Fans of The Beast in Me have finally gotten the answers they were waiting for. The seventh episode, titled “Ghosts,” reveals the full story behind the central mystery of the series: the disappearance of Madison Jarvis. In a dramatic flashback to December 2019, the show confirms that Nile Jarvis did indeed murder his first wife in a violent confrontation.
The episode shifts away from the present-day cat-and-mouse game between Aggie and Nile to show the events that led to Madison’s death. It reveals that Madison, trapped in a frightening marriage, was secretly working with FBI Agent Brian Abbott to expose Nile’s shady business dealings. When Nile discovered her betrayal, his reaction was swift and brutal.
How Madison Became the FBI’s Informant
The flashback opens with FBI Agent Brian Abbott in the middle of a sting operation. He seizes millions in cash from a private jet connected to a cartel money-laundering scheme. This money was the same that saved the Jarvis family’s real estate project, Jarvis Yards.
At a party for Madison’s art gallery, Abbott arrests the money man, Pedro Dominguez. Publicly, Madison appears furious at Abbott for causing a scene. In reality, this was a cover for her fear. She was the one feeding information to Abbott all along. Desperate to escape her marriage, she confided in the agent that she believed Nile had killed a young sculptor she once mentored and that she feared for her own life.
She told Abbott that Nile had “something” in him and that people around him had been disappearing since he was 17.
Abbott urged her to simply divorce Nile, but Madison was convinced that trying to leave would get her killed. Her desperation was clear, and her fate was tragically sealed when her secret was exposed.
The Betrayal That Sealed Madison’s Fate
As the FBI investigation tightened, Nile grew paranoid, convinced someone close to him was the informant. He suspected Madison’s gallery assistant, Nina. He confronted Nina, accusing her of being the mole. Fed up with the Jarvis family’s drama and Nile’s accusations, Nina revealed the truth in a fit of anger.
She told Nile that Madison was the one meeting with Abbott, and that she had followed Madison to one of their secret meetings. To prove she was on Nile’s side, she handed over bottles of Madison’s medication that she had taken to prevent Madison from self-harming. This act, meant to save herself, ultimately sent Madison to her death.
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The Night of the Murder
Armed with this new information, Nile confronted Madison at her art gallery. She was there, gathering her passport and cash, seemingly preparing to flee. Their argument quickly turned physical. Nile grabbed Madison by the neck and strangled her, telling her, “Don’t make me do this, I love you!”
Madison managed to break free and use pepper spray on him, but she didn’t get far. Nile caught up to her and, in a final, brutal act, bludgeoned her to death with a small statuette from the gallery. The scene leaves no doubt about Nile’s capacity for violence.
The series finally shows it clearly: Nile kills Maddie with cold, instinctive brutality.
After the murder, a sobbing Nile called his father, Martin Jarvis, for help. Martin arrived with his brother, Rick, and they began the grim work of covering up the crime.
The Jarvis Family Cover-Up
Martin and Rick sprang into action to protect Nile and the family’s legacy. They cleaned the gallery, removing all traces of the murder. Madison’s body was placed in a suitcase and buried at a Jarvis construction site, cemented over to hide it forever.
To explain Madison’s sudden disappearance, they forged a suicide note. The next day, Nina discovered this note at the gallery, and the official story of Madison’s suicide was born. This cover-up bound Martin and Rick to Nile’s crime, making them accomplices and ensuring the truth would remain buried for years.
A Web of Corruption and Consequences
The episode also reveals how the Jarvis family ensnared other key characters. Erika Breton, an FBI agent, was drawn into their web in 2019 when her husband faced a felony charge. Rick Jarvis approached her with a deal: he would make her husband’s legal troubles disappear in exchange for inside information from the Bureau. Desperate to protect her family, Erika agreed, a decision that compromised her career and bound her to the Jarvis family.
The revelations in “Ghosts” redefine the entire series, showing that the monster Aggie senses in the present day was shaped and protected by a powerful system designed to hide the truth at any cost.
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