Moonflower Murders episode 1 ending explained: What triggers Susan to return to Sleuthing?

Moonflower Murders premiered on September 15, 2024, and is adapted from Anthony Horowitz's 2020 novel. It serves as a sequel to Magpie Murders and was filmed in early 2023, wrapping in December. Directed by Rebecca Gatward and produced by Eleventh Hour Films with PBS' Masterpiece, the series stars Lesley Manville as Susan Ryeland and Timothy McMullan as detective Atticus Pund, alongside Mark Gatiss and Rosalie Craig.

Susan Ryeland’s transition from a London editor to a hotel manager in Crete hasn’t been smooth. In the first episode, she has been seen struggling with the day-to-day challenges of hotel management—from a leaking roof to financial strains. The sudden appearance of the Trehernes who seek her help to solve their daughter Cecily’s disappearance acts as a catalyst.

They believe Cecily’s vanishing is linked to a murder mystery Susan once edited into a novel. Faced with this complicated puzzle Susan's intrigue in her old profession reawakens which compels her to consider returning to England to know about the case.

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Moonflower Murders episode 1: How does the past murder at the Treherne Hotel connect to Cecily’s disappearance?

Moonflower Murders episode 1 (Image via PBS)

Eight years prior, a wedding at the Treherne’s hotel ended in tragedy when a guest named Frank Parris was found murdered. The incident was witnessed by Cecily shortly after her wedding speech and it evidently haunted her.

The past murder was fictionalized in a book Susan edited and Cecily believed this book held clues to the real killer’s identity which is a conviction that led to her disappearance. The first episode hints that unraveling the truths within the novel may be key to finding Cecily which establishes a direct link between past crimes and present mysteries.

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Moonflower Murders Episode 1: What clues surface in the ‘Atticus Pund Takes the Case’ novel?

Moonflower Murders episode 1 (Image via PBS)

As Susan reads the novel 'Atticus Pund Takes the Case' which fictionalizes the murder at the Treherne’s hotel she uncovers several discrepancies that hint at a deeper conspiracy. The novel portrays characters and events that mirror real-life individuals and occurrences but with major alterations.

These discrepancies particularly hover around the characterizations and the sequence of events leading to the murder suggest that the story might be encoding more than just a simple mystery which could potentially point to the real murderer and motive.

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Moonflower Murders episode 1: Why do the Trehernes believe Susan can solve the mystery?

Moonflower Murders episode 1 (Image via PBS)

The Trehernes have a profound belief in Susan’s abilities rooted in her past success as an editor who has a knack for dissecting complicated stories. They think that her editorial skills combined with her intimate knowledge of the novel and the real-life events that inspired it, equip her to decode any hidden messages in the book.

Their trust is so deep that they are willing to offer a substantial financial incentive reflecting their desperation and the stakes involved in uncovering the truth behind their daughter’s disappearance.

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Moonflower Murders episode 1: How does the episode foreshadow future conflicts?

Moonflower Murders episode 1 (Image via PBS)

The episode sets the stage for future episodes by layering multiple subplots and character dynamics that promise further complications. Susan’s personal conflict about leaving Crete and her strained relationship with Andreas create a sense of personal dimension to the central mystery.

The enigmatic elements of the novel and the murky history of the Treherne Hotel suggest that Susan’s journey will be fraught with challenges and these plot seeds that are subtly planted in this episode hint at the entangled paths Susan will go through in her quest for truth.

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Moonflower Murders episode 1 airs on most local PBS channels, the PBS website, and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel.