the pool and learning about the business of grapes, Sam senses something is off. Gabrielle reveals that she has anywhere from three to six months to live and that she isn't interested in letting Sam watch her die. In fact, Sam's wife doesn't even want to say a proper goodbye; when the time comes, Gabrielle plans on disappearing.

Understandably upset, Sam calls Gabrielle out for just wandering away like an old dog to lie down in the woods. "This is about me — just me," she reminds me, suggesting that he learn to let her go. Sam has a hard time wrapping his head around Gabrielle's plans, so, to make light of things, Gabrielle strips down and walks into the pool, asking Sam to her. Before the scene ends, Gabrielle tells Sam that he can always visit her at the pool, which he does in Monsieur Spade's final scene. For now, Spade's future is unclear.

How The Monsieur Spade Season 1 Ending Was Received

The Reacting To The Finale Was Mixed

The Monsieur Spade ending seemed to be a divisive conclusion after what was considered a solid series by many. Fans in particular seemed to have a negative reaction to the ending, feeling that the final moments of delivering a wrap-up and the sudden appearance of Virginia Dell made it hard to recommend the overall series. Redditor Vanya_K expressed iration for what came before, suggesting the awkward ending might have been the result of the writer's strike:

I like the series up to the finale. It seems the writers went down a path and couldn't find a way out... I think the series took a wrong turn with the Zayd plotline. A young child who could prove the existence of God and crack every code was a touch of magical realism that doesn't mesh with the Sam Spade back story.

However, many critics were more forgiving of the series finale, feeling as though the somewhat inconclusive ending perfectly suited the noir genre as well as its main character. The Review Geek itted to some uneven aspects of the story, but felt that the ending was fitting overall:

[T]he ending of Monsieur Spade is poetic and fitting of the noir magic we have seen unfold over the past few weeks. I still think a lot of work could have been done to shore up the storytelling, which I found to be very distracted and fractured. The final scene felt anticlimactic and unintentionally chaotic. However, the bookended conclusion must not overshadow the rest of the finale, which is riveting.

However, John DeVore with The AV Club specifically pointed to the performance of star Clive Owen for delivering in the final moments of Monsieur Spade. The way Owen fit into the iconic noir hero role while also bringing vulnerability to the role that hadn't existed in previous adaptations made for a compelling and impactful final moment of the series:

The final moment of Monsieur Spade’s finale is both mournful and romantic, as our hero wears his trademark fedora for the first time and re the woman he still loves. That’s not an easy emotional note to hit, but Owen does it without saying a word, just a hopeful, mildly defiant look. The installment that precedes this moment of grace answers questions and solves mysteries in predictable and unpredictable ways.