A Taste for Murder on ITV ending: What really happened to Joe's wife after that cliffhanger and news on series 2
Well that was a twist!
A Taste for Murder came to a brilliantly dramatic ending, with more loose ends than a worn-out dishcloth and the promise of a series 2 in the (smoky) Italian air…
The crime drama, with a hint of cosy, kept us guessing until the very end. But the closing minutes cemented Joe’s future, and unveiled the mystery at the heart of his wife’s death.
Viewers were introduced to DCI Joe Mottram, who decided to take a well-needed sabbatical after the sudden death of his Italian wife Sofia. For Joe, a summer visiting family in Italy was meant to offer refuge and a chance to heal broken family bonds – not least with his teenage daughter Angelica.
His in-laws Chef Gennaro and Elena Da Vinale ran a popular seaside restaurant, and they welcome Joe and Angelica with open arms. While there, police work is the last thing on Joe’s mind… But, of course, life had other plans.
But it wasn’t all murder and mystery. Along the way, Joe learnt to cook, and his lessons with Gennaro and Elena in the kitchen ultimately helped him to become a better cook, father and detective.
Italy – and its foods – helped heal Joe’s heart. He was able to reconnect with his daughter, relive the good memories with his late wife, and meet new friends. Basically Joe just needed a big old hug, and Italy enveloped him in one.
Here’s the ending of A Taste for Murder unpacked, and what we know about a possible series 2.
***Warning: spoilers from the ending of A Taste for Murder ahead***
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What happened in the series finale of A Taste for Murder?
The final episode concentrated on the Mafia’s presence in Capri, and Joe and Lara’s attempts to bring them down. But, of course, the Camorra was a beast with many heads. And, although they were able to take out some of the lower level “lieutenants”, they were not able to pin down the boss Rocco Di Biasi.
In the final episode, Joe discovered a hand found in a dead shark that had links to the Mafia. As he got closer to catching the crime boss, he struggled to come to terms with Angelica’s decision about her future…
Angelica had decided to stay in Italy with her Nonna Elena, and Nonno Gennaro. But where did that leave dad Joe?
What is the Camorra? Are they real?
The Camorra is a branch of the Mafia in Italy. A powerful criminal organisation originating from Naples and the Campania region, dating back to the 19th century. They are a real crime gang, not just made up for the purposes of A Taste for Murder.
Unlike the hierarchical Sicilian Mafia, the Camorra operates through hundreds of independent, often warring clans, focusing on drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering, and smuggling.
And you wouldn’t want to cross them. In this ITV crime drama, the Camorra was led by ‘boss’ Rocco Di Biasi. He posed as an executive pf a canning business owned by the family. But, in fact, the business was a front to traffic illegal prescription drugs, and other illegal items.
His “lieutenants” included Fabio Pigozzi, a high level enforcer who exhorted money from Gennaro. As well as Bernardo Ronzi, a key player in Rocco’s clan.
What happened in Joe’s past?
The show also teased a dark past for Joe. We learnt that Joe did not have a nurturing upbringing – which perhaps explained his awkward relationship with his daughter. He’d had no one to set a good example.
In a rare moment of transparency, Joe told his mother-in-law: “My mum, she made a lot of mistakes. The [drugs] kind.”
Revealing why he doesn’t talk about his mother much, he told his daughter: “She wasn’t really part of my life. Because she abandoned me. She was a normal kid apparently. Then her dad lost his job in the car factory and the family fell apart. She dropped out. Got into drugs, and all the [bleep] that goes with that. She was pregnant with me at 19. In and out of prison after that. Last time my nan Nellie saw her it was my fourth birthday. She turned up in a mortuary in Bradford six years later.”
Joe had lived with his nan until she died. And then he’d shuffled between care homes and foster homes. He’d never told his daughter before he didn’t want her to see him as “damaged”.
Of course, his tragic childhood and police career had all “hardened” him on the outside, making him “detached” and “unemotional”. It was his wife who “bulldozed through all that” and “bought him so much joy”. After her tragic death, Joe shut off his emotions again, as it was the only way he could cope.
He promises to be a better father to Angelica, and they shared a rather sweet moment. Yes, reader, we were crying.
A Taste for Murder ending: What really happened to Joe’s wife?
During A Taste for Murder, a grieving Joe struggled to ‘live life’ after the tragic death of his wife Sofia. We learnt that she had been killed in a hit and run car accident “11 months back”. She’d been on her bike when a car ploughed into her. So it was all very raw for Joe and his daughter Angelica, not to mention Sofia’s parents Elena and Gennaro Da Vinale.
Tragically, police had not caught Sofia’s killer. Joe told Lara: “That’s almost the worst part of it. I’ve had to sit on my hands.” Of course, being in Italy was “agony” for Joe as he was constantly being reminded of her.
However, those sofa sleuths amongst you probably guessed that Sofia’s accident wasn’t an accident. And this was confirmed in the closing minutes of the series.
The very lovely Inspector Lara Sarrancino had offered to look through Sofia’s case file as a favour to Joe, and a thanks for all his help as a consultant on her cases.
Taking a closer look at the crime scene, she saw a calling card left at the site of Sofia’s death. It was a playing card with the religious symbol of the secret heart. It’s a Mafia symbol – the Camorra. Why had they targeted Sofia? Perhaps as a warning to Gennaro, who they were exhorting in Italy.
Yes, it’s far fetched. To think the Camorra would go to England to take out a chef’s daughter. But if it means a series 2, we’ll forgive and forget!
A Taste for Murder ending: Did Joe and Lara bring down Rocco Di Biasi?
Rocco Di Biasi, a leading figure of the Camarro, was a dangerous man. And he was exhorting money from Gennaro. The chef had borrowed money from Rocco’s men to open a bar in town. But when he “overextended himself” he had to close. However, even though he’d paid Rocco Di Biasi back “every cent”, the gang leader started demanding “interest payments”. It had been going on for two years, leaving Gennaro in financial straits. The restaurant was close to closing. Gennaro told Joe: “You say no to these people, you end up dead.”
As well as Gennaro’s involvement, Joe’s daughter Angelica had also fallen foul of the gang. She’d fallen for Daniele, before discovering he was selling the gang’s drugs as a street courier. One night, he spiked Angelica’s drink and, while she was passed out, looked like he was about to rape her. Until Joe turned up, and punched his lights out.
So for Joe, brining down Rocco Di Biasi was personal. In the ending of A Taste for Murder, several lower ranking players were in custody, including Daniele. He’d been charged with possession with intent to supply, and maliciously administering substances with intent to engage in non-consensual sexual activity.
In a ting operation, Joe and Lara had caught the clan illegal smuggling in gold – via a shark, no less. With that much unlicensed gold, the criminals were looking at eight years in prison. Di Biasi had lost a top lieutenant and a key enforcer, as well as losing the best part of 5million euros.
But the boss? Well Rocco Di Biasi was still free, having made his underlings do the dirty work…
Will Joe and Emily stay in Italy?
In the final episode of A Taste for Murder, Joe’s daughter Angelica had decided to stay in Italy. She wanted to do a business course, and work at her grandparents’ restaurant.
She told her dad: “I want to stay. I’m 17, you can’t stop me. The support I need is here, not there [in the UK]. I need you, but you’re never here.”
Joe replied: “You should stay. Get to know your mum’s roots, and her family. Figure out what you want to do, who you want to be.”
Although Joe promised to be a better father, he decided to go back to the UK. Even though the Capri police offered him a job. Commissario Curti asked him to stay, and help bring down Rocco Di Biasi. He suggested Joe transfer to Naples for a year as a specialist advisor. After all, he’d already been consulting on a number of tricky cases.
As he prepared to travel back to England, Joe told Lara: “I don’t know if I’m ready to move yet. leave stuff behind.’ Although he added: “This isn’t goodbye.”
And he wasn’t wrong. Moments later, Lara chased him to tell him the latest update on his wife’s now suspicious death. Joe subsequently received a call that changed everything. An upset Angelica phoned her dad with the scary news that the restaurant was on fire after being firebombed. Of course, the culprits were the Camorra. Once again, they’d left a calling card.
As he was dragged from the wreckage, Gennaro’s nephew Luca told Joe: “My fault Joe. Wrong people. Wrong questions.”
Is there a series 2?
Although neither BritBox nor ITV has confirmed a series 2 of A Taste for Murder, we’ll bet our last penny that there’ll be an announcement soon. There’s so much to like here – stunning locations, great characters, and a murky underworld with fingers in lots of filthy pies.
There’s plenty more to explore, not least the beautiful landscapes of Italy. Joe and Lara need to bring down the Camarro, or probably die trying. A brilliant double-act, we want to see more of them. And, yes, see Joe find love – with Lara maybe, or restaurant worker Daria.
Elena and Gennaro will need to rebuild the restaurant, and both Joe and Angelica must rebuild their lives after the death of Sofia.
Watch this space for more news on A Taste for Murder when we get it.
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