Detective Forst ending explained: did Forst save Agata?

Wiktor Forst searching the orphanage in Detective Forst episode 6
(Image credit: Netflix)

This article contains spoilers for Detective Forst episode six. Detective Forst is a brutal Polish Netflix crime thriller following maverick detective, Wiktor Forst on the hunt for a dangerous serial killer. On the hunt for the "Beast of Giewont", he's forced off the case owing to his unorthodox approach, leading Forst to team up with local journalist, Olga Szrebska, to continue his investigation.

Detective Forst's final episode sees the case coming to a head. With Agata's life on the line, he frantically tries to figure out where Iwo has taken her. When he realizes he needs to head back where it all began, he leaves Olga in the care of one of his trusted friends and sets off for a final confrontation... one with deadly consequences.

Here's our full recap of the season finale of Detective Forst.

The search begins

The final episode opened with Iwo toying with Agata in his hideout. Whilst he was dancing around, she tried to tempt him over to his desk. She grabbed something and tried to fight back, but Iwo disarmed her and threw her against a mirror. Back at home, Iwo's wife, Dominika Wadrys-Hansen, watched the rest of the video. 

In it, Gjord (aka Iwo Elijah) confesses that he was the killer, but goes on to tell her Forst is no hero, and says he's put together a series of files that will reveal the detective's true nature and will help her understand everything about his actions. He further asks her to consider what's more important to her: her family, or her career. 

Aware that Olga has no protection at the hospital, Forst takes her to Nina's house for her protection. Meanwhile, Wadrys-Hansen disposes of the USB drive, and heads to the police station. There, she finds Edmund preparing to brief his officers in his office. Wadrys-Hansen reveals what she's learned about Forst; he was sent away from Krakow because he overstepped his authority on a case, resulting in the death of a young boy. 

She also lets slip that a doctor had diagnosed Forst with bipolar affective disorder, and begins to posit a new theory about Forst being the killer (presumably to protect Iwo). She says Forst must have been having depressive episodes upon his return to the local area, and taken to killing because he associated his childhood home with pain and trauma, and uses the fact that Halina was the director of the orphanage he grew up in as proof.

She then brings Agata into the occasion, which is precisely when Edmund tells her not to say another word. However, another officer tells Ed he cannot be involved in the search for his daughter, as he's too emotionally invested. That officer then briefs Edmund's team... whilst the inspector leaves the station on his own.

Agata's fate

At Nina's house, Forst reviews the video of Agata, to try and identify clues about her whereabouts. Together with Olga, he figures out that the number of cuts and letters Iwo scratched into her body are clues to a Bible passage that he associates with Iwo. 

This sparks a memory of something from the orphanage, prompting Forst to reason that's where Agata is being kept. So, leaving Olga behind, he makes his way there. On his journey, Forst suffers hallucinations of his past but manages to make his way to the orphanage on foot, through the trees. When he arrives, he recalls witnessing Iwo taking a savage beating as a child and remembers the night he was adopted, whilst Iwo was left behind. 

Meanwhile, Wadrys-Hansen meets with the long-haired man, who is revealed to be Halina's son. She has a fake interview with him to gather more evidence against Forst; he says Forst visited their archives several years ago looking for info about his childhood and claims that he was erratic and seemed 'obsessive', especially when it came to Halina. After she stops recording, he asks why she's forging evidence: Wadrys-Hansen says she's doing it explicitly to protect her loved ones.  

Forst enters the orphanage and begins sweeping the building, armed with Edmund's pistol. Whilst he searches for Agata, we see a shot of Iwo standing over a bloodied, caged Staszek, armed with an ice axe. When Forst finally finds Agata, he realizes he's too late, as Agata is already dead.

A shocking betrayal

Forst is devastated by Agata's death; whilst he is distracted, Iwo stabs him in the back with his axe and drags him across the floor. Whilst incapacitated, Forst conceals a broken shard from the mirror he finds on the floor. Iwo begins to explain his plan; he's going to frame Forst for Agata's murder.

Forst slashes at Iwo with the shard, and the pair begin a fight to the death. During the fight, Iwo causes Forst to drop his gun and manages to get hold of it. But as Iwo raises it to kill the detective, Forst dives at him, sending both Iwo and himself tumbling out of a boarded-up window. Iwo falls to the ground below, whilst Forst lands on an awning. But whilst it looks like the Beast of Giewont's reign of terror is over, we see Iwo opening his eyes.

The emergency services arrive on the scene. Staszek's body is recovered and ID'd by Adamiak, whilst Forst is treated in the back of an ambulance. Edmund arrives and spots Forst, but not his daughter. Distraught, Edmund rushes to the entrance but is restrained as he breaks down in tears.

In the commotion, Forst slips away from the crime scene and heads back to Nina's. Shockingly, Olga is nowhere to be found, and a bloody coin (resembling those left at the other crime scenes) has been left on her pillow. We then see Iwo lying on the back seat of a car, with Olga behind the wheel; was she his accomplice, all this time? 

The episode ends with the police arriving at the scene, with Forst crying on the sofa next to Nina's corpse. It seems like there's more to this case than anyone expected...

Detective Forst is now available to stream on Netflix. For more series to enjoy, check out our picks for the best Netflix shows we think you should be watching right now.

Martin Shore
Staff Writer at WhatToWatch.com

Martin is a Staff Writer with WhatToWatch.com, where he produces a variety of articles focused on the latest and greatest films and TV shows. 

Some of his favorite shows are What We Do In The Shadows, Bridgerton, Gangs of London, The Witcher, Doctor Who, and Ghosts. When he’s not watching TV or at the movies, Martin’s probably still in front of a screen playing the latest video games, reading, or watching the NFL.