Clickbait ending explained: how did the Netflix show end and what was the twist?

1 September 2021, 14:24

Watch the official trailer for Clickbait

By Polly Foreman

Clickbait ending: who ran Emma Beesley off the road, did Nick cheat on Sophie, who was Ethan texting, and what happened with the volleyball team? All your major questions answered...

If you've just finished new Netflix thriller Clickbait, we're guessing you're still reeling from *that* shocking ending.

The eight-part series follows the aftermath of the kidnap and murder of family man Nick Brewer (Adrian Grenier), who appears in a viral video holding a sign reading: "I abuse women. At five million views, I die."

Another video shows Nick Holding up another sign saying that he also killed a woman.

Nick's wife Sophie (Betty Gabriel) and sister Pia (Zoe Kazan) go on a mission to find Nick, but he is found dead soon after the video reaches five million views.

The series is told from the perspective of different people connected to Nick and the case, and viewers quickly find out that Nick may not have been the man everyone thought he was.

It emerges that Nick had seemingly been in relationships with several women he met on dating apps, who he had told that he was in an unhappy marriage after his wife had an affair.

He had seemingly encouraged one of these women, named Sarah (Taylor Ferguson), to take her own life.

Here's your need-to-know on how the series ended...

**Major spoilers for Clickbait's final episode ahead**

Clickbait ending explained

Things start to unravel in episode six, 'The Brother', where it is revealed that it was the Sarah's brother Simon (Daniel Henshall) who kidnapped Nick.

In a major twist, however, it quickly emerges that it wasn't Nick on any of the dating profiles - and Nick had been catfished.

Realising his mistake after Nick points out a shoddy Photoshop job on a photo of him and Sarah, Simon allows Nick to escape.

Before he escaped, Nick had realised who the catfish must be - as he revealed that he only told one person about his wife's affair.

It emerged in episode eight, The Answer, that this person was Dawn (Becca Lish). In the present day, Kai had discovered the address of the catfish after Ethan's online friend Alison looked at the meta data of photos Sarah Beesley sent him.

Kai went to the address to avenge his dad, but fleetingly thought he must be mistaken and allowed she and her husband Ed (Wally Dunn) to drive him home. They kidnapped Kai, planning to kill him, but the police luckily got to them first.

In flashback scenes, it is revealed that Nick went to Dawn's house to confront her, where he was murdered by Ed.

How did Dawn catfish as Nick?

Dawn had access to Nick's computer password and emails, as it was revealed that he told her his details on his first day at work.

The receptionist had also become his friend and confidante, meaning she was the only person who knew about Sophie's affair.

Did Nick ever cheat on Sophie?

Nick wasn't entirely innocent - it is shown that he had set up dating profiles two years earlier, and had been exchanging messages with Mandy Harrison. He seemed to have lost interest in cheating, however, and stopped replying to the messages.

After seeing these messages pop up on the phone, Dawn decided to reply, and she subsequently set up multiple new accounts on various sites.

Dawn quickly became obsessed with pretending to be Nick, and spent two years catfishing the women on the sites.

She used a voice altering software to create a man's voice, meaning that she did speak to the women over the phone.

What happened with the volleyball team?

It was heavily hinted throughout the series that Nick had been in inappropriate relationships with members of the volleyball team.

It emerged towards the end, however, that it was Nick's colleague Matt who had been involved with one of the girls in the team.

Who ran Emma Beesley's car off the road?

It was Ed who made the call to Emma and ran her car off the road, as he and Dawn were concerned that she would admit to the police that she never met Nick - meaning Dawn could be traced as a catfish.

Who was Ethan texting online?

Ethan was texting a mysterious online friend, who it later emerged was called Alison, throughout.

He was giving her lots of inside information on the case, leading many to worry he could be involved with a dangerous catfish.

It emerged, however, that Alison was who she said she was - and had got to know Ethan online due to the fact that she had also lost a parent.

She ended up helping Ethan convince Emma Beesley to tell the truth, and also discovered where the real catfish lived by using computer skills she had learnt while being housebound due to anxiety.