Warning: Spoilers for The Night Agent season 1, episode 10

Serving as the culmination of multiple explosive twists, The Night Agent season 1 finale saw the villains’ masterplan finally go into motion. After several episodes of buildup, the final episode in the Netflix political thriller paid off Peter and Rose’s efforts to stop a plot by the vice president. It all came down to one last fight at Camp David, and with the president’s life at risk, the stakes were at their highest.

The events of the Night Agent season 1 amounted to a tumultuous journey for all involved, not excluding the show’s main antagonists. Efforts made by Peter, Rose, Chelsea, and Monks caused numerous kinks in the villains’ plans. The main characters suffered great losses along the way, namely Cisco and Monks, but various breakthroughs in their investigations helped them get closer and closer to finding out what the villains were planning, all the while revealing hidden players in their secret plot. But in spite of the progress they achieved, Vice President Ashley Redfield and Gordon Wick still followed through with the second attack, albeit with a few changes. Here’s a full breakdown of Night Agent season 1’s ending.

The Metro Bombing Explained: Who Did It & Why

It Was Never A Terrorist Attack

The identities of the parties behind the metro bombing, the details regarding the cover-up, and the motive for the attack are all integral to The Night Agent’s story, as they provide a reason for everything that happened in the series. The masterminds of the terrorist attack were Redfield and Wick, who hired Colin Worley to set off the bomb. The Night Agent's Diana Farr had no part in the plot itself, and was only informed after it had already occurred. She did, however, take measures to ensure that the public (and the White House) didn’t learn the truth about what Redfield and Wick had done.

As Peter and Rose came to understand early on in the series, the metro bombing was never a simple terrorist attack. The whole point was to mask the killing of a single target: Omar Zadar. Zadar was a foreign political figure whose history of alleged involvement in terrorist attacks on U.S. soil made him a subject of great controversy. But because of his popularity and power, President Michelle Travers felt that the American government needed to move beyond this and work with Zadar. Redfield, on the other hand, felt that an alliance with someone like Zadar would destabilize the nation and wanted him dead. Wick was of the same mind, but was also motivated by his own business interests. As Farr pointed out, Wick’s company received “billions” from Zadar’s political rival.

Vice President Redfield & Gordon Wick's Plan To Kill The President

Redfield Believed Travers Was Dangerous

The failure of the metro bombing led to Redfield and Wick planning a second attempt on Zadar’s life, this time with Farr’s help. But as things developed, the plan grew in scale, with the two conspiring to kill President Travers as well. Farr, though, was kept in the dark about this aspect of the plan. She was only aware of their original scheme. Apparently, Redfield and Wick decided on their own that Travers’ death had to happen.

As Redfield explained to his daughter, he believed that Travers was “soft,” which to him made her just as dangerous as the person they were trying to kill.

As Redfield explained to his daughter, he believed that Travers was “soft,” which to him made her just as dangerous as the person they were trying to kill. Plus, her death would directly benefit Redfield, Wick, and all their pawns. If she died, Redfield would become president, allowing him to grant pardons to anyone who helped him. For him and Wick, having that power was seemingly made necessary by the details The Night Agent.

Knowing that Farr wouldn’t agree, they cut her out and switched from plotting to kill Zadar when his plane landed to sneaking a bomb into Camp David. This would kill Zadar, Travers, and Chelsea, whom they knew had at least some knowledge of their dealings in The Night Agent season 1. But thanks to Peter and Rose filling Farr in, the assassination attempt was averted. Redfield went down for what he did, but Wick remains on the loose – for now.

What Happened To Peter Sutherland's Father

A Deal With The White House Helped Peter Sutherland Sr. Remain At Large

Another key plotline was wrapped up in The Night Agent season 1 finale when Peter finally got the closure he was looking for regarding his father. The answers dropped in the finale revealed that suspicions about Peter Sutherland, Sr. were unfortunately well-founded. As his confession tape confirmed, he was indeed guilty of treason. In exchange for money, he provided government secrets to a foreign agent even after he became aware of their true nature. The breach at the Pentagon happened as a direct result of his actions.

But rather than die a traitor in a car accident as the public had been led to believe, Peter’s father made a deal with the White House to become a double agent, presumably to redeem himself. It was his work as a double agent that ultimately got him killed, but since these circumstances were supposed to be kept secret, Peter wasn’t allowed to know the full story until he was owed a favor by Travers in The Night Agent season 1 finale.

Peter Becomes A Proper Night Agent At The End Of Season 1

Sutherland's Efforts Resulted In A Significant Promotion

In addition to getting answers about his father, Peter was rewarded for saving Travers in another way. In recognition of his abilities, he was made a proper Night Agent. Instead of monitoring the phone in the FBI basement, Peter will get to operate in the field and embark on secret missions like Rose’s aunt and uncle. Exactly what he’ll be doing wasn’t explained - nor were the details of his first assignment - but the scope of the Night Action project was teased by Travers, who described it as something than spans continents and would put Peter in a position to help the country in ways of that were of “vital importance.”

How The Night Agent Season 1 Set Up Season 2

Peter Is Becoming An Incredibly Paranoid Night Agent

The Night Agent season 2 is set to arrive on Netflix in January 2025, and while the plot has been kept tightly under wraps, there are already several hints at how the season 1 ending sets up the next chapter of the story. The clearest way that The Night Agent season 1 ending sets up season 2 is with Peter Sutherland taking up President Travers' opportunity to become a night agent. This will mark a huge change for the next season, as with Peter in an entirely new professional role, it can be expected that he'll encounter a host of new colleagues (and adversaries).

However, this also makes the events of The Night Agent season 2 quite difficult to predict, as the new chapter for Peter's saga will be radically different. Still, there are several plot threads that are all-but-guaranteed to continue to unravel when the show returns. For example, Peter and Rose finally gave in to their romantic feelings. While they ended season 1 apart, the amount of build-up in The Night Agent to the moment they finally kissed means its unlikely that their relationship will be abandoned when season 2 arrives.

Then, of course, there's Diane Farr's betrayal of Peter, which was a huge moment for his character. Even if Diane doesn't return in the same capacity in The Night Agent season 2, the actions of his mentor mean that Peter is likely to be far less trusting. This possible paranoia is also made all the more likely by the trailer for The Night Agent season 2, which reveals that the CIA has been compromised by a mole. As Peter explains in a voiceover, "I can't trust anyone". Diane Farr's betrayal has almost certainly contributed to how quickly he'll be able to adapt to a position of distrust and uncertainty.

How The Night Agent Season 1 Ending Was Received

The Narrative Is One Of Season 1's Key Strengths

Like many shows on Netflix, every episode of season 1 of The Night Agent was released in a batch. Since the entire story became available in March 2023, there aren't many reviews out there that focus on a single episode of The Night Agent season 1 ending in episode 10, "Fathers". However, overall, the series was met with a positive response. Season 1 of The Night Agent still holds a 74% Tomatometer rating (critical score) and 78% Popcornmeter rating (audience score) on Rotten Tomatoes, giving a glimpse into the fact that most viewers found the story of the thriller incredibly engaging.

What's more, if the ending of The Night Agent season 1 had been sub-par, it's incredibly likely that Netflix wouldn't have moved ahead with season 2. Netflix has become infamous for canceling many shows after their first season, even those with a strong fanbase. Since The Night Agent season 2 is arriving in 2025, it can be taken as a given that the ending of season 1 was received well. Overall, the narrative of The Night Agent, including the ending of season 1, is one of its greatest strengths. As critic Brian Tallerico of Roger Ebert puts it:

“The Night Agent” is a great example of how to juggle multiple narrative purposes in a spy thriller. On the one hand, it’s a survival story—keep Rose, and later Maddie, alive by staying one step ahead of the people trying to kill them. On the other hand, it’s a mystery about why Rose’s relatives were executed and what enemies want with Maddie in the first place. How does Sutherland get to the bottom of something fishy at the top level of world government and keep Rose alive at the same time? Ryan and his writing team calibrate each episode to do a little of Column A and a little of Column B, filling in the background of these characters as they go on this incredible journey.