Netflix's Deliver Me ending explained: Who is the scapegoat?

Netflix's Deliver Me arrived on the platform on April 24, 2024, with five episodes dropping simultaneously. The Swedish miniseries focuses on a twisted form of justice indirectly supported by authorities and society at large.

In the series, Bilal was shot by his best friend, Douglas, but the local gang leader, Mehdi, was convicted of the crime. As per the story, the gang leader, Mehdi, was the scapegoat for a crime he did not commit.

Netflix's Deliver Me is adapted from Malin Persson Giolito's book of the same name. Written by Alex Haridi and Amanda Hogberg, the series is directed by Anna Zackrisson. While the story arc of the two friends seems to conclude with the ending, the debate on gang wars and teen participation in the world of crime is far from over. Another point of debate among the viewers would be whether justice should be attained in any form.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers.

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Netflix's Deliver Me: Who was punished for Bilal's death?

Mehdi as seen in the series (Image via Instagram/@netflixnordic)

Mehdi, the leader of the street gang that employed Bilal and Douglas, was convicted for Bilal's death. As such, the case of Bilal's death was presented differently in the court than in the actual scenario. In the series, the audience saw how Douglas fired three shots at his friend, Bilal, killing him instantly.

He used a gun that originally belonged to the Stockholm street gang's leader, Mehdi, for whom both Bilal and Douglas worked. Leader Mehdi gave Bilal the gun for an assigned task, but Bilal handed it to Douglas as protection.

However, Bilal's brother, Tusane, convinced the court that Mehdi was responsible for Bilal's death. He falsely testified overhearing Mehdi asking Douglas to kill Bilal and giving him the gun for it. The court convicted Mehdi for a murder he did not commit.

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Netflix's Deliver Me: Why did Douglas kill Bilal?

Douglas and Bilal as seen in the series (Image via Instagram/@netflixnordic)

Bilal and Douglas had been friends since childhood and had joined a criminal gang together. Douglas, who came from a dysfunctional family, had Bilal as a strong anchor and support. Both of them, employed by a Stockholm street gang run by Mehdi, were unable to extricate themselves from criminal activities.

Bilal had been looking for ways to stop this cycle of crime and fear. On his mother's advice, Bilal wanted to move to Nigeria to stay with his relatives and start life afresh. His decision saddened Douglas who couldn't go anywhere. He was doomed to face the same rut of crime and fear without his best friend beside him. As such, Douglas felt betrayed.

On top of that, when the boys were assigned the task of killing an enemy from another gang, Bilal single-handedly decided against doing any more crime. Without informing Douglas, Bilal diffused the grenades meant for the killing.

Douglas resented the fact that Bilal acted on his own without consulting him, his best friend. Moreover, he realized Bilal had the escape route to Nigeria but Douglas would have to face the brunt of Mehdi's anger for a job undone.

Filled with mixed emotions ranging from loneliness to resentment to fear, Douglas shot Bilal in a spur-of-the-moment decision.

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Netflix's Deliver Me: Was justice delivered in the end?

The end of the series showed the conviction of a wrong person even though some form of justice was meted out in a roundabout way. Instead of Douglas, the court considered Mehdi the killer based on Tusane's testimony. Tusane made Mehdi a scapegoat in return for the crimes he had forced on his brother. As mentioned before, Mehdi was guilty of all sorts of terrible crimes but not Bilal's death.

Surprisingly, Officer Farid knew Tusane's story was a lie as did Bilal's mother and others. However, nobody countered Tusane's allegations since this presented the best opportunity to bring Mehdi to justice, even though wrongly placed.

In the last scene of Netflix's Deliver Me, Bilal's mother, brother, and sisters left Stockholm to relocate while his father stayed back. The series has tried to bring the situation of juvenile crime to the fore.

Netflix's Deliver Me is currently available for streaming on the platform.