The game has changed completely for Jonathan Pine. In the final moments of The Night Manager Season 2, Episode 3, Pine makes a discovery that shatters his reality: his nemesis, the notorious arms dealer Richard Roper, is alive. This revelation upends the entire premise of the new season and sends Pine back into a direct confrontation with the man he thought he had defeated a decade earlier.
The Hunt for Proof and a Deadly Partnership
Jonathan Pine, operating under the alias Matthew Ellis, is deep undercover within Teddy Dos Santos’s criminal organization in Colombia. His mission is to secure proof that the British government is involved in an illegal arms deal with Teddy. The key piece of evidence is the shipping manifest for a weapons shipment currently impounded in a local port.
With the help of Teddy’s associate, Roxana Bolanos, Pine orchestrates a tense operation to photograph the documents. However, their partnership is strained. Roxana demands full immunity and a clean escape in exchange for her help, reminding Pine that he is not in control of the situation. Meanwhile, Pine’s financial maneuver to gain Teddy’s trust hits a major obstacle. His MI6 colleague, Basil, is forced to pull back a critical $20 million transfer after their superior, Mayra Cavendish, discovers the secret offshore account containing Roper’s old fortune. This delay nearly costs Pine his life, as a furious Teddy takes him out on a boat and chains him to an anchor.
A Fake Identity and a Ghost from the Past
A name begins to surface that puzzles Pine: Gilberto Hanson. He overhears Teddy seeking approval from this mysterious figure to assassinate a prosecutor who is blocking the weapons shipment. Pine tasks his team with identifying Hanson, only to receive a shocking report: the real Gilberto Hanson died in a helicopter crash 17 years ago. Someone is using a dead man’s identity.
Pine follows Teddy to a secret meeting at a hilltop restaurant, believing Hanson is the mastermind he needs to expose. As he watches from a distance, a familiar voice pierces through the quiet. The figure who arrives is not a stranger. It is Richard Roper, played by Hugh Laurie, very much alive and conducting business.
“It is the most important moment in the show in terms of everything that then follows on from that,” said screenwriter David Farr. He intentionally wrote the scene so Roper’s voice is heard before he is seen. “You hear it and you think, ‘Oh, God, I know that [voice].’”
The Collapse of a Decade of Belief
This single moment dismantles the last ten years of Pine’s life. The season premiere showed a flashback where Angela Burr identified Roper’s corpse in a Syrian morgue, seemingly confirming his death. Roper’s return proves that was an elaborate deception. The implication is staggering: Angela Burr may have lied, or she was also fooled. Furthermore, it reveals that Teddy is not merely following in his father’s footsteps but is actively running the criminal enterprise alongside him.
Tom Hiddleston, who plays Jonathan Pine, described the character’s reaction as a moment where “the sky is falling.”
“There is a mixture of shock, grief, disenchantment, disillusionment, surprise and perhaps even relief,” Hiddleston explained. He said that for Pine, who only feels alive when in extreme peril, “the dragon is alive” again.
The discovery also recontextualizes Pine’s entire mission. He is not just investigating a new threat but uncovering a deeper, more personal betrayal that goes to the highest levels of British intelligence.
Fan Reactions and a Major Cliffhanger
The twist ending generated immediate and strong reactions from viewers. On social media, fans expressed their shock, with one writing, “The end of episode 3 of The Night Manager?!???!? WHAT THE F***?!??? HOW?!!????”. Others praised the bold storytelling, calling it a “brilliant twisty ending”. However, some criticism emerged online regarding the season’s pacing and plot complexity.
The episode leaves several urgent questions unanswered. How did Roper fake his death and evade capture? To what extent is Mayra Cavendish involved in his scheme? Most pressingly, how will Jonathan Pine survive now that both Teddy and Roper know an infiltrator is close to exposing their operation? The final three episodes of the season will now pivot to this renewed, explosive conflict.
Also Read: Love Between Lines: Release Info, Cast Details, Streaming Platforms and More
