The Boroughs Ending Explained: Sam, Mother, and That Final Moment

Mother is running out of time and has already tried to psychically communicate with a couple of different residents when the series gets underway, including Edward (Ed Begley Jr.). She can reach out to people lost in time, like Edward, who are experiencing mental decline, but they can’t do anything to help. However, Sam’s mind has only been “split” by the sudden loss of his wife, Lilly (Jane Kaczmarek). He is still reliving the day she died, and because Mother doesn’t experience time in a linear way, she is able to effectively use an avatar of Lilly and his memories of the night she died to attract his attention.

Mother eventually tells Sam that she wants to die, and that she must do so in a cave next to the tree where her egg originally hatched. She tells him that her children have been preparing the cave for her arrival. Art is already familiar with the exact location, having plucked a rare peach from it that renewed his health and vitality.

The Boroughs Ending Explained

During the final episode of The Boroughs, the residents team up to free Mother and get her to the mysterious cave, but it is not an easy feat. Blaine and Annaliese mortally wound Judy (Alfre Woodard) and Mother brings her back to life. Meanwhile, Paz (Carlos Miranda) and Renee (Geena Davis) have to convince Hank (Eric Edelstein) to set Mother’s children free.

Sam and his daughter Claire (Jena Malone) also reinforce his cathode-ray trap, which kills the frail Annaliese but doesn’t quite finish off Blaine. When Mother tells Sam that he has to take her to the cave alone, a furious and grieving Blaine pursues them and tries to kill Sam. However, when Mother lets go and finally dies surrounded by her children, the explosion exterminates Blaine.

Yet, when the explosion hits Sam, he is once again transported to the night his wife died. On this occasion, he gets to spend a little more time with the real Lilly. He is told that it’s Mother’s way of saying thank you, and Lilly tells Sam that “time is a gift.” Sam dances with Lilly one final time, hoping they will be together again one day. Lilly says they’re together, always. At that point, Sam suddenly wakes up in the cave and sees Mother’s skeletal remains, remarking that she’s finally at peace.

Sam’s Reflection in the Mirror

Following Mother’s death, everyone gathers for a party in The Boroughs, where the wound Sam sustained from the explosion in the cave is still bleeding. As he goes to tend to it in the bathroom, we see Sam’s reflection glitching in the mirror. Mother may be dead, but Sam still seems to be connected to the magic that remains in The Boroughs, and it may just be keeping an eye on him, too.