Mint on BBC One ending: How Shannon avenged Arran's death, fate of Evans family, and news on series 2
Did Shannon get her happy ending?
Mint on BBC One has come to an emotionally-fraught ending, with Shannon finally taking control of her own destiny and avenging Arran’s death.
The eight-part series started as a love story, but ended as a revenge fable. It was about love, grief, family, and loss. All of life’s big feelings. Shannon, despite the violent criminal underworld she’d been bought up in, dreamt of a fairytale romance.
And, in episode 1 of the drama, it looked like she’d finally found it in Arran. Sparks flew in the most magical of ways – and we mean literally! – when Shannon and Arran met and became “smitten” with each other. Shannon fell hard, which made Arran’s tragic death all the more unbearable.
Like Romeo and Juliet, the pair were from warring criminal gangs. Their fledging love affair was tragically cut short when Arran was murdered right in front of Shannon. And the killer was supposed to be on her ‘side’.
The ending of Mint on BBC One saw Shannon take her revenge on Sam, Arran’s killer. But at what cost?
***Warning: spoilers from the ending of BBC One drama Mint ahead***
What happened in the Mint ending on BBC One?
In the final episode of Mint on BBC One, Shannon was ready to take control of her life, even if it meant building dangerous new alliances.
Viewers knew that her dad Dylan had stepped away from the family ‘business’ [involving all sorts of shady criminal activity], leaving the daily running of it to long-serving member Sam. But Sam was little more than a thug, and didn’t play by the rules. He choose violence every time.
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In truly shocking scenes at the end of Mint episode 4, Sam murdered Arran as Shannon watched helpless to stop him. Yes, he was in a disguise but we all knew it was him. It was horribly clear that Sam had unrequited feelings for Shannon, and hated her relationship with gang (and love) rival Arran.
In episode 8, Shannon had embarked on a relationship with Sam, the very person who had killed the man she loved. In a bid to protect her family from the unhinged criminal, she faked affection for Sam. But she was plotting revenge all along…
Did Shannon avenge Arran’s death?
Yes, Shannon took revenge on Sam for killing Arran. But not before some tense scenes. As Shannon celebrated her birthday with her family, Sam was also at the intimate celebrations. And it was clear that Sam and Shannon were a couple.
Was she planning to sell her soul to Satan to keep the peace between Sam and her family? Or was she plotting Sam’s downfall? For a while, we weren’t sure.
At the end of the rather anxiety-inducing dinner party, Shannon went back to Sam’s house, despite the concerned looks from her mum Cat and granny Ollie.
But they had nothing to worry about, as Shannon had a plan of her own. As Sam undressed, she retrieved a gun from her handbag and took aim. During the very last scene of Mint, viewers heard a gunshot, and saw the spark of gunfire reflect in Shannon’s eyes. We didn’t see Sam fall, this was Shannon’s moment and the spotlight was purely on her. Throw in the brilliantly-placed song I’m Not in Love by the English band 10cc and it was a perfect TV moment.
After months of grieving Arran’s death, and watching Sam tear apart her family business, Shannon had taken revenge. And it felt damn good.
What happened to Shannon in the Mint ending on BBC One?
Viewers first met Shannon as a 22-year-old young woman who desperately wanted her “own love story”. After all, she’d grown up thinking her parents had a fairytale marriage. But, of course, the truth was very different. Something she discovered as the series played out.
Having grown up with violence all around her, she didn’t flinch during the disturbing “party games” scenes or when the Evans gang clashed with the Densons at the races. But she had a lot to learn.
After Arran’s brutal murder, Shannon was hollowed out. The violence she was familiar with had ended with the death of someone she loved. It wasn’t a game anymore. As Shannon’s granny Ollie said so succinctly: “Your first boyfriend got shot after one shag.”
At the end of Mint on BBC One, Shannon had gone full circle. No longer the naive, hopeful girl of episode 1. She was now capable of violence herself.
While we doubt she’d be punished for killing Sam, Shannon’s future was left unclear. Would she become the new crime boss? Or would she now be able to get on with her life, without crime, like her brother Sam?
Who took over the business?
There were a few loose ends left dangling in the Mint ending on BBC One. Not least the future of the Evans family business.
With Sam dead (we hope, even though we didn’t see it), there was a vacancy at the top of the gang. That’s if there was even a gang left to manage. “Half of the boys had walked under Sam’s leadership”, as he behaved more and more impulsively and violently.
We know that Dylan had taken over the business from his cruel father Andy after he ended up in jail. But he didn’t have much choice. After Dylan stepped down, Sam subsequently took his place – with Andy’s backing, who was pulling the strings from jail.
How Andy would react to Sam’s death we don’t know. But a triangle of women – Cat, Ollie, and Shannon – might be the sensible option to take over.
What else happened in the ending of Mint on BBC One?
At the end of Mint, Shannon had forgiven her dad for leaving the family and the business. No longer the spoilt princess, she’d matured into someone who understood the difficult choices her dad Dylan had made.
Dylan was gay, and had been secretly living a double life for years. He abandoned his life to be with his lover Tom as he battled cancer and received chemo. We also learnt during the series that Dylan’s dad Andy had affectively bullied him into taking over the family business. Dylan had not chosen his own path. He didn’t even chose his wife. Andy matched Dylan and Cat together when they were teenagers, as the match was beneficial to the family.
There were lots of characters who had been powerless in Mint. Dylan, Cat, Shannon, and even Arran, who had returned to his home town out of obligation to his half-brother Liangelo.
With both Dylan and Sam out of the picture, perhaps the women left behind would get a happy ending. Cat, Shannon, and Ollie were more than capable of running the house, and surviving in a man’s world.
Will there be a series 2 of Mint?
BBC One has not yet confirmed a series 2 of Mint, but we’re hoping there’ll be one. Although her romance with Arran was cruelly cut short, we’d love to see more from Shannon. And we could watch actress Emma Laird all day.
Future episodes might follow the Evan family business and its new leader. And Andy might even be released from jail. Remember in Kin, when Bren Kinsella returned to the family home after serving his time? It was terrifying.
Will Andy want to take revenge on his family for disobeying his orders and killing Sam? And will Shannon ever get her happy ending? Watch this space for more info when we get it.
Read more: Mint on BBC One: Filming locations include Scottish town never used in a TV drama before
