I Came By ending explained - what actually happened at the end of the Netflix drama?

Downtown's Hugh Bonneville stars in the Netflix thriller

I Came by Netflix
(Image credit: Netflix)

You may be used to seeing Hugh Bonneville play the nice guy in films such as Paddington and Downton Abbey, however, in the Netflix thriller I Came By, he plays the villain.

Of course, this isn't known at the start of the film. Hugh, who starred in the latest Downtown Abbey movie, plays Sir Hector Blake, shown to be an upstanding pillar of society and a retired High Court judge, it originally looks as though he is the victim of a break-in.

The film starts with two politically motivated graffiti artists, Toby and best friend Jay Agassi, spray painting the homes of wealthy Londoners, leaving a message which says 'I Came By' on their walls. 

However, the film gets interesting when Toby breaks into Hector's house and realizes, that in his basement, he's holding someone against their will. It then follows a series of events where Toby attempts to uncover the truth and free the prisoner - but like any thriller not all goes to plan...

What happened at the end of I Came By on Netflix?

The twists and turns in the drama I Came By, have left many Netflix fans confused, wondering what the ending meant.

The ending is set a few months after both Toby and Lizzie go missing, with Jay attempting to find out what happened in a bid to help his best friend. Jay breaks into Hector's house, but a fight ensues, leaving viewers thinking that Jay will meet a grisly ending.

However, he manages to take control and finally helps to free the prisoner, Ravi. However, there's no sign of Toby or his mother, making him believe they must have been killed.

When the police arrive they find no sign of Jay, but prisoner Ravi is outside of the house. Hector, meanwhile has been left tied up in his house, with the words 'I came by' graffitied on the wall above him.

The ending is left open, however, as while the police have the prisoner and villain in custody it's Ravi's word against Hector, and Hector seems to have some friends in high places. 

Do Lizzie and Toby die in I Came By?

I Came By on Netflix

(Image credit: Netflix)

Toby is killed by Hector in I Came By after he breaks into his house again, to try and free the prisoner, Ravi, who has been held in his basement.

After reporting what he found in the house to the police Toby watches as they enter and look for the prisoner, but their search doesn't find anything, or Hector's ties to the police are helping them stay quiet. 

Toby, before telling his best friend Jay, about what he found in the house, attempts to rescue Ravi - but Hector is lying in wait and kills the graffiti artist before he gets to the prisoner. You then see Hector flushing his ashes down the toilet, in a bid to get rid of the evidence.

Lizzie, Toby's mother, who is played by Line of Duty's Kelly MacDonald, knows that something's not quite right with her son, but it's not until Toby goes missing that she starts to look into his disappearance. Tracking down Hector, after following clues that her son has left, she starts to follow him. 

But, before Hector is caught we see Lizzie in his basement and a series of clues, such as her identification being burnt, makes us think that he may be planning to kill her. However, we get no real confirmation that Lizzie has been murdered.

Sarah Finley

Sarah is a freelance journalist - writing about the royals and celebrities for Woman & Home, fitness and beauty for the Evening Standard and how the world of work has changed due to the pandemic for the BBC. 

 

She also covers a variety of other subjects and loves interviewing leaders and innovators in the beauty, travel and wellness worlds for numerous UK and overseas publications. 

 

As a journalist, she has written thousands of profile pieces - interviewing CEOs, real-life case studies and celebrities - interviewing everyone from Emma Bunton to the founder of Headspace.