‘The Buccaneers’ Ending Explained: Does Nan Choose Guy or Theo? Who is Nan’s Mom?

Apple TV+‘s The Buccaneers wrapped up its first season with a wedding bound to take everyone by surprise. After a whole season of watching fictional Gilded Age heiress Nan St. George (Kristine Frøseth) torn between Theo, the hunky Duke of Tintagel (Guy Remmers), and his best bud, the charming Guy Thwarte (Matthew Broome), our girl finally tied the knot. However, in doing so, she not only defied all expectations, but she also stealthily outwitted the show’s most villainous character, Lord Seadown (Barney Fishwick).

**Spoilers for The Buccaneers Season 1 finale, “Wedding of the Season,” now streaming on Apple TV+**

Although Nan and Guy declared their love for one another on the night before her wedding, our heroine still goes through with the marriage to Theo. Why? Because her nuptials offered the perfect cover for her sister Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse) to flee her abusive marriage to Lord Seadown. Nan sends Jinny off with Guy in the carriage meant for their escape while bridesmaids Mabel (Josie Totah), Lizzy (Aubri Ibrag), and Conchita (Alisha Boe) distract the hoity toity crowd.

However, not every part of The Buccaneers finale revolved around Nan’s love life or Jinny’s salvation. We also learned some shocking news about Conchita’s marriage to Lord Richard Marable (Josh Dylan) and got a hint as to who Nan’s true birth mother might be.

Still confused by what went down? Wondering who Nan really loves? Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of The Buccaneers Season 1 on Apple TV+….

The Buccaneers Ending Explained: Who Does Nan St. George Choose to Marry? Theo, the Duke of Tintagel, or Guy Thwarte?

It’s the question we’ve been asking all season long: Will Nan really marry the Duke or will she follow her heart to be with Guy? And The Buccaneers really ratchets up the tension, leading the audience to believe that Nan might in fact stand Theo up at the altar to be with Guy…

“There’s that scene when Nan comes to Theo’s painting studio and I don’t think any dialogue is said. And so the audience don’t actually know what happens, whether anything even is said,” Buccaneers star Guy Remmers told Decider during a recent press day, acknowledging that the show goes out of its way to keep us hanging.

While Remmers told Decider that “a billion different things are going through his head” while Theo waits for his bride, he admitted that there was a concern in the Duke’s heart that his best friend may have swooped in and got the girl.

“I think by the end of Episode 7, he realizes that there are really deep feelings between Nan and Guy,” Remmers said.

Of course, those feelings almost fell apart earlier in the season. First, after Nan worried that Guy was horrified by the truth about her birth mother. Then, when she learned that Guy was in New York City as a fortune hunter. Nevertheless, Buccaneers star Matthew Broome believes that Guy’s heart was ultimately in the right place when it came to Nan…

“Well, his goal was to marry rich. I think when he meets Nan, perfect. She’s rich. I reckon, obviously, we’re very attracted to her,” Broome said. “Also if he’s going to marry anyone for money, she was the perfect person to marry for money because they got along so well.”

“But then as their relationship developed, he’s like, ‘Oh my God. This is — I’m genuinely falling for you.’ Then it gets to a point where the money doesn’t matter anymore.”

Hence, Guy’s bold declaration of his love on the night before Nan’s wedding.

Although the two consummate their relationship and discuss running away together, Nan and Guy ultimately separate. Nan marries Theo, but not because she’s in love with him.

“I think where we leave it at Episode 8, I think it’s clear that [Nan] loves Theo, but she’s in love with Guy. I think that’s quite hard to dispute. That’s just talking about where we leave it. Who knows where it will go?” Guy Remmers teased.

Okay, but why would the strong-minded Nan choose her head over her heart? Because no matter what, someone else always comes first: her sister.

How Does Nan Save Jinny in The Buccaneers Season 1 Finale?

Almost immediately after Nan and Guy declare their love for one another, Nan discovers that her sister Jinny is not only pregnant, but also trapped in an abusive relationship with the vile Lord Seadown. Nan and Guy try to sneak Jinny out of Tintagel Castle that night, but Seadown catches them. Nan then comes up with a risky plan: she will use the time the rest of her bridesmaids take to walk down the aisle to spirit Jinny out of England. Jinny will take Nan’s place running away with Guy and Nan will distract everyone by going through with the wedding.

“She has to make that choice for her sister because ultimately [Jinny]’s not in a safe position and that was the choice that had to be made,” Kristine Frøseth told Decider. “So Guy and Jinny are sent off and I’m really proud of Nan for doing so.”

When Decider talked to Imogen Waterhouse about Jinny’s escape, she noted that she worked hard with Buccaneers showrunner Katherine Jakeways on accurately depicting the horror of domestic violence. Through research, both Jakeways and Waterhouse learned that the statistics are bleak for victims who attempt to escape.

“It takes, I think on average, seven times for a victim of DV to leave their partner. So it’s a real hard trap to get out of. It’s one of those things that, from the outside, it’s like, ‘Come on, leave him.’ But actually when you’re in it, it’s such a deeply more complicated issue than that within the person,” Waterhouse said. “I think she believes all these horrible things that Seadown tells her: that she’s not worthy and she’s not lovable. But I think having a kid is feeling like there’s something bigger now than me.”

Waterhouse explained that seeing Nan step up to help her, even after all the grief Jinny caused her sister by revealing the truth about her parentage, was a “huge moment” for Jinny.

“Like, ‘Aha, okay. My sister’s always got my back.’ Even after everything, I think it really means a lot to Jinny, what Nan is willing to sacrifice,” Waterhouse said. “‘Oh, I am still loved.’”

Read Related Also: The Bold Promise Donald Trump Made In A Leaked Mar-A-Lago Video

“Who knows if Nan hadn’t have sprung into action and helped her? Like, she probably wouldn’t have had that courage necessarily in that moment to leave. It’s definitely helped by the fact that all her friends are helping, push her out.”

It also shouldn’t be lost on the audience that Seadown is so omnipresent in Jinny’s life that, according to actor Barney Fishwick, he’s clued in that something is afoot before Jinny’s escape goes down.

“I think he senses something before he goes in the church. I think you can see that. There’s at least fear and then, you know, when the first bridesmaid comes in, it’s like, ‘Okay,’ and then the second one, and it just ratchets up,” Fishwick said.

Seadown leaves the ceremony and races after his wife, but it’s too late. Jinny and Guy’s carriage outpaces the lord…even if, as Fishwick said, he was told he was “pretty nippy” running after the coach.

Jinny’s successful escape is a victory for our heroes, but it’s a bittersweet one. By helping Jinny get away, Guy loses out on the chance to be with his true love, Nan.

“It’s never black or white, is it?” Matthew Broome said of Guy’s feelings at the end of The Buccaneers Season 1. “He knows that the right decision is to put that on hold and Jinny is the priority in this moment. He knows that that’s the right decision, but obviously there is a part of him that is gutted that they were so close. They were so close to having the little happy ending and being together. But this is a more important issue at hand and that will have to wait.”

Who is Nan’s Birth Mother on The Buccaneers?

The Buccaneers Season 1 finale offers viewers one last tempting twist. Nan’s philandering father (Adam James) arrives at the chapel in a frenzy. As he tells his estranged wife Patricia (Christina Hendricks), Nan’s birth mother has arrived uninvited at the castle. This not only reveals that Nan’s father very much remembered who her biological mother was, but that she should be revealed in a potential Buccaneers Season 2 on Apple TV+.

So who is Nan’s biological mother? Decider went to Kristine Frøseth to find out if the actress had gotten any hints from the show’s producers.

“No, I’ve been trying. I’ve been trying sneakily to ask the creators. I’ve been trying to get the tea and no one wants to tell me. I have no idea who it could be. I am just as — I am anxious. I want to know,” Frøseth told Decider. 

“I want to know, too,” Alisha Boe said.

“What are her genes?” Frøseth said. “What is her actual DNA?

“What kind of jeans does she wear?” Boe teased, prompting Frøseth to laugh and voice her love of “dad jokes.”

We’ll have to wait and see if Apple TV+ renews The Buccaneers for a second season to find out who Nan’s mom might be…

Will There Be a Buccaneers Season 2?

We don’t know yet! Apple TV+ has yet to announce a second season of The Buccaneers. However, there are multiple hints in the Season 1 finale that the creators already have some juicy storylines in store…

Besides teasing Nan’s birth mother, The Buccaneers Season 1 finale also reveals that not only has Conchita’s father lost the Closson fortune, but that Lord Richard’s father has mere months to live.

“Her hope is crushed because even though Conchita is so used to the extreme amount of wealth she’s grown up in, she was so excited about finally being able to see her marriage be on her terms,” Alisha Boe said. “So I’m interested to see what Richard decides to do and if he still decides to break away from the family or not.”

Josh Dylan seemed to think that Richard will take on the mantle of Lord Brightlingsea in the wake of his father’s death. However, it might not be as bad as Conchita fears…

“I think he does care about his family a lot. He’s got two families. You know, he’s got his family with Conchita, which is his priority, and he’s got a young, young baby, which is his priority. And so I think that’s gonna come first,” Dylan said. “But at the same time I think he really cares for Honoria and there’s a big part of him that will sure he’s connected to [Seadown] in some way.”

“Basically I think he’s a very loyal person. I think he will try and try and look after everyone in some way and that’s in his nature.”

Loyal to his brother? Hmm…sounds like Conchita’s family and the St. Georges could potentially be feuding…

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.