What happens to Seamus Gallagher at the end of Bodkin is rather vague, leading many fans to wonder about the character’s death. While Seamus (David Wilmot) doesn’t start out being one of the main characters of the seven-episode Netflix limited series, he eventually becomes a pivotal figure in the mystery that unfolds. However, unlike the plotlines for many of the other characters on the show, the ending for Seamus is more ambiguous and leaves some room for interpretation. Here’s an explanation of what happens to Seamus in the finale episode of Bodkin.
Bodkin Ending Explained: Is Seamus dead at the end of Bodkin?
It is presumed that Seamus is not dead in the Bodkin ending and that he has likely been arrested by Interpol agents.
In the last episode of the series, Seamus Gallagher — otherwise known as Jack McFadden or “The Badger” from his smuggling days — tries to escape by raft. After tying Gilbert (Will Forte) to a large stone in an underground cave and setting a bomb using the explosives he hid inside teddy bears, he understandably attempts to flee from the McArdles, a family of rival smugglers that want to settle an old grudge.
But then Dove (Siobhán Cullen), after releasing Gilbert from his confines, runs out to the beachfront and stabs the inflatable raft to prevent his escape. Though he still holds the detonator to the bomb, the investigator stalls him long enough for the McArdles, poorly disguised as ghosts during the Samhain festival, as well as a group of Interpol agents to arrive on the cliffside. Dove then tells Seamus that he has a choice to make between the McArdles and the agents, though both choices aren’t great for him.
The next scene we see of them then skips ahead. We see a shot of Seamus and the McArdles having disappeared from the rocky shoreline, with five ghost costumes left behind. We don’t see a dead body anywhere, likely meaning that there was no bloody gunfight. Thus, the assumption is that Seamus chose to be arrested by Interpol, who also most likely took the McArdles into custody as well. We don’t get any more concrete information than that.
While Seamus will likely be charged for the illegal trade of eels and for the bomb explosion during the festival, it’s unclear what the fate of the McArdles might be. It’s also uncertain whether Sean, who was revealed as Seamus’s son, would keep in contact with his newly revealed father. But given that Seamus blasted his thumb off, the answer is probably not much, if at all. We might know more if there’s a second season, though much of the story is wrapped up by the end.
