Shetland season 7 ended with the revelation that Jamie Narey was the killer, despite suspicions by fans that Alison Woods was the killer prior to the series finale.
Shetland season seven recently concluded its premiere television run in September 2022 on BBC One, along with its availability on BritBox.
The crime murder mystery series did not disappoint fans with its latest season, which was filled with twists and turns that kept viewers enthralled from episode one to six.
This is mainly due to the fact that even viewers of the series could not figure out who the main killer was in this season up until the season finale.
Initially, it was believed that Alison Woods was the killer, but it was later revealed that Jamie Narey was the actual killer responsible for Connor Cairns and Byrd Fleming’s death.
Alison Woods speculated as killer in season 7
A good murder mystery series leads viewers where the writers of the series wants them to go without them realising.
Therefore, before the season seven finale of Shetland, where the actual killer was revealed, the series created a story trajectory that duped viewers into believing that Alison Woods was the killer responsible for the deaths of Connor Cairns, Byrd Fleming, and Bill Rogers.
While they may have been right about Alison being a killer, they were wrong about who the main killer and antagonist of the season was.
Who is the killer in Shetland season 7?
The main killer in Shetland’s seventh season was Grant O’Rourke, who played Connor Cairns’ graphic novel publisher, Jamie Neary. Jamie was an anti-oil activist whose past experiences had led him down a road of terrorism.
As a result of the 1983 Braer oil disaster, Jamie’s father lost his wildlife tourism company because of the oil spill. Starting his path as an anti-oil activist, he came into contact with fellow activist, Catrina Johnson.
Catrina was responsible for radicalising Jamie following her death in South Sudan due to her activism work.
As such, Jamie felt compelled to do more than a publicity stunt to raise awareness about the matter. Instead, he wanted to use bombs to blow up an oil company headquarters.
Connor Cairns was responsible for creating the bombs since he had a background with chemical engineering, but Connor got cold feet and would not reveal the location of the caravan with the explosives that were meant to be used.
In frustration, Jamie kidnapped Connor and his girlfriend, Byrd Fleming, in an attempt to torture the truth out of them. But he eventually killed them both and attempted to frame Connor for Byrd’s death by staging Connor’s death as a suicide.
Who killed Bill Rogers, if not Jamie Neary?
The reason many believed that Alison Woods was the killer before the season 7 finale of Shetland was because she was implicated in the death of Bill Rogers.
Rogers was a US-eco terrorist who recognised Lloyd, whose real name was Walter Edwards. Edwards was an American that fled the country after he was framed for the murder of a Texan police officer.
But the two were also former schoolmates, therefore, he worried about Lloyd revealing his true identity, Rogers had threatened Lloyd that he would reveal his real identity if he did the same.
But Alison was there, and upon hearing the threat, she wanted to protect her husband and dealt Rogers a fatal blow to the head using a hammer. She then attempted to get rid of the body in a suitcase with paint residue, which resulted in her implication.
Does DI Jimmy Perez die in season 7?
Douglas Henshall confirming his departure before the seventh season of Shetland allowed for speculation about how the series would bid farewell to its leading man.
Many expected DI Jimmy Perez to die in the terrorist explosion or to be killed taking a bullet for one of his loved ones, but in a surprising conclusion, he was not killed.
Instead, he risked his career by helping Lloyd avoid deportation and the US law system that would have implicated him for a crime that he reportedly did not commit.
But all was not lost, as Perez managed to find love by the end of the season as he and Meg Pattison committed to one another, which meant a happy ending for Perez.
Is Duncan Hunter dead in season 7?
Duncan Hunter has been part of Shetland since its inception, but in season seven, we only see him in the opening scenes of episode one as it seems that the story was concluding season six’s open-ended conclusion, where Duncan and Perez were arrested.
Duncan is still in prison, despite Perez’ release and suspension from the force being lifted. During their scene, Duncan asserted that he was not returning to Shetland after his release.
Therefore, he is not dead, but it does allude to the fact that Duncan, too, will not return for season eight of Shetland.