'The Imposter' Ending Explained: The Search For Real Amanda, Tragic Death And An Unimaginable Finale

From the very first episode, viewers are aware that 'Amanda' isn't who she said she was. However, no one, including the 'O'Riley' family, was ready for the chaos she would bring with her arrival in Melbourne. It all begins with a chance encounter with 'Simon O'Riley', presenting an opportunity to a con-woman named 'Claire' in England, who decides to pretend to be his mom's long-lost daughter. Their plan is simple: divide the family, conquer the business, and sell it for millions.

However, while their plan starts off great with 'Helen' being elated about her daughter's return, 'Simon's' other siblings, 'Kate' and 'Ian', are not impressed. Especially because it paints them in a bad light, so they plan to overmedicate their mother. Nonetheless, with bodies piling up, the real 'Amanda' stays absent. Now, the question is: which pair will succeed, or is there another twist waiting to throw them off balance? Let's find out.

The Imposter and the search for the real 'Amanda'

The Imposter, like its name, is the saga of a missing daughter and a con artist who tries to take her place. However, when 'Kate' realises that her fake sister, 'Amanda', is playing her, she decides to do her own digging and reaches out to the real 'Amanda's' father, 'Bill'. She hopes that 'Bill' would tempt 'Amanda' away from their mother, allowing 'Kate's' own fractured relationship with her mother to heal.

However, instead, 'Kate' triggers a dramatic chain of events, as it turns out 'Bill' had already been in contact with 'Amanda' (the real one), and was aware that she was now living in Perth with a son of her own. The hurt father, thinking her daughter would be in Melbourne and not tell him, sends her an e-mail asking to meet up, which leads the real 'Amanda' (Dannii Minogue) to realise that someone was pretending to be her.

The dead bodies fall before the final showdown

Bodies are piling up rather quickly, with the first fatality being the local thug, 'Ryder', who cornered 'Todd' about his shady business dealings. The latter is later seen disposing of the body, but it was actually 'Claire/Amanda' who killed him. On the other hand, 'Todd' is cornered after 'Ryder's' girlfriend, 'Eden' blackmails him with the pictures of him moving the body. While initially she wants him to stay quiet, 'Todd' arrives at the rental home she was staying at high as a kite and drowns her in the pool.

However, it's the third death that really gets to the 'O'Riley' family as 'Ian' is next to go after he was caught going through 'Claire/Amanda's' purse, retrieving her passport, and seeing her real name. She kills him with GHB that she'd found after 'Todd' disposed of it, later making it look like a sordid, autoerotic asphyxiation experiment gone wrong. The death breaks the family, with 'Helen' blaming 'Ian's' husband, 'Lee', for her son's death. Our con-woman laps it up at the funeral, and uses it as an excuse to get even closer to her ailing 'mother'.

Will the fake 'Amanda' be exposed?

While 'Helen' grieves her son, suspicions around 'Amanda' continue to grow. 'Kate' knows that 'Amanda' instructed 'Ian' to get the passport for her and questions why she left the latter's home early, but 'Claire/Amanda' is one step ahead, already getting a forged passport with her fake name to replace her real one. On the other hand, 'Kate's' husband is baffled that GHB is suddenly in 'Ian's' bloodstream. However, 'Todd' uses the entire fiasco to pin 'Ryder' and 'Eden's' demise on 'Lee' as well.

'Todd' sneaks into 'Ian's' house and plants more drugs. But surprise! 'Claire/Amanda' is already there, though neither admits what they're there for. While 'Simon' seems to be the champ in the elaborate scheme, he starts questioning 'Claire' as well, especially when she pressures him to give her an alibi for the night 'Ian' died. However, some cards tumble for 'Claire' when 'Helen' gets a surprise visit from 'Bill', whom she had already met in the UK while working at the adoption agency, having helped him when he was looking for the real 'Amanda'.

While she avoids meeting 'Bill' and comes up with an elaborate story for 'Helen' to send him away, more questions and tension arise, forcing 'Claire' to think faster. She arranges for a lawyer to draw up a medical power of attorney court order on 'Helen', citing her increasing blindness as a reason she's no longer capable of running the hotel, and forces 'Helen' to sign them, leaving 'Simon' in charge of the business. By the time 'Bill' realises there is a fake 'Amanda/Claire' and rushes to confront her, she is already off on a trip with 'Simon' and 'Helen'. 

The trio leaves for a bushland. However, not before 'Claire' runs over 'Todd', leaving him for dead in the parking lot. The real 'Amanda' finally arrives with her son, 'Thomas', at the hotel and is soon introduced to 'Kate' by 'Bill', and now nearly everyone knows the truth. In the climax 'Simon' confronts 'Claire' and she admits to killing 'Ryder' and 'Ian'. She also shares her intent to push 'Helen' off the cliff, but 'Simon' pushes her to her death instead. When the police are called, 'Helen' denies seeing anything, citing her blindness.

What happens to 'Todd' and the real 'Amanda'?

At the hospital, 'Todd' hardly escapes the hit-and-run alive, with 'Simon' there to greet him as he wakes up. The latter tells him they need to get their story straight, and later claims 'Claire' had confessed everything to 'Todd' before running him over. 'Helen' finally meets the real 'Amanda' and her grandson she had no idea existed. With the family now completed, the real mother and daughter embrace as they look at the sunset together.

What are your thoughts on The Imposter? Let us know.

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