I Will Find You Ending Explained: Created by Robert Hull and based on Harlan Coben’s bestselling novel of the same name, Netflix’s thriller series follows David Burroughs, played by Sam Worthington, a man serving a life sentence for the murder of his young son, Matthew. Alongside Britt Lower as Rachel Mills, Erin Richards as Cheryl Dreason, Milo Ventimiglia as Hayden Payne, Logan Browning as Sarah Greer, Chi McBride as Max Williams and others.
I Will Find You Ending Explained
Why Was Nicky Fisher Targeting David Burroughs?
In the first half of the Netflix series I Will Find You, Nicky Fisher comes across as the main culprit responsible for Matthew’s abduction as well as the entire conspiracy that landed David Burroughs in prison. The name of Nicky Fisher keeps popping up in the course of investigations. This is because some of those who participated in sending David to prison were his men. Thus, both David and the FBI come to the conclusion that the famous criminal Nicky Fisher was behind all these acts.
But the reality is much more complex. Nicky did not hold any sort of grudge against David’s family because of Matthew. Some time ago, when David’s father, Lenny Burroughs and Philip Mackenzie, a warden of the prison, were working on the case concerning Nicky’s son, Liam Fisher, who had murdered someone during a bar fight, but because people were too scared to bear witness against him, they did everything to make a case against him. They managed to do it, and Liam got convicted and ended up dead in prison, which made Nicky heartbroken.
It is for this reason that Nicky decided to bribe certain sections of David’s trial. Upon the disappearance of Matthew, Lenny decided to bury the baseball bat in secret because he thought David had murdered his son during his night terror attacks. Nicky knew about this cover-up and took advantage of it by ensuring Hilde testified against David, thus making sure that he remained in prison. Nicky had nothing to do with the disappearance of Matthew; he did not know where Matthew was. In the end, when David confronts him, Fisher confesses that it was just revenge on Lenny and Philip.
Was Matthew Truly David Burroughs’ Biological Son?
The major twist in the series I Will Find You is the identity of Matthew’s real father. The truth about how Cheryl had privately attended a fertility centre many years ago, when she and David had trouble conceiving, prompts David to question if Matthew is really his son. This idea becomes even more plausible for him when he finds out that the fertility centre was linked to the Payne Medical Centre and that any files on Cheryl’s treatment at the center seem to have gone missing. For some time, David thinks that perhaps Matthew has been kidnapped by his biological father.
However, it soon becomes clear that this idea is utterly baseless. It is revealed by Cheryl that, though she had gone to the clinic for artificial insemination, she soon found out that she was already pregnant. Thus, the process had nothing to do with the birth of Matthew. It was difficult for investigators to trace any information about Cheryl since she had used Rachel’s name while visiting the clinic in order to hide everything from David.
How Did David Finally Find Matthew?
The search for Matthew starts with one single photo that Rachel comes across at Six Flags. Behind the scene of the picture is the presence of a boy who is seemingly wearing the same crescent mark on his skin, just like that of Matthew. That is when David gets his very first clue as to the fact that Matthew may still be alive. The case continues as more evidence begins to point towards the same possibility. DNA analysis helps in proving that the corpse that was thought to be of Matthew was actually that of Martin, a terminally sick child from an orphanage in Swiss.
The last breakthrough is obtained when Rachel gets her hands on the photographs taken during the Six Flags trip. One of those photos proves that Hayden is the one holding Matthew’s hand; hence, revealing him as the person who was bringing the boy up secretly.
Hayden’s motivation lay in the fact that he was infatuated with Rachel. It happened many years ago when Cheryl secretly went to the fertility clinic under Rachel’s name. At some point, Hayden interfered and got it into his head that any child conceived after that would be his. Hence, assuming Matthew was his son biologically, he kidnapped him and brought him up as Theo.
In order to keep Hayden away from danger and to make sure that no truth would come out, Gertrude masterminded everything and created a cover-up. Another child’s body was planted instead of Matthew’s, DNA was altered, witnesses were paid off, and David was framed for murder. Hayden thought he was getting his own son back, but Gertrude knew the whole time that Matthew wasn’t Hayden’s son.
What Happened to Hayden Payne at the End of I Will Find You?
The demise of Hayden starts off once Rachel gets to the bottom of why Matthew disappeared. In all the episodes, Hayden portrays himself as the main supporter of David and Rachel, who gives them the necessary assistance to acquire information. But the absence of Six Flags photographs reveals something unexpected, in that Hayden had been nurturing Matthew as Theo for many years. This was due to Hayden’s passion for Rachel and the misconception that Matthew was his own son. Despite discovering what had been happening around him, Hayden did not abandon Matthew.
It all comes to a head at the house belonging to Gertrude Payne, where Hayden makes a bid to run away with Matthew. It’s here that Rachel exposes the secret that Gertrude had kept from him for years – Matthew was not actually his son. Enraged by the fact that his mother had been hiding the truth from him for so long, Hayden lashes out at her and kills her.
Then, convinced that he can still manage to keep Matthew, he runs away with the child. It’s then at the ending of I Will Find You we see David, Rachel, and Sarah make their move and come up against each other one last time. Hayden makes a move to run away, but when he refuses to give up, Sarah is forced to kill him.
Did David and Rachel End Up Together in I Will Find You?
Indeed, at the end of I Will Find You, David and Rachel do come together, although the relationship they form takes some time during the investigation. At the start of the series, Rachel goes to visit David in prison only because she has found out about the Six Flags photo that indicates that Matthew could still be alive. Being a sister to Cheryl and having been a journalist in the past, Rachel feels obliged to help David in this situation.
However, as they go on investigating the case together, their relationship changes dramatically, becoming much more serious than before. The thing is that Rachel remains one of the very few individuals who never stops believing in David when he is a wanted man hunted down by the FBI.
Their bond grows stronger because of all the obstacles that the two of them overcome in unison, from trying to escape the police to uncovering the plot behind Matthew’s kidnapping. Although Rachel’s ex-boyfriend, Hayden, plans on winning back his girlfriend, Rachel finds herself becoming attracted to David as she develops a sense of trust and understanding in him as they continue their adventure. By the conclusion of the series, when Matthew is saved, and David’s imprisonment has been proven to be a mistake, the two of them finally have the opportunity to start living happily, free of any secrets or threats that could stand in the way of their happiness.
Also Read: I Will Find You Review: Gripping Mystery That Keeps You Hooked Even When Logic Takes a Backseat
