‘The Ex-Wife’ Ending, Explained: What Happens To Tasha And Emily? Is Jack Dead Or Alive?

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“The Ex-wife,” a Paramount Plus British miniseries, is based on Jess Ryder’s thriller novel of the same name. The series centers around a young woman named Natasha (Tasha), who is married to a middle-aged man named Jack, and together they have a lovely daughter named Emily. Although Tasha and Jack’s marriage appeared to be extremely happy initially, Jack’s ex-wife Jen regularly interfered in their happy married life, bringing in jealousy and conflicts. Jen desired everything that Tasha was enjoying. However, as the plot develops, the true villain and his malicious intentions are revealed to Tasha, leaving her in a terrible predicament. So, let’s find out how Tasha resolves the situation and makes her way out of the marriage mess.

Spoilers Ahead


Plot Summary What Happens In The Series?

Jack (played by Tom Mison) and Tasha (played by Céline Buckens) have recently gotten married and have a beautiful child, Emily. Though Jack and his ex-wife Jen (played by Janet Montgomery) had split up, Jen kept coming to their house frequently. The relationship between Jack and Tasha appeared to be going well, but Jack’s sister Hayley wanted Jack and Jen to be the godparents of her kid, which upset Tasha. Hayley even strangely misbehaved with Tasha, which she had to endure for the sake of her family.

In a flashback, it is revealed to us that Jack and Tasha started dating each other after they accidentally met on the road. Soon, Jack revealed to Tasha that his current wife, Jen, is infertile because of how their marriage was having trouble. Therefore, they wanted to be apart and go out with other people. Tasha and Jack got closer to one another and began having physical intimacy. Tasha became pregnant a few days later, precisely as Jack had wished. So, they got married. Sam (played by Jordan Stephens), a friend of Tasha’s with whom she may have had a sexual relationship in the past, raised a question about the child’s paternity because he thought it might be his. However, Tasha assured him that the child was Jack’s.

After marrying Jack, Tasha began to see warning signs. Tasha was certain something was wrong when she found that Jack and Jen were speaking to each other quite often. She even saw Jack staying at Jen’s house. In the meantime, Sam began to have doubts about who Emily’s father may be, so he entered Jack’s office and took a photo of Emily’s birth certificate to do a paternity test. On the other hand, Jack informed Tasha that he was traveling to New York for work-related reasons. Tasha started having unusual experiences the moment Jack left for New York. When she went to pick Emily up from the nursery, she found that Jen had already picked Emily up from there. After hearing all of this, Tasha contacted Jack but couldn’t get through to him. When she arrived at Jack’s workplace, a staff member informed her that Jack had left the job weeks ago. Tasha arrived at Jen’s office and inquired about her child. Jen said that Jack had already picked Emily up from her. Tasha realized that Jack could be up to something nastier. 

Even when Jack legally prohibited Tasha from residing at his home, Tasha sought refuge in Sam’s house and decided to find out more about her kid. Tasha returned to Jen and got the information that Jack had a second bungalow. Jen was almost certain that Jack might have gone there with Emily. Jack attacked Tasha as soon as Jen and Tasha entered the house. He instructed Jen to pick up Emily and put her in a secure location. While Jen did so, Jack locked Tasha up in a room. Jack revealed his true intention to Tasha and told her that she had to remain out of it since Jack and Jen were taking Emily to live their life. She would receive payment for this and occasionally visit Emily. Tasha gave her approval first, so when Jack freed her, she struck him in the head and fled. Following a heated fight between Jack and Tasha, she shoved Jack into a pool and escaped.

A wounded Jack came to Jen’s apartment and confessed his feelings for her, saying that all of this he had done to make a fresh start with Jen and Emily. Jack had intended to take Jen out of the country to save his back from Tasha. When Jen learned of all this, she was taken aback and reluctant to accept, but she also loved Jack, so she gave her approval. Tasha, on the other hand, discovered the paternity test in Sam’s cupboard. Though the test was negative, Sam’s lack of trust caused Tasha to get upset. Later, Tasha called Jen and enquired about her child. Being a human, Jen was unable to harm the mother in this way. To take Emily back to them, Jen asked Tasha to arrive at the departure point at night. When Jack found that Tasha was following their car, he got distracted. Their car exploded due to a massive accident.

Jack fell into a comatose state, but Jen managed to regain consciousness. Since there was no sign of Emily in the burned-out vehicle, the police declared her dead. Jen received a letter from Tasha four months later, informing her that she was willing to speak. When Jen arrived at the specified location, she spotted Tasha with Emily. Tasha described to her in detail how she entered their car following the collision and saved Emily. While Jen was relieved to find Emily alive, she was also worried about Jack’s condition. On the other hand, Jack, who was lying in a hospital bed, shook his fingers a little bit, prompting us to think that he might have gained consciousness.


Did Jack Ever Love Tasha?

It was nearly impossible for someone like Jack to truly love someone. His main desire was to start a family. He had never wanted to be labeled as infertile. However, her wife Jen’s infertility dashed her husband’s dreams of being a father. He had perceived that he could build a family with someone else in order to have children. Jack didn’t want to lose his wife, Jen, since he loved her so much. He had aspirations of creating a family with Jen, but due to her infertility, he planned a different strategy. When he first met Tasha, he knew he had to use this as a chance to lure her into his trap. Tasha was immature and impulsive. Tasha did not even know where her family members were and had no communication with them. As a result, Jack understood that Tasha was the only possible victim. He pretended to be in love and married Tasha after she became pregnant.

Although Jack and Jen may have adopted the child, it would not be his blood. So, he tried to ruin a young woman’s life in order to have a child. Jack’s selfishness crushed a mother’s possible dream of having a child and a husband. Eventually, Jack confessed his love to his ex-wife Jen, saying that all these things he had done for her were for her. He considered kidnapping Tasha’s child and leaving the country, wanting to live a new life with Jen and Emily. Therefore, it was apparent that Jack had never felt any romantic feelings toward Tasha. But, in my opinion, if Jen genuinely meant to Jack, he wouldn’t have resorted to such deception; instead, he would have sacrificed his desire to have children. But to Jack, women were nothing more than a means of carrying kids, whose struggles he didn’t even really appreciate. Therefore, in my opinion, Jack’s love can never justify the wrongdoing he has done.


Who Was Actually Emily’s Father?

Jack was truly Emily’s dad. Finally, Tasha learned of Sam’s distrust of her when she discovered the report in his cabinet. In reality, Tasha had a drunken physical encounter with Sam before she dated Jack. After that, Jack entered Tasha’s life. Sam believed the child might be his when he learned that Tasha was expecting. He lacked faith in Tasha since he believed she might have concealed the paternity of her child in order to be married to Jack and inherit his wealth. This might be how the world typically views women. Sam wasn’t evil like Jack, but he didn’t do anything honorable, much like how Jack treated Tasha. Instead, he somewhat degraded Tasha and did not trust her statement.

Sam most likely took a paternity test to get Tasha back since he wanted to be with her. If the test were positive, he considered claiming Emily. The argument is that Sam might have perpetrated any trick to get Emily and Tasha back if the paternity test had come up positive. Sam dishonestly entered their home, took Emily’s DNA, and verified the birth certificate, showing that he was not Tasha’s closest friend despite pretending to be. Sam’s actions have shaken Tasha and her relationship with Sam. But in the end, Sam understood his guilt and tried to mend his behavior by supporting her. Tasha also forgave him since he was the one who helped her in her crisis.


Why Did Jen Decide To Give Emily To Tasha? Is Jack Dead Or Alive?

The center of the narrative was actually Jen, for whom Tasha and her daughter Emily had to deal with a lot of difficulties. However, Jen was unaware of Jack’s sinister scheme. Tasha had always thought of Jen as evil and a home invader, yet she was the complete opposite. Even though Jen might have found it difficult to see Jack remarry, she accepts it out of concern for his happiness. Meanwhile, when Jack sneakily steals Tasha’s baby and keeps it with Jen, Jen wants to lose it all, despite having a chance to get a new life. She believed that she could not secure her future with something that wasn’t truly hers. Emily wasn’t her child, and it was Tasha’s. So, Jen felt she could not take Emily away from the mother who carried Emily in the womb and raised her after she was born. She didn’t think of women as mere vessels, as her husband did, but she understood how much mental turmoil and emotion a woman goes through to give birth to a child. Jen respects Tasha’s pain, and she wants to hand Emily over to Tasha before she catches her last flight. Although Jen had failed to deliver Emily to Tasha due to the car accident, Tasha rescued Emily by herself behind their eyes before the car explosion. Tasha raised her daughter all by herself and finally met Jen and appreciated her for her best efforts.

During the ending of “The Ex-Wife,” Jack, who was unconscious after the accident, started to move his fingers. Maybe it’s just simple stimulation, or he regained consciousness. However, it is unknown if he will try to redeem himself and not repeat the same mistakes. Or fall prey to his toxic traits again and put up a fight to get Emily back once more when he regains consciousness. Maybe all the questions will be answered if the makers decide to release the second season of “The Ex-Wife.”


Final Words

“The Ex-wife” is a very gripping drama that keeps you glued to the screen for nearly four hours. Every scene in the narrative seems significant and intriguing because of the story’s excellent presentation. The miniseries won’t waste any of your time and will keep you entertained all the way through.


“The Ex-wife” is a 2022 Drama Thriller series directed by Brian O’Malley.

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Poulami Nanda
Poulami Nanda
Poulami is an artist and an aspiring screenwriter both by profession and passion. Apart from writing stories, poems and songs, studying cinema is her obsession. She is also a freelance painter yet it is the world of cinema that fascinates her the most.

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