‘The Survivors’ Ending Explained: What Happened to Gabby — and Who Is the Mysterious Killer?

The Survivors is a nonstop mystery and thriller limited series that keeps viewers guessing the whole time.

The Netflix show, which is based on the 2020 novel of the same name by Jane Harper, follows residents of a small town in Australia who are rocked by a tragic boating accident that resulted in two people’s deaths. Fifteen years after the tragedy struck, the entire ordeal gets resurfaced when Kieran Elliott (Charlie Vickers), who many people blamed for the accident, returns to the small coastal town of Evelyn Bay.

Kieran, whose older brother was one of the victims, returns to the town with his partner Mia Chang (Yerin Ha) and their child. While there, they encounter a tourist and true crime enthusiast Bronte Laidler (Shannon Berry), who is trying to get to the bottom of what happened 15 years ago. In addition to the two boys, Toby Gilroy and Finn Elliott, who died during the stormy boat ride, teenager Gabby Birch (Eloise Rothfield) also mysteriously disappeared that night. Her backpack was found in the ocean, but her whereabouts remained unknown.

“This town is full of ghosts,” Bronte says in the trailer. “And you can feel it. Everyone’s affected by it. Even the survivors.”

Throughout the six-episode limited series, all of the citizens of Evelyn Bay have to face the truth of what happened 15 years ago and how it’s still affecting people today. By the end, The Survivors takes a surprising turn when the truth gets revealed.

Here’s how The Survivors ended and what happened to Gabby, Bronte and the survivors.

Warning: The Survivors spoilers ahead!

How did The Survivors end?

The Survivors centers around the lives of Kieran and Mia, who return to Evelyn Bay to pay tribute to the three lives lost in a tragic accident 15 years prior. The two both faced firsthand grief at the time, as Kieran’s brother Finn died and Mia’s best friend Gabby disappeared. Finn notably died while riding a boat to try and rescue Kieran who was struggling in a cave near the ocean. Kieran and Finn’s mom, Verity (Robyn Malcolm) still blames Kieran for Finn’s death.

While the couple try to balance the complicated dynamics with Kieran’s family upon their return, they are also transported back 15 years when a new visitor starts asking questions. Bronte, a tourist and true crime enthusiast, starts befriending all the locals to figure out what happened to Gabby, whose body was never found.

However, just when Bronte starts getting answers, she gets murdered. Kieran and Mia, who had previously moved past the tragedies, then investigate who killed Bronte.

As the series plays out, it’s revealed that Gabby went to the caves in an attempt to look for Kieran when he initially struggled with the swirling waters there 15 years ago. She took along Kieran’s friend Sean Gilroy (Thom Green) and when they didn’t find Kieran, he tried to kiss her. Gabby rejected Sean’s kiss and when the waters started to rise and get more dangerous, Sean left the caves and ignored her calls for help. After Bronte figures out some of the truth, she confides in Sean, and he panics and kills her on the beach.

The past comes to light in the final episode when Sean and Kieran go to the caves together and the former confesses to both of the murders. However, Sean is still not ready to take accountability for his actions and tries to kill his longtime friend in the caves. Kieran is able to escape and turns in Sean, so he can finally share the truth about what happened to Gabby all those years ago.

Who killed Gabby Birch?

When Gabby initially went missing 15 years ago, her whereabouts were never truly investigated, as the town was more interested in what happened to the two boys on the boat. As both Bronte and Kieran later learn, Gabby went to the caves in hopes of finding Kieran on the night of the storm.

Since she was unfamiliar with the dangerous caves, she brought Kieran’s friend Sean with her. Once the two reached the deepest section of the caves, they carved their names into the side to commemorate their milestone. Sean then tried to kiss Gabby but she didn’t reciprocate the feelings and he got upset.

In a fit of anger, Sean left Gabby alone in the caves while she was begging for help and she drowned in the twisting waters. He later threw Gabby’s backpack into the bay to make it look like she drowned in the ocean.

When Sean and Kieran go to the caves together at the end of the series, the latter notices that Gabby’s name has been scratched out. Sean then confesses to leaving Gabby to die after she rejected him.

“I felt stupid, so I bolted,” he told Kieran. “All I could think of was … when you found out she’d dogged me … you’d laugh yourselves sick.”

After Kieran escapes and reveals what Sean did, Gabby’s family finally gets the closure they need. The show ends with her loved ones tossing flowers into the ocean to honor her.

Who killed Bronte?

Bronte ventured to Evelyn Bay in hopes of uncovering the truth about what happened to Gabby and why the town so easily moved past her disappearance. She became friends with all of the survivors — including Sean.

On the night of Bronte’s death, she asked Sean to go to the beach with her to see a late-night natural light phenomenon. Bronte confided in Sean about her theory that Gabby actually died at the caves and not in the ocean like many people believed.

Sean then panicked that Bronte would soon find out he went to the caves with Gabby that night, so he beat her to death. Bronte’s body is discovered just minutes later by Kieran’s dad, Brian Elliott (Damien Garvey).

“She found out,” Sean told Kieran while confessing to murdering Bronte and leaving Gabby to drown.

What happened to Sean Gilroy?

While in the caves at the end of the series, Sean finally reveals the truth about what happened 15 years before and his recent murder. However, he’s still terrified over what could happen if the truth comes to light, so he fights Kieran. The two friends brawl until police intervene and arrest Sean for his crimes.

Gabby’s family finally learns the truth about what happened to her, while Kieran’s family also resolves some of their tumultuous feelings towards each other.