WARNING: This article contains MAJOR spoilers for Inside Man.An Inside Man post-credits scene reframes the audience’s understanding of one particular central character, and appears to set up a second season of Steven Moffat’s thriller. The final episode of Inside Man seemingly wraps up the story of how the lives of David Tennant’s upstanding vicar Harry Watling and Stanley Tucci’s death row prisoner Jefferson Grieff intersect via missing math tutor Janice Fife (Dolly Wells). Janice has been rescued, Harry has been imprisoned, and Jefferson Grieff has helped to save Janice, thus redeeming himself before his execution. However, a surprise post-credits scene reveals that, for Grieff and Janice at least, the story is far from over.
In the post-credits scene which follows the ending of Inside Man season 1, Janice visits Jefferson Grieff in prison to offer him a case. However, unlike the mystery of Janice’s disappearance, her case is very different, as the crime hasn’t yet happened. Stating that she wants Grieff’s help with the murder of her husband, it’s revealed that Janice’s husband is still very much alive, so rather than solve a murder, she wants Grieff’s help to commit one. It’s a huge twist that not only sets up Inside Man season 2, but forces the audience to rethink what they thought about Janice, who previously showed no sign of being in a relationship, let alone a marriage.
Why Does Janice Want To Kill Her Husband?
When confronted about the fact that her husband isn’t dead, Janice replies, “No, but he deserves to be.” As established by his declining of the case of the mystery $253.55 payments, Grieff only accepts cases of moral worth. Due to her friendship with Beth (Lydia West), the journalist who hired Grieff to solve Janice’s disappearance, Janice must know of Grieff’s very particular reasons for accepting a case. This means that Janice believes that the murder of her husband would constitute a moral act, that the world would be better off without him.
When audiences are introduced to Janice in Inside Man episode 1, she steps in to stop Beth being harassed by a drunk man on the London Underground. Beth is immediately surprised by this altruistic act, believing that not everyone would do the same thing. It’s possible that Janice’s actions were inspired by some previous experience of male privilege and misogyny, perhaps during her marriage. It’s possible, therefore, that Steven Moffat could tackle domestic abuse in Inside Man season 2.
Whether domestic abuse or something else entirely, Janice clearly has some darkness in her past. The way she confidently handles herself during her imprisonment by Harry and the way she plays both Harry and his wife Mary off against each other shows that either she’s very calculating, or has had some experience in similarly fraught situations. All that’s been revealed about Janice’s husband so far in Inside Man is that he’s not dead, and that Janice had previously denied ever being married, opening up some fascinating possibilities for Inside Man season 2.
What Janice Visiting Grieff Sets Up For Inside Man Season 2
The most intriguing possibility of Janice’s visit to Grieff is how the two mirror each other. Jefferson Grieff killed his wife, and Janice Fife wants to kill her husband, which would provide a fascinating dynamic between the two characters in Inside Man season 2. It’s also revealed in the post-credits scene that there is only one week before Grieff faces execution for the murder of his wife, so he has a limited amount of time to help with Janice’s request.
It’s clear that the parallels between Janice and Jefferson’s murderous intentions toward their spouses would be a compelling story for Steven Moffat to tell. The parallels between the two characters would also provide a reason for revisiting characters like Janice’s friend and journalist Beth, Harry’s son Ben, and the return of David Tennant as Harry in the Netflix show. Death row inmates are often visited by spiritual advisors in their final 24 hours, and Grieff could opt for a video call with former vicar Harry to tell the story of his wife’s murder, as promised in the final scene before the credits.
Will Inside Man Season 2 Happen? What We Know
Promoting Inside Man before its original airing on the BBC in the UK, Steven Moffat stated that Inside Man was self-contained. While this is technically true, given how the story of Harry and Janice is wrapped up by the time the credits roll, it’s also likely Moffat was keeping the post-credits scene a secret. In a typically jokey and self-deprecating tweet before the show dropped on Netflix worldwide, former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat asked his followers to “Please watch so I can get more television work and support my family“. It’s a joke about the precarious nature of the screenwriter’s career, but also reflects the fact that Inside Man season 2 has not been officially confirmed as a Netflix show or an upcoming BBC venture.
A strong response on Netflix, combined with the solid ratings the show received on the BBC will guarantee another season of the thriller. Moffat has said it’s up to the audience to decide if they want another series, and he would have to think about what the story would be. However, the post-credits scene from the Inside Man finale proves the writer already has that story in mind, and is just waiting on the greenlight to start telling it.
All four episodes of Inside Man are streaming now on Netflix.
