The End
What does Thulin find at the farm?
Episode 6 of The Chestnut Man begins this finale with police scrambling to find Genz and Thulin. Following the big reveal last episode, it turns out Toke changed his identity when he was 18, which explains why he disappeared off the records. The farm nearby to the chestnuts Thulin found just so happens to be the same one that Toke’s family was found murdered in. It’s also the same one that Hess has been investigating in the previous chapter. Anyway, Genz wearily watches as Thulin tries to break inside. She notices a computer on the table too, prompting Genz to hand over a key to open the front door. When Thulin quizzes him about it, Genz shrugs and claims he found it under the flowerpot. Taking the key for himself, Genz shuts the door behind him as he follows Thulin inside.
Who is the Chestnut Man?
We found this out in the previous epsidoe of course but now Thulid learns the truth for herself. As she steps inside the lounge, she realizes this is Genz’s base of operations, with a computer and pictures up on the wall of his victims. When Genz reveals that he’s the killer, Thulin turns a shaky gun up to him, but he’s too quick. Genz knocks her out with chloroform and leaves Thulin in a dire state. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long for Rosa to show up at the farmhouse too, having followed Genz’s instructions in the previous chapter. With Thulin tied and gagged in the dining room, Genz invites Rosa in and shows her around. Specifically, he encourages her to take a seat. On the table are chestnuts and knives, with Genz intending to rekindle things just like old times.
What drove Genz to kill?
According to Genz, he killed Anne, Laura and Jessie to save their children. He’s convinced that what he’s done is just, given the women all had flaws. All of this stems back from his past, given the horrific tragedy at the farmhouse that’s very clearly caused him a lot of mental distress. For now though, Genz directs his blame toward Rosa, despite her only being a kid back then. She refuses to play ball and make chestnut men with Genz, which sees her stabbed through the hand for her troubles. This conversation is brought to an abrupt end though when Hess shows up to try and save the girls. With Rosa’s hand already cut open badly, he doesn’t get far before Genz gets the better of him and knocks the man down. After taking Hess’s phone and bundling Thulid into the bath upstairs, he pours petrol around the room, on top of Rosa and on the floor.
How is Genz stopped?
Thulin breaks free from her binds and manages to escape out the window. She smashes the glass on her car and grabs her gun… only for Genz to knock her out and drag Thulid around to his vehicle. In doing so, Genz burns the farmhouse and watches as flames lick hungrily up the side. Hess and Rosa manage to scramble out to safety though, surviving the inferno. Meanwhile, Genz takes Thulin out in his car. As he starts monologuing, Thulin skips forward and chokes the man, wrestling for control of the vehicle. Hess manages to catch up though, holding a gun up to him in the car. Genz refuses to go down without a fight and puts his foot on the accelerator, charging head-on for Hess. Surprisingly he doesn’t move, which is just as well given Thulin grabs the steering wheel, narrowly avoiding Hess and tumbling the car in the process. In the ensuing crash, Genz finds himself impaled on a tree. He refuses to give up Kristine’s location with his dying breath, eventually dying and bringing the Chestnut Man’s reign to an end.
Where is Kristine?
With Genz (Toke) dead, a call from his mobile seems to show that he’s in collusion with Astrid. When she hears police sirens in the distance, she hurriedly hangs up. It would appear as if Genz was keeping her in his care, watching the girl and keeping her under surveillance. This also explains the security camera footage on his computer we saw in the previous episode. Anyway, police soon trace the call and find Astrid at a secluded house. Holding her down, the officers rush inside and find Kristine very much alive, downstairs in Astrid and Genz’s locked room. She’s brought back to Steen and Rosa, in what ends up as a really touching reunion. Battered and bruised, Thulid and Hess watch as these parents are reunited with their child, satisfied in the knowledge that they’ve stopped the Chestnut Man before he can kill again.
How does The Chestnut Man end?
With Hess bound for his next job in Bucharest, Thulid decides to take up that job in the cyber crime division after all. As she feeds this back to Hess while he’s bound for the airport, she hands over a drawing Le has done for him. It’s a family tree and on one of the branches happens to be Hess’s face, depicting him as part of the family. One of the big casualties in all this has been Linus, who’s finally free to go after being arrested and suspected of being the Chestnut Man originally. The police have sorted him out a fair amount of compensation for the ordeal, as he’s encouraged to go out and live his life. As Linus leaves, he checks out a newspaper and notices Genz’s face on the front. As he looks up, Linus takes off for parts unknown.
The Episode Review
The Chestnut Man ends with a suitably tense climax, one that sees Genz brought to justice and arrested while all of our characters come to a decent conclusion. As a minor gripe, it would have been nice to see more of Le and Thulid together at the end, but the inclusion of Hess and the family tree is a roundabout way of seeing everything resolved in a satisfying way at the end. A difficult case is finally closed though and ultimately this episode was all about finding Kristine and making sure the case is wrapped up in a satisfying manner. There’s a nice vibe right at the end too, leaving things wrapped up on a decent note. It’s not uncommon to find crime dramas like this remain as one season, but we’ll have to wait and see on that front. For now, The Chestnut Man bows out with a really solid ending, one that concludes this six episode series on a high. This has definitely been one of the most solid crime dramas of the year and a must-watch for sure.
