Who killed Angela Burr and why? 'The Night Manager' writer explains and confirms Pine's feelings for Teddy
If you finished 'The Night Manager' Season 2 finale feeling hollow, stunned, and slightly betrayed by your television, you're not alone. The closing chapter of the season was nothing short of punishing. By the end, Richard Roper has once again slipped the net, Teddy is dead, and Angela Burr is gone. Tom Hiddleston's Jonathan Pine walks away breathing, yes. Whole? Not even close. Naturally, viewers were left scrambling for answers and asking the same questions over and over again. The biggest one is: Who killed Angela Burr? And maybe more importantly, why was she marked for death at all?
Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) is gunned down inside her own home. Just before it happens, she's shown desperately recording a voice message, clearly trying to preserve everything she knows about Roper's operations and the wider conspiracy. She knows time is running out. She feels it. When her body is later found by her young daughter, the killer is already gone. No clues. But according to writer David Farr, focusing on the identity of the gunman misses the point entirely. As quoted by Radio Times, "Who literally pulled the trigger, I think, is irrelevant," he said. "We're in a world of hired killers here. Nobody goes and does the job themselves, let's be completely clear about that."
"But the choices behind it and the reasons behind it... Those absolutely count. So her death will absolutely figure very strongly as an ignition point for the next season, because we're going to follow on quicker this time. There will be consequences," Farr continued. He also made it clear that, at its core, the series is about two men locked in a destructive dance. "It's a show about Pine and Roper," said Farr. "Burr's role, in Season 1, was to be the good angel in Pine's ear. Burr's smaller role in Season 2 was compromised by her very problematic decision to lie [about Roper's ‘death’], and then a redemptive arc for her."
He added, "I didn't want to try to persuade her to play a jolly, enjoyable supporting role in Season 3, being the head of a nice support team. It's much better to give her a seismic moment, which reads really meaningful from a narrative point of view." Then there's Teddy (Diego Calva). Because yes, the finale wasn’t done hurting us. One of the more devastating threads this season explored was the connection between Pine and Teddy. And according to the creative team, it wasn't imagined. Far be it from anyone to soften the blow, but the answer to whether Pine and Teddy were truly in love is a firm yes.
Farr described the connection as a "deep, deep attraction"—one that was never going to be acted upon because of the danger surrounding them. Director Georgi Banks-Davies agreed, making it even more explicit. She revealed, "There is no doubt that they love each other." She also addressed any lingering doubts about whether Pine was simply manipulating Teddy as part of his cover. "No, he isn't, actually–he falls for him, and I really strongly believe that," she said. Looks like we'll have to wait for Season 3, which is already in development, as per TV Insider, to see how all of this finally comes crashing down.
