Created by Paul Tomalin, ‘Bodies’ is the new British crime mystery thriller limited series streaming on Netflix. It is based on Si Spencer’s eponymous DC Vertigo comic and graphic novel. It follows narratives across four different timelines to follow the same investigation. Four detectives discover a naked body in the same area, which opens their investigation to a surprising set of discoveries. The series consists of eight episodes in total and stars Amaka Okafor (The Responder), Shira Haas (Unorthodox), Jacob-Fortune-Lloyd (The Queen’s Gambit), Kyle Soller (Anna Karenina), Tom Mothersdale (Electric Dreams) & Stephen Graham (This is England) in the central roles.
Spoilers ahead.
Bodies (Netflix Limited Series) Recap:
What is the British Netflix series ‘Bodies’ about?
‘Bodies’ is a new British limited series on Netflix that follows a murder investigation across different timelines. Four detectives in four different time periods of London investigate the cause of the same murder. So, the events take place in four different years – 2013, 1941, 1890, and 2050.
Bodies Episode 1 “You’re Dead Already” Recap:
In 2023, DS Shahara Hasan (Amaka Okafor) goes on her duty. Amidst the far-right group’s rally, she notices an Asian teen hiding in an alley. Although her seniors order her not to follow this lead, she decides to follow him. After tracking him for a bit, she stumbles upon a naked, dead body lying in barren Longharvest Lane, Whitechapel. Before running away to save himself, the teen says that he didn’t kill this man. Soon after, she learns details about the teen – Syed Tahir (Chaneil Kular), and his background in the childcare facility. She refuses to believe that he is a murderer.
Later on, after the lab results on this naked corpse, Hasan discovers some strange things. There are no bullet marks or any sign of a bullet hitting his body or passing through. DCI Jack Barber (Michael Jibson) expects Hasan to meet Syed’s sister Aliyah to know where Hasan is. While pursuing this investigation, she notices a teen in a yellow overcoat, noticing her from a distance. Eventually, Syed calls Hasan and asks her to meet him at a shopping mall alone. Upon meeting, he says that she was meant to find the body. He notes how ‘they’ know exactly what is going to happen. She tries to save him from the police, but he eventually shoots himself.
Later on, Hasan sees a photo of Syed just sometime before she met him. She notices the guy Syed spoke with is the same guy she noticed looking at her from a distance. They learn his name is Elias (Gabriel Howell).
The Past
Back in 1941, DS Karl Whiteman, aka Charlie (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd), wisely tackles his daily work. While tending to his seniors’ orders, he regularly receives calls from a mysterious woman, who leads him for some extra work. This time, she informs him to go pick a body at the Longharvest Lane at a particular time. He reaches there to find the exact naked body that Hasan finds in 2023. He notices a girl running away. While following her, he gets caught moonlighting by his senior. A sudden explosion ends up putting this officer under rubble. Meanwhile, the naked body remains in Whiteman’s car trunk. Afterwards, Calloway (Derek Riddell) appoints Whiteman to investigate this case. He pretends to have found that naked body in the car trunk.
The 1890s
Meanwhile, in 1890, DI Edmond Hillinghead (Kyle Soller) also comes across the exact same body in the Lane’s area. Like Hasan & Whiteman, he also notices a sign scratched on the lying body’s arm. While Hillinghead tries to deduce the reasons behind this strange incident, Reporter Henry Ashe (George Parker) gets manhandled by the police for taking photographs before they arrive. Hillinghead saves him and learns some details about what he saw. Later, he goes to Ashe’s place to see the photos. Hillinghead knows that – in order to save Ashe from prison, he needs an alibi. But, Ashe does not want to share the photos since they feature queer couples.
Hillinghead arrests Ashe on indecency charge. Eventually, he reveals that his alibi is the man in one of the photographs – a married man who was also the son of an officer. While Ashe manages to get out of prison, Hillinghead sees the photo of the dead body and sees a man’s face lurking in the background. Seeing that face, Ladbroke (Andrew Whipp) from the lab refuses to proceed with this investigation. So, we realize that this person is someone powerful.
The Future
Fast forward to 2053, we see the same face being projected on a wall. DC Iris Maplewood (Shira Haas) reaches a lane to find the same body other detectives found. While she suspects he is dead, she soon notices that he is alive.
Bodies Episode 2 “Do You Know Who I Am?” Recap
In 2023, the police arrives at Elias’ house to investigate his connection to the dead body case. Over there, Hasan finds photos of her and her family hidden in Elias’ room. Elias’ parents – Elaine & Andrew Morley, say that they don’t know anything about it. Meanwhile, in video footage, Hasan sees Elias talk about his recurring dreams, where he had to kill a boy even if he didn’t want to. Based on the lead of a van, Hasan suspects that the Morleys are lying. Upon getting questioned, they both just pass over a card from a lawyer.
Eventually, after Hasan’s repeated attempts to make her speak, Elaine mentions a specific campsite to look for a sign of Elias. Once the officers leave the premises, Elaine starts sharing more details – about how things that ‘they’ said have started happening – for e.g., Hasan showed up at their house as ‘they’ mentioned. While talking, Elaine implies danger to the lives of the police officers. Then, she bites off her own tongue to stop herself from revealing anything more. By the time Hasan can alert the officers inside the campsite, a bomb blows up.
Iris’s Learnings
In 2051, Iris cannot get over the shock of what she found. One night, her neighbor barges into her house and invites her to share drinks with her. While watching the news, the man from the hologram (the one we see towards the end of Episode 1) appears as the founder of The Executive and the country’s commander-in-chief, Elias Mannix (Stephen Graham). Later, at work, her senior stops her from investigating the murder case. Restless, Iris goes to meet her estranged brother, Alby (Edwin Thomas), and his family. She seeks his help finding information on the body’s DNA. According to his research, Alby learns that the man is Professor Gabriel Defoe (Tom Mothersdale), born in 2022.
Soon after, she gets called in to meet Mannix at his grand lab. We learn that his organization helped her walk again, and she worships Mannix for that significant change in her life. Mannix knows that she started investigating the naked body murder case on her own. Instead of punishing her for it, he instead appoints her to check if Professor Defoe, who looks identical to the body, has any terror connections.
Hillinghead & Whiteman’s Investigations
In 1890, Hillinghead is hellbent on finding who the mysterious person from the photo is. Soon after, Ashe suddenly shows up at his house. His wife, Charlotte (Amy Manson), senses something peculiar about her husband’s connection with this journalist. Although Hillinghead throws him out of the house, he meets Ashe again to present some other evidence. As per the evidence, the silhouette is of a man who has some issue with his leg, probably a limp. That’s why he would be using a cane.
In 1941, Whiteman shoots a man and frames him for the naked man’s death. He then informs the lady on the phone that their problem is solved, i.e., the murder won’t be traced back to him. However, Calloway starts suspecting Inspector Farrell’s death has more than what meets the eye. Although Whiteman tries to dissuade him, a young girl arrives at the station – saying she knows some things about the accident. He worries she will reveal the truth.
Bodies Episode 3 “All In Good Time” Recap
In 2023, Hasan’s associates fail to trace Elias’ location. But the explosion makes him their most wanted suspect. As if that’s not enough, Hasan has to worry about another matter. Before biting off her tongue, Elaine implied a threat to Hasan’s son’s life. So, Hasan returns home, worried, and puts her son to sleep. Then, a sound brings her to another room. Out of nowhere, she notices teen Elias in front of her. Luckily, the officers guarding her house arrive there and arrest him. However, at the station, Elias refuses to answer or speak with anyone except Hasan.
Eventually, he reveals that neither he nor Saed killed the man in the alley. He mentions that the body was found there, and Morleys had prior knowledge of it. Besides, he says that Hasan will play a crucial role in making Elias do some terrible things. But Barber catches up, hiding under the table to have a conversation. He puts a stop to it and arrests the kid despite Hasan’s opposition. Soon after, she walks back to the alley where she found the body. She notices a brick with a special mark and a name written underneath it. The name is Hillinghead.
Hillinghead meets Harker
In 1890, with journalist Ashe’s help, Hillinghead dug deeper into a man with a limp and a cane. They meet a cane maker to find an address. Over there, the two notice a man walking out of the house. Ashe recognizes him as Sir Julian Harker – one of the wealthiest men in the city. Hillinghead learns that Harker is skilled at predicting eerily perfect stock market prices. Soon after, he receives an invitation to visit Harker at his residence. Hillinghead walks through Harker’s dimly lit house. Upon being questioned, Harker portrays as if he has no connection to the man’s murder.
While summoning the spirits with other guests, he stumbles upon a name – Defoe. Moments after an old woman (Harker’s mother) asks about Defoe’s murderer, Hillinghead starts getting dizzy. After that, he only has a hazy memory of the fear he experienced. Later on, he shows up at Ashe’s house to talk about his experience at the Harker residence. He suspects the guests drugged Hillinghead. After spending a night at Ashe’s place, he gets intimate with the journalist.
Whiteman’s Risky Task
In 1941, Whiteman worries the young girl who walked into the station might ruin his career. He somehow manages to make her not share the actual details about what happened on the night he found the naked body. However, the lady on the call soon orders him to take care of the young girl, i.e., kill her. Hours later, he drives this girl – Esther, to do the deed. But he cannot muster the courage to do so. Instead, he offers her shelter at his apartment to keep her safe. Later, he lies to the lady on the call that he took care of the kid.
Chapel Perilous
In 2051, Iris brings Gabriel to see the body with a mark on its hand. Gabriel is surprised to see this person identical to him. A key difference is a mark on the body’s arm is absent on his. When he walks toward the body, it suddenly starts shaking and dies. Soon after this incident, she questions him about his connection to terrorist groups like Chapel Perilous, as per Mannix’s doubts. But Defoe mentions he knows nothing about them. Soon after, Mannix tells her that the body they found is of Professor Defoe from the future. Mannix tries to make her believe that Chapel Perilous is hellbent on destroying their whole world.
Bodies Episode 4 “Right Up The Wazoo” Recap
In 2023, Hasan looks for the name ‘Hillinghead’ in her database. She finds out that he was a DI in the 19th century. Upon hearing that, she decides to go through the archives of that year. She discovers a case from Longharvest Lane where Hillinghead found the naked body with a mark, exactly like she found it there. Besides that, she discovers that DS Whiteman found an identical body around the same place in 1941. After asking a colleague to check details on prints from 1890, she decides to tell Barber about her research. She reveals that the murder of the same person happened at the exact spot.
Soon after, she decides to trace its connection to the Morleys. Barber makes her check the details of the firm they shared the visiting card of. So, Hasan searches for Harker Legal and learns that it was found in 1894. In Andrew’s employment history, she learns that he was a security guard at the Harker house. Barber tells her to investigate it on her own. So, Hasan walks into a house to find old paintings and a music recorder. She plays the record to hear someone speak about Maplewood (DC Iris). Soon after, Andrew walks in, and she tries to hide herself. But he knows that she is there. He talks about the inevitability of events and brings her to a room with identical bodies kept inside some tubes. Andrew expects her to believe her role in this grand scheme of things. Since she keeps asking questions, he locks her in a basement.
The Naked Singularity
In 2051, Iris attends one of Gabriel’s lectures, where he talks about the principle of naked singularity in relation to the Deutsch particle. Based on that, Iris makes him accept that time travel is possible in theory. Later, she speaks with him about his dead doppelganger. He requests her to keep him safe since he does not wish to have the same fate as the body. She brings him back to her apartment, where they have honest conversations about their lives and bond well. Eventually, they start talking about free will.
Gabriel points out that all they have is just an illusion of choice and considers everything predetermined. She shares her belief that things are significantly better than what they once were. While he walks to the bathroom, her neighbor comes in, looking for her cat. Iris suspects that Gabriel ran away and goes out to find him. Eventually, she finds him but gets tasered by her neighbor. Turns out, she was on a mission with a group called Chapel.
1890 & 1941
In 1890, Hillinghead returns home after spending the night with Ashe. His daughter, Polly (Synnove Karlsen), shares good news about her life. He gifts her a pendant with his and Charlotte’s photo on one side and her photo on the other. Although he feels proud of her, he cannot contain his feelings for Ashe any longer. He returns to the journalist’s place to have sex with him. Then, he takes out a pair of glasses from his pocket. He remembers Barber kept them in his pocket.
In 1941, Calloway started getting suspicious about the culprits they found for the recent murders. Whiteman realizes that Calloway may want to bring Esther back to question her again. So, he decides to keep her hidden in the apartment. Later, after an explosion, he brings her outside. Esther helps an old woman enter a subway station. Whiteman leaves Esther for a few moments with the same woman. By the time he returns, he sees the crowd walking out. The old woman calls him Sergeant Whiteman, even though he never mentioned his name. Before leaving, she says – ‘Know you’re loved.’ Prior to that, she shows a pendant to Esther. It is the same one that her father – Alfred Hillinghead gifted her.
Bodies Episode 5 “We Are One Another’s Ghosts” Recap
In 2023, Barber rescues Hasan from the basement where Andrew locked her. But he refuses to let her proceed with this investigation. Meanwhile, her colleague gets the results on the prints from 1890. She says they are a 100% match to Elias Mannix’s prints. Hasan informs young Elias that his prints are identical to someone named Julien Harker. While trying to learn about their connection, she learns about his biological mother, Sarah. Hasan goes to meet her and tries to understand the truth. Upon seeing a photo, Hasan learns that Barber is Elias’ biological father.
By then, Barber realizes that Hasan knows this. Barber takes Elias out of their custody and does not respond to any calls. Hasan goes to Barber’s apartment to find a key next to a note with her name on it. She puts on a record to hear Elias speak about the connection between the past, present, and future. He says that they will certainly meet again.
Iris & Hasan’s Meeting
In 2051, Gabriel and Iris’ neighbor drive her to meet someone from the Chapel. Over there, she comes across old Shahara Hasan, who uses scare tactics that she knows about Mannix’s operation. To make Iris share the details, Hasan reveals that she is one of four detectives to have found the naked body in that Longharvest alley. She shows the photo of 15-year-old Elias Mannix and says that he detonated a bomb that killed half a million innocent people. According to her research, Mannix, from the 2050s, returns to 1890 to form a cult to create a chain of events that will make a younger version of him detonate a bomb. Hasan wants to stop Mannix from reversing the death of her young son. She also reveals what she heard in a recording by Mannix, where he mentioned Maplewood as someone important.
However, despite all this explanation, Iris does not believe a word said by Hasan. They bring her to witness ‘the Throat’ with the Deutsch particle, following the principle of temporal displacement – which defies the laws of physics. In its proximity, Iris feels dizzy and disoriented. Once she gets back to normal, Gabriel mentions that Mannix uses the Throat to return to the past. Hasan reveals that their attempts at stopping the loop failed repeatedly. Unlike Hasan, she does not think the world is worse than what it was. She works against them and alerts Mannix about this set-up. So, Hasan and her group members walk out. Mannix walks in to check the Throat that Gabriel mentioned to be the key to him detonating a bomb in ’23 and killing several civilians.
Polly Harker in 1941
In 1941, Whiteman tells the truth to Calloway about framing Cozens for the murder. He becomes determined to seek justice for Esther. So, Calloway reopens the investigation while letting Whiteman keep a tap on phone calls – to know how the old woman learned about Esther. Whiteman hears Kathleen from their station say the same phrase – ‘Know you are loved.’ After that, she tells the woman on the other side that Calloway has reopened the case and that the whole department is back on it. After getting arrested, Kathleen tells Whiteman about the old lady’s connection to a private switchboard at a bank named Harker and Co.
Once Whiteman reaches the bank, he notices the old woman, kidnaps her, and questions her about the murder in the alley. Eventually, Calloway arrives there to arrest both Whiteman and Polly. But Officer Hayden arrives there to stop him from arresting Polly. He kills Calloway and calls Polly, his mother. In 1890, Hillinghead questions Harker to disclose his connection to the murder since he was seen in the alcove behind. Harker says that he was waiting there to witness a miracle. To stop Hillinghead from looking into this matter, he threatens to disclose his homosexual relationship with Ashe, which was unlawful at the time. That is how Mannix manages to silence Hillinghead.
Bodies Episode 6 “The World Is Yours” Recap
In 2023, Hasan presents the audio recording to her seniors and shares her deduction – DCI Barber was Harker’s great-grandson, and Elias is his son. But the officers consider Elias’ warning about an upcoming bomb explosion a hoax. Why would someone record this in 1941? The officer questions. Hasan tries to figure out the answer. She suspects the key is to a place under a local bank. An employee brings her to an underground vault. She opens it to find a dark place with a phone. Once she holds the receiver, the bomb goes live. Barber, on the other side of the phone, reveals some crucial details. So, Hasan starts driving to find Elias, who has the bomb’s trigger.
Meanwhile, Barber persuades Elias to detonate the bomb to make him ‘realize his dreams.’ Once Hasan arrives there, they all listen to Mannix’s voice from 1941. It guides him to make a choice as a revolt against having always felt rejected. He instructs young Elias to return to 1890 and live his life as Sir Julies Harker. Luckily, an officer arrives there just in time and shoots Barber. Then, Hasan stops young Elias from pressing the trigger. She then drives him back to Sarah’s apartment and requests her to take him back. But Sarah rejects him despite Hasan’s repeated requests. This rejection makes him wish to escape his dreadful life to know that he is loved. That’s where the phrase originated – ‘Know you are loved’.
Why was Gabriel Defoe found dead at different times in the same lane?
In 2051, Elias’ men find Hasan & Defoe and bring them back inside. Hasan makes him accept the fact that he killed several innocent lives. Elias says he will do it again and forces Defoe to get him to return to 1890. Before leaving, he tells Iris that he is living the future he created in her hands. Suddenly, Iris decides to take a daring step that shapes the chain of events in all their lifetimes. She shoots him right in the eye, which leads him to the past in the same lane. So, she was the reason for his time travel. On the other hand, Mannix reaches 1889, naked, lying on the ground. He manically laughs, knowing Elias from 2023 took the step as he expected.
In 1941, Polly’s son – Hayden, brings Whiteman to speak about his role in the grand scheme of things. He shows photos from 1890 of a body identical to what he found. Hayden makes a counteroffer to him in exchange, sweeping his knowledge under the rug. Since Whiteman wants to know his boss, Hayden decides to take him to Harker House. But before they can leave, Whiteman strangles Hayden and keeps him locked inside. He then shows up at the Harker House to find Polly playing the piano. Whiteman shoots her and walks toward Harker’s room. He also shoots the old man as revenge for Esther’s death. Soon after, Whiteman gets arrested.
Hillinghead’s Confession
In 1890, Hillinghead shows up on Ashe’s doorstep. He reveals that he signed a deal clearing his alibi with the commissioner’s son. But he does not arrest Ashe and says he wants to warn him to run away. Soon after that intimate interaction, he returns home to tell his wife and daughter that he confessed to the murder from Longharvest Lane. Because of his signed agreement, police officers soon start knocking on the door to arrest him. Before leaving, he admits to his wife that he loves journalist Ashe.
Bodies Episode 7 “Catch Me If You Can” Recap
In 1889, Elias makes Lady Agatha Harker (Anna Calder-Marshall) believe that he is her son, Julian. That’s how he enters her residence to work on the next steps from his plan. The next year, he finds Professor Defoe’s body in the Longharvest lane. When Ashe arrives there, Harker hides in the alcove. That is why he was seen in the photo Ashe clicked off the incident. While keeping a watch on Ashe’s interactions with Hillinghead, he starts wooing Polly. After letting her play the piano at the Harker mansion, he notices her looking at a painting. She does not know that it shows Professor Defoe with a wounded eye.
Harker decides to buy a specific bank – that can help him in the further chain of events. Upon learning Hillinghead has incriminating evidence against him, Harker threatens him in the other way (as we see before). After Hillinghead kills a man, Polly requests Harker to help her father. Harker brings him outside his cell and admits that he has come from the future. Since Alfred does not approve of his marriage with Polly, he gets rid of it. Then, he lies to Polly that her father took his own life. Eventually, Julian and Polly get married. Once Polly gives birth to their baby, Julian reveals the truth about his cult. He takes her to the basement to show Defoe’s body. She recalls it as the one she saw in the painting. He then reveals the twisted logic of his existence. One man of their future generations will be his father. That is why he hoped to have a child with her – to ensure he would exist.
Iris’s Daring Plan
On 18 July 2053, Detective Maplewood gets questioned about Mannix’s disappearance. She hides the fact that she has met Shahara Hasan. After returning home, she looks through Defoe’s bag and tries to decipher a way to find him. She remembers the last words before she shot him – ‘Catch me if you can.’ This means he indicated his return. Right after, she goes to her brother’s house to find Hasan lying, injured. Iris mentions her regret of shooting Defoe. She asks Hasan for her help in saving the people from the explosion in 2023.
Four days later, they return to the same lane to notice a sudden flash of light, followed by Defoe’s body lying on the ground. To make things right, she seeks Defoe’s advice. Hasan feels that Mannix is meant to stay alive. Despite all her efforts, she could not make him change his mind. Iris decides to put a seed of regret in Mannix’s mind to fulfill their goal. To achieve this, she agrees to go through the same process that Defoe did. It lands her in the same lane as in the past.
Bodies Episode 8 “Know You Are Loved” Recap
In 1890, before anyone could reach her, Iris hid herself in the block nearby. Hasan and Defoe reach this place in their presence to notice Maplewood’s name next to Hillinghead’s. They realize this means Hillinghead is a witness to the ordeal. In the past, Iris arrives at the police office and tries to seek help from Hillinghead. He ignores her request and, instead, shares his confession letter for the Longharvest Lane murder. Once he gets thrown into the prison cell, he finds Iris in the next cell. She shares all the details he knows about the murdered body.
Iris agrees that she shot the naked man and shows the mark on her arm. She reveals that Sir Julian Harker is responsible for the death of several humans in their future. Now, she seeks Hillinghead’s help in putting an end to Harker’s/Mannix’s time loop. Soon after, Alfred gets dragged out of his cell to meet Harker. He calls Harker ‘Elias,’ which shocks him. It also makes him realize that Hillinghead knows his truth. Hillinghead makes Elias acknowledge that he won’t die loved. This seed of regret makes him question the morality of his actions.
Harker’s Lies
When Harker goes to the basement, Polly follows him to find Defoe’s body. She realizes this is the man her father confessed to have murdered. Harker scares her to go ahead with the pregnancy despite her reservations against him – since that is how he will exist. Upon the birth of their child, Harker begs her to tell the baby that he is loved. In 1941, the regret of his actions made him rethink his decision. He accepts that his existence is a lie and feels he should change what he says on the record. This time, he calls every word he uttered a lie. Eventually, when Whiteman arrives in his room to kill him, he seeks the detective’s help. He hands over a recording that shares the truth of his life.
Harker hopes it goes into the hands of Shahara Hasan. If Whiteman helps with it, several innocent lives can be saved, including Esther’s. Although Julian’s son, Hayden, announces Whiteman as a wanted murderer, Whiteman makes efforts to keep the record safe. He reaches the Longharverst lane to notice two other names. After carving another name on the top, he enters a pub. He makes other customers leave and then sits there on his own. The police cars soon arrive there to get hold of him. He invites Hayden, who makes his men shoot the detective dead. Before his death, Whiteman ensures to leave a mark behind.
Bodies (Netflix Limited Series) Ending Explained:
Do Maplewood, Hasan, and Defoe manage to break Mannix’s time loop?
In 1953, Hasan and Defoe notice Hasan’s name written on the wall. She starts sensing her memories change as a result of changes in the past. Upon reviving those memories, she thinks of the pub named The Silk. She believes Whiteman left something there for her to discover. But she knows that the pub was destroyed in the blast in 2023. Defoe suggests she go back 30 years to discover it. So, she goes back to 2023 and enters the same pub. She walks toward a group photo with Whiteman in it. That’s when she notices a mark on the frame.
Hasan takes the photo down to find a record hidden behind the painting. On the top, she sees it addressed to her from Whiteman. The 30-year younger her receives a call from 2053 her. She learns that she cannot let Elias call the number that would trigger the bomb. Eventually, the 2053 Hasan speaks with young Elias directly and makes him listen to the record of old him (from 1941) talking some sense in him. Through that voice, the old man makes the 15-year-old kid realize that he is loved despite the painful sacrifice he needs to make.
Upon hearing that, young Elias Mannix tears the paper, which breaks the time loop. However, this means Elias does not exist. As a result, he disappears within moments. Because of his sacrifice, Hasan’s son stays alive like several other innocent people. Esther also stays alive, and so does Hillinghead. On the other hand, Iris meets Shahara in 2023.
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