The Party ending explained: Did Martin shoot Ben? And did Ben live or die?

ITV’s adaptation of Elizabeth Day’s The Party may have begun with the sight of Martin Gilmour (Luke Evans) under arrest, but did it come to an end with the political journalist still facing incarceration?

Bound up in Martin’s destiny was the fate of his best friend Ben Fitzmaurice (Tom Cullen), the wannabe Tory leader who suffered a gunshot wound while in the outhouse of the grand estate where he was meant to celebrating his birthday.

But who pulled the trigger? And did Ben survive?

Read on for a full breakdown of The Party's ending.

So, what happened in the outhouse?

Martin had indeed engineered a showdown between himself and Ben following the tragic loss of his newborn son. Holding Ben responsible for the trauma that had impacted his life in so profound a fashion, Martin pulled a gun on his friend and accused him of ruining his childhood and leaving him a broken adult.

But, did Martin pull the trigger?

No, Ben took the pistol from out of Martin’s grip and apologised for treating him like an ant under his shoe.

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His dreams of running for Tory leader in bits and the circumstances surrounding the death of his sister threatening to break in the press, Ben told Martin that he’d always loved him before putting the gun to the side of his head and firing.

Why was Martin then arrested?

That was mainly due to the scheming of Ben’s wife Serena (Lydia Leonard) who, fearing that her husband’s life insurance wouldn’t pay out should it be discovered that the wound was self-inflicted, decided to point the finger at Martin, aware that his prior criminal record wouldn’t exactly make him look the picture of innocence.

So, you say 'wound' – did Ben not die?

No, he didn’t – he suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage but eventually came to and subsequently revealed to the police that he’d wanted to end it all, accepting responsibility for the first time in his life. Given this fresh information, the CPS decided to dismiss the murder charge against Martin, who was then free to go home. Serena, meanwhile, was left facing a future where she’d effectively have to be Ben’s carer due to the extent of his injuries.

With Martin free, did he reunite with his wife Lucy?

No, given that Martin had admitted he’d once been in love with Ben, their marriage didn’t survive and Lucy was seen contemplating a trip overseas, her desire being to go to a place where no one knew her and be a stranger in a strange land.

What happened to those who’d been in Ben’s political orbit?

His leadership rival Jarvis Conrad (Sam Troughton) was last seen under arrest for possession of 20g of cocaine, leaving the field open for Ben’s advisor Heidi (Sinead Matthews) to throw her hat into the ring, the suggestion being that her upbringing as the daughter of a plumber and a housewife would offer the popular touch that could win over voters.

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Was the truth ever revealed to the public about the car crash that killed Phoebe?

This subplot was left unresolved, though viewers were left with the impression that DC Janet Protheroe (Kath Hughes) would pursue the investigation, having realised that the medication Martin had been prescribed was due to a seatbelt-related injury to his left shoulder. Had he been driving the vehicle, the pain would have been on his right side. So, this made Protheroe suspicious that Martin had taken the rap for Ben.

What happened between Martin and Ben?

Ben clearly wanted Martin to remain by his side as his "LS" or "Little Shadow". But Martin had the self-awareness to realise that the time had come to walk away and put some distance between himself and the Fitzmaurice family. After kissing Ben’s hand, he left the hospital and began facing the world with fresh purpose. And after passing a male couple with a newborn baby in the park, a smile played around his lips, as though he’d had a glimpse of the happiness that could be his at some point in the future.

The Party is available now on ITVX.

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