We delve in the Shetland season 9 final episode to unpick everything happened, and find out who was responsible for the death of Annie and Bergen.
The enduring popularity of Shetland shows no sign of slowing down - even with the departure of Douglas Henshall after years at the helm of the show as DI Jimmy Perez, viewers remained loyal and Ashley Jensen does make for a formidable replacement. Returning fans come back for the gripping drama and beautiful scenery - unsurprisingly, Shetland is filmed in the Shetland Islands, and the locations have become just as key to the series as the stellar cast.
Ashley Jensen has now finished her second year as DI Ruth Calder, and there was no rest for the character, as she and Tosh were thrown headlong into another distressing case to solve. This year's investigation was a really personal one for Tosh, as it's her friend Annie Bett who is murdered. Let' delve into everything that happened in the series finale, and find out who was responsible for the killings.
Shetland season 9 ending explained
The Shetland season nine finale opens with a flashback to the night Annie was killed. Annie and Noah are sitting in the car at the research facility waiting for Bergen, who is distressed when he arrives at the car because Stefan found out the pair were trying to help Astrid, and became annoyed about it. Annie reassures him, suggesting they hide out until Stefan calms down, alluding to the house where they're eventually killed.
Back in the present, Tosh and Calder interview Kyle Frost about the Manchester shooting and his link with Lisa Friel. He reveals they were once a couple but he'd called the relationship to a halt. Tosh and Calder question Lisa and her campervan is searched. She confirms that she once dated Kyle, but doesn't know anything about Annie's death, only suggesting the pair once argued when Annie found drugs in her room.
Kyle's alibi for the night Annie was murdered is confirmed, and Tosh and Calder head to the Hem help centre where Annie worked as a volunteer, and where Lisa once stayed. The pair speak to a staff member about Annie and Lisa arguing, and although she recalls the dispute, she doesn't know what it was about. Lisa later admits to Calder she didn't argue with Annie, but Annie was trying to help her. She won't however, reveal why Annie was trying to offer help.
Lisa has Kyle's gun, suggesting that back in Manchester, he'd asked her to get rid of it. After keeping it instead, Annie had taken the gun from her when she left Hem, worried that Lisa would use it because of a mysterious thing she won't reveal the details of. Tosh eventually realises that something difficult happened to Lisa that she'd told Annie about - the ensuing conflict was because Annie was urging her to report it to the police and Lisa didn't want to.
Lisa eventually reveals she was sexually assaulted, and the attacker turns out to be Annie's brother-in-law, Michael. Tosh and Calder discuss the assault with Harry, telling him as Annie was the only person who knew about it, that would give Michael motive for killing her.
Michael denies attacking Lisa and says she's not a reliable narrator. His version of events is that he was at Hem the night she was attacked, but didn't see Lisa there at all, and went for a drink with Frank after his meeting. Calder and Tosh don't believe his story, instead thinking the thing Annie wanted to discuss with Tosh before she died was probably Lisa and the attack.
Tosh and Calder try and piece together what happened at the croft when Annie and Bergen were killed, but now knowing about the gun and Michael, feel something isn't quite right. Tosh decides to confirm Michael's alibi that he went for a drink with Frank the night of Lisa's attack, paying Frank a visit.
When questioned, Frank confirms he did go for a drink with Michael the night of the attack, but instead of returning to Noreen and Finn's, Michael went to the Hem to stay there instead - he was there the night Lisa was attacked. Michael's statement suggests he was at his office until 2am the morning of the murders, but nobody can confirm this. Sandy finds out that his debit card was used to pay for petrol a mile from where Annie was at the party. Sandy tries to get CCTV footage from the transaction to place Michael near Annie on the night of the murders.
Michael eventually admits to being at Hem when Lisa was attacked, but insists he knows nothing about Annie and Bergen's deaths. Pressed for more details about Lisa, he shouts that it wasn't rape before going quiet. Tosh and Calder are determined to prove he killed Annie and Bergen, but they're interrupted by a call from Noreen to say she's concerned about Noah who is very distressed and seems to be remembering something important.
Sandy reviews CCTV footage from the garage but it's not Michael paying for petrol, it's Noreen. She used Michael's card, and the reality hits that she was the one who killed Annie and Bergen. Calder orders a unit to Noreen's house immediately, while she goes to find Noah. Noreen realises Calder knows she is the murderer and tries to get in the car to escape, but Calder grabs the car keys from her. It's not long before she confesses that Annie visited her on the way back from seeing Lisa on the day she died and told her of the accusation against Michael.
A flashback to the night of the party shows Noreen going to the party to try and convince Annie not to go to the police about Michael - seeing her talking to Tosh, she's thought it was too late. She then followed Annie to the marine research facility where she picked up Bergen and followed the pair to the croft. In the house, Annie puts the gun on the side and turns around to find Noreen standing there. Annie insists she didn't say anything to Tosh at the party, but can't promise she won't at some point.
Noreen grabs the gun from the side and when Annie tries to wrangle it from her, the gun goes off. Bergen appears alerted by the noise, and Noreen shoots him a couple of times - the noise wakes up Noah, but Noreen runs away before he can fully see her.
In the present, Noreen reveals she threw the gun in the sea and breaks down in tears saying her actions were to protect her family. Noreen is arrested while the horror that his sister killed his wife hits Ian. Later, Calder tells Lisa that Noreen has been charged with killing Annie and Bergen and the police have evidence against Michael for the assault.
The episode closes with Tosh going to a bar and seeing some friends there- when they invite her to join them, she declines and chooses to sit alone. Calder soon joins her and the pair share a bottle of wine, and appear to be friends now as well as colleagues.
