- - “His & Hers” ending explained: Who killed Rachel Hopkins?

Randall ColburnJanuary 13, 2026 at 5:05 AM

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Courtesy of Netflix

Jon Bernthal as Jack and Tessa Thompson as Anna in 'His & Hers'Key Points -

His & Hers is a new crime thriller starring Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson.

The tawdry, twisty series is based on Alice Fenney's 2020 best-selling novel.

All six episodes are now streaming on Netflix.

Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson lead Netflix's His & Hers, a tawdry and entertaining crime thriller based on Alice Feeney's best-selling 2020 novel of the same name.

William Oldroyd's six-part adaptation follows Jack and Anna, spouses who grow estranged after the death of their baby, Charlotte. What brings them back into each other's orbit is the murder of Rachel Hopkins (Jamie Tisdale), a figure who turns out to be key to both of their lives. In the aftermath, the pair both circle the murder — Jack as an investigating detective and Anna as a local reporter.

It turns out, however, that they were both present the night Rachel died. Jack had been having an affair with Rachel, even sleeping with her the night of the murder. Anna, meanwhile, witnessed the affair from afar while visiting the grave of her and Jack's daughter. This understandably makes them prime suspects.

But is His & Hers really so simple? Of course not. Read on to find out who killed Rachel — and the decades-old trauma that prompted it.

Who killed Rachel?

Courtesy of Netflix

Jamie Tisdale as Rachel on 'His & Hers'

At the end of episode 5, Anna makes a staggering realization. Lexy (Rebecca Rittenhouse), a news anchor who stepped into Anna's role after Anna took a leave of absence following Charlotte's death, is actually Catherine Kelly, a girl with whom Anna went to high school. Catherine, as we see in flashbacks, was viciously bullied by Anna's friend group, which included Rachel. As an adult, she changed her name and dramatically altered her appearance, so much so that Anna didn't recognize her.

Anna makes this realization at the home Lexy shares with her husband, Richard (Pablo Schreiber), who brought her there so she and Lexy could "bury the hatchet" regarding their professional rivalry. But Anna suspects that, based on Lexy's deception and the rotten vibes, she's determined to get revenge on her high school tormentors. Not only was Rachel murdered, but so were Helen (Poppy Liu) and Zoe (Marin Ireland), the other bullies in Anna's group.

A violent struggle ensues between Anna, Lexy, and Richard, ending with Lexy dead from a headshot fired by Priya Patel (Sunita Mani), Jack's partner. Richard proclaims he and Lexy's innocence, but the discovery of the murder weapon (and Rachel's nail fragments) in their house is evidence enough that Lexy and Richard are behind the murders.

But who really killed Rachel?

Courtesy of Netflix

Crystal Fox as Alice in 'His & Hers'

You thought that was the only twist? Well, buckle up.

After jumping forward a year, His & Hers paints a sunny portrait of Anna and Jack's lives. The couple has reconciled and Anna is pregnant. Oh, and with Lexy out of the picture, Anna is back on air as a news anchor (with more offers flooding in).

But a visit to Alice (Crystal Fox), Anna's dementia-addled mother, shines a whole new light on the situation. Alice has penned a letter to Anna that details how it was her, not Lexy, who killed Rachel, Helen, and Zoe. Yes, Anna's elderly mother, who we've seen ravaged by illness the whole series, is the killer.

Though, as Alice explains in her letter, she's not really ill at all. "No one expects a woman to be a serial killer," she writes. "Add the sin of old age, mistake determination for dementia, and there I am, the picture of frailty."

Her memory, she declares, is "strong as a bear trap," which is why she was able to clock Lexy as Catherine while watching news broadcasts. Her past work as a local housekeeper, meanwhile, meant she still had the keys to the homes of her victims, thus allowing her to plant evidence on Lexy to frame her for the murders.

"That's the thing about older folks — like back doors and the workers who use them, we're usually forgotten, ignored, invisible," she concludes.

Why did Alice kill Rachel?

Courtesy of Netflix

Tessa Thompson as Anna and Crystal Fox as Alice on 'His & Hers'

It was guilt and anger that fueled Alice's murderous rampage.

The grief comes from the fact that Charlotte died while Alice was babysitting her. It wasn't her fault (the cause was "crib death"), but she nevertheless feels as if she "failed" Anna.

That feeling is exacerbated when she discovers old home movies in Anna's room. She watched the tapes to feel close to Anna, who had disappeared following Charlotte's death. On one of the tapes, she not only sees how the girls bullied Catherine, but also an instance in which Anna was sexually assaulted by friends of Rachel, Helen, and Zoe, who casually watched as their friend was attacked.

Alice, who often visited Charlotte's resting place, also knew about Jack and Rachel's secret trysts near the graveyard. It was after one of those trysts that she killed Rachel.

"Killing Rachel brought you home," Alice writes to her daughter.

Twisted as it is, she believes her actions demonstrate how a "mother's love never dims," how it's "constant, continual, relentless." Now that Anna is pregnant, Alice hopes she'll take that lesson to heart.

After finishing the letter, Anna shares a look with her mother that eventually turns into a smile. She's grateful.

Where can I watch His & Hers?

His & Hers is now streaming on Netflix.

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