Breaking Down the Gripping Ending of Under a Dark Sun

Time​ Magazine

09-07-2025

Under a Dark Sun, a new French miniseries from Netflix, ends on a series of revelations that bring closure to the central mystery, while exposing deep-rooted secrets and morally grey decisions. Across six tightly woven episodes, the story follows Alba, a single mother with a troubled past, as she takes a job at a secluded flower farm in Provence. After the sudden death of the farm's patriarch, Arnaud Lasserre, Alba becomes the main suspect. But what begins as a murder case quickly spirals into something much more complex: a dark family history full of hidden paternity, forced silence, and decades of manipulation.
Here's a breakdown of what really happens in the final episode—and how the ending reshapes everything we thought we knew.
Who is Alba's biological father?
One of the key threads running through the series is the mystery of Alba's parentage. As the series unfolds, there are several hints that suggest she is connected to the Lasserre family. Though viewers are led to believe that Arnaud is Alba's father, the finale reveals a bigger twist: Alba is the daughter of Mathieu, Arnaud's son.
We learn that years earlier, Mathieu had a brief affair with Nadia, a young worker on the farm. When their relationship ended, he had no idea she was pregnant. Arnaud, determined to preserve the family's image, forced Nadia to give up the baby and leave the property after he learned of the pregnancy. Alba was raised far from the farm, unaware of her origins, while Mathieu remained oblivious to the fact that he had fathered a child.
Mathieu begins to suspect the truth after noticing Alba's resemblance to Nadia. He secretly takes a DNA test, which confirms his suspicions.
Why did Arnaud include Alba in his will?
When Arnaud dies, Alba's sudden appearance in his will catches everyone off guard — until the full story comes to light.
Years after being expelled from the farm, Nadia reconnects with Alba and tries to secure a better future for her daughter. She contacts Arnaud via email, including photos of Alba and her son, and reminds him of how he forced her to give up her child. In exchange for keeping the past buried, Nadia demands that he formally recognize Alba as an heir.
To avoid public scandal, Arnaud complies and quietly adds Alba to his will, granting her a portion of his estate.
Who killed Arnaud?
The central mystery is resolved in the final episode: the killer was Manon, Arnaud's granddaughter and Mathieu's daughter.
Manon discovers that her mother, Joséphine, had been institutionalized years earlier by Arnaud to keep her from revealing that Mathieu fathered a child with Nadia. Joséphine was effectively erased from the family. Once Manon finds her hidden away in a psychiatric facility, she decides to take revenge.
She kills Arnaud, then infiltrates the investigation by pretending to be Alba's lawyer — a calculated move to steer the narrative and protect herself.
Valentin and the attempt to kill Alba
Valentin first appears as someone who might support Alba. However, his true role is revealed later in the series.
Manon has actually hired Valentin to assassinate Alba. When the plan fails, she turns on him and frames him for Arnaud's murder. This not only shifts suspicion away from her, but also eliminates a potential threat to her cover story.
Hadrien's death and Léo's misjudgment
Hadrien, Manon's brother, is killed in a tragic case of mistaken identity. Léo — Alba's son — goes to the farm to practice archery with him. But when Léo sees a tattoo on Hadrien's back, he panics. It matches the tattoo of the person who had kidnapped him earlier in the series.
Believing Hadrien was his abductor, Léo shoots and kills him.
Later, it's implied that the actual kidnapper was Manon, who has the same tattoo. The mix-up between siblings leads to another irreversible loss and becomes the basis for a final deal between Alba and Manon.
The pact between Alba and Manon
With both women holding damning secrets about each other — Manon's role in Arnaud's death and Léo's responsibility for Hadrien's — they strike a private agreement.
They fabricate a version of events in which Hadrien is framed as Arnaud's killer. This allows the investigation to be closed without further scrutiny. Neither Manon nor Alba faces justice, but both walk away with something preserved: freedom, or at least the illusion of it.
The ending doesn't offer moral resolution — only a calculated exchange of silence.
Alba's new life and the fate of the farm
In the final scenes, Alba is working at a quiet restaurant, far removed from the drama of the Lasserre estate. There's no sign that she has kept in touch with Manon or anyone else from the farm. It's not a triumphant rebirth, but rather a quiet attempt to move on.
In a subtle final twist, it's revealed that Nadia — Alba's mother — has purchased the flower farm. It's a quiet reclaiming of what was taken from her years ago. Without confrontation, she returns — this time with ownership, not exile.