Breaking Down the Twisty Ending of 56 Days

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The Prime Video series 56 Days is based on Catherine Ryan Howard’s popular 2021 novel. The show tells the story of Ciara Wyse (Dove Cameron) and Oliver Kennedy (Avan Jogia), jumping between the moment they meet at a supermarket and 56 days later, when a body is discovered in Oliver’s apartment. It slowly reveals how their relationship unfolded and what led to this shocking discovery.

This new eight-part series, now available to stream, updates the location of the story from Dublin during the pandemic to modern-day Boston, removing the COVID-19 lockdowns from the plot. While the show generally follows the book’s storyline, it significantly departs with a very different ending.

The TV series 56 Days, created by Karyn Usher and Lisa Zwerling (known for The Rook), ends with a hopeful note: love conquers all. This is a change from the book, which alters how the main characters’ relationship is viewed. The show follows the whirlwind romance between Ciara and Oliver, eventually revealing that both were hiding secrets about who they really are.

Who are Oliver and Ciara, really?

Oliver St. Ledger, the incredibly wealthy son of a venture capitalist, has been living under a false name to escape a troubled past. The story reveals that as a teenager (played by Kingston Rumi Southwick), Oliver, along with his friend Shane Martin (Sam Warnock), was involved in the death of their classmate, Paul Sparling (Aidan Ledingham), in Rhode Island. An argument broke out by the river, with Paul attacking Shane. Oliver, believing Shane was in danger, intervened and, in the process, held Paul underwater until he drowned. Initially, both boys intended to cover up the incident by lying. However, after Oliver confessed to his father, he was convinced to frame Shane for the murder and go into hiding.

After the murder, a school counselor named Dan Troxler noticed Oliver was deeply troubled. Using his experience as a social worker, he manipulated his way into Oliver’s life, discovered the truth about what happened, and then began blackmailing Oliver’s father by posing as an incredibly expensive therapist. When Oliver tried to write a letter that would clear Shane’s name, Troxler hid it and instead encouraged Shane to commit suicide while he was in prison. After Shane’s death, Troxler continued to exploit the St. Ledger family by fueling Oliver’s fears, ensuring Oliver remained dependent on him and his services.

Ciara’s connection to all of this is that she’s actually Shane’s sister, Megan Martin. She sought out Oliver intending to make him pay for her brother’s suicide and the pain it caused her family. However, she unexpectedly fell in love with him and changed her mind about revenge. After she and Oliver confessed everything, and Ciara persuaded Oliver to stop seeing his unsettling therapist, Troxler arrived at Oliver’s apartment. He threatened to reveal Oliver’s past crimes, using a letter Oliver wrote as a teenager and recordings from their therapy sessions. This led Ciara to strike Troxler with a sculpture, resulting in his death.

How does 56 Days end?

Ciara and Oliver, aided by Ciara’s sister Shyla, carefully create a fake crime scene, hoping to make it look perfect. In the present day, detectives Lee Reardon and Karl Connolly are investigating the murder. They decide to exploit the confusing evidence and frame a local drug dealer – someone Lee has become dangerously involved with through a secret and corrupt affair – for the crime.

Instead of facing justice, Oliver unexpectedly flees with Ciara, a major change from the original story. In the book, Oliver isn’t just a killer – he’s revealed to be the victim, found dead. Ciara, upon discovering Oliver’s cruelty and realizing Shane was innocent, drowns him and stages it as a drug overdose. Despite hints that Oliver’s death wasn’t accidental, Lee and Karl can’t figure out what really happened, and Ciara avoids punishment.

The show gives both Ciara and Oliver a happy ending. The final scene shows them living with their baby, Shane – named after Ciara’s brother who passed away – in a beautiful tropical location sometime in the future.

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2026-02-19 19:06