Note: This article contains talks of sexual abuse and suicide that some readers may find distressing. Tweets embedded in the article also contain strong language.
Shane Meadows' latest hard-hitting drama The Virtues came to an end on Channel 4 tonight (June 5) after weeks of intense emotions (and hard-to-hear dialogue).
This final episode saw Joseph delve deep into his memories and come to terms with what happened to him as a boy in care: that he was sexually abused by two brothers he lived with.
Related: The Virtues star explains how she improvised emotional moment in episode 3
Craig also admitted that he went through the same thing, until Joseph came along and the boys moved onto him. After some persuading, Craig revealed where the brother who's still alive is currently living.
Meanwhile, Dinah tried to tracing the son she was coerced into giving up when she was a teenager. She learned that her own mother had been hiding the letters her son had been sending, and now the son has no intention of reconnecting.
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Related: The Virtues' Niamh Algar on working with Shane Meadows and why her character's story changed
Things build to a climax as Joseph heads to the apparent home of his abuser, Damon, with Anna racing there to stop Joseph doing something really bad. What Joseph does find is a bedridden Damon, and the two talk about all the children he violated.
Damon is totally unrepentant for his actions, stating that he himself was abused and became "immune" to the pain. Meanwhile, Dinah visits her mother and confronts her with the truth.
It looks like both Joseph and Dinah are going to cross the line, but Joseph tells Damon that he forgives him and walks away the bigger man.
Meanwhile, we see that Dinah has killed her mother, and that Craig has died by suicide.
Although the ending wasn't happy for everyone and it was quite the cliffhanger, people watching at home were in agreement that it was a fantastic episode:
As had been the case with the last three episodes, viewers were full of praise for the performances by Stephen Graham and Niamh Algar:
The Virtues is based on Meadows' own experiences of being sexually assaulted in his youth.
The Virtues is available to watch now on All4.
Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct. If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), and Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255 or visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
