Sherwood finale leaves BBC viewers saying the same thing over unexpected death

BBC's Sherwood concluded with a heart-stopping finale on Monday, as viewers continued to reel over the unexpected demise of Mickey Sparrow thj

In the series' penultimate instalment, audiences were gripped as Ann Branson (portrayed by Monica Dolan) delivered a fatal shot to Mickey (played by Philip Jackson), sparking a vengeful fury within his family.

With Ann now a fugitive trying to escape the country, the tension escalated as Daphne Sparrow (Lorraine Ashbourne), now a grieving widow, joined the manhunt.

Her son's revelation that the killer was hiding in the Marshlands spurred her into action, determined to exact vengeance.

The climactic showdown saw Ann and Daphne, both armed, confront each other as Ann managed to shoot Daphne in the arm, disarming her, and forced her towards the lake.

While there, she revealed it was the site where Daphne's family had disposed of numerous foes before declaring Daphne would be the last.

But the tables turned when Rachel intervened, distracting Ann and giving Daphne the chance to overpower her assailant in a fierce struggle, reports the Mirror.

Daphne emerged victorious, breaking Ann's arm and standing over her with the gun. In a dramatic twist, she chose mercy over murder, leaving Ann with the chilling words: "You are alone, do you know that? Do you know how alone you are?

"How do you think we found you? he's not coming. They've abandoned you. They're coming for you Ann and I know what that feels like. I know the torture, always looking over your shoulder. Never at peace."

Before she could finish, Daphne's son arrived and screamed her name, causing her to look away which gave Ann the chance to try and grab the gun again.

Running towards her, she missed and fell straight into the river, unable to swim due to her injured arm.

As she struggled to stay above the water, Daphne and her daughter didn't try to help as they watched her fall beneath to her death.

It wasn't long until Ian St Clair (David Morrissey) arrived at the scene, springint towards the Sparrow family.

Wanting to know where Anne was, the trio didn't say a word as Daphne looked behind her, letting him know that she drowned.

It wasn't long before viewers reacted to the intense scenes, with many praising the intesne scenes as Ann met her deadly end.

One person tweeted: "That look between criminal mother and her 'clean' daughter in an acknowledgement that it's 'better this way.' Neither prepared to take the plunge."

Someone else added: "What an hour of TV! So good. How do you get that much good stuff into an hour?!"

"Fantastic series #Sherwood Superb cast. Storyline, which puts you on the edge of your seat. Beautiful, touching, tough moments all along. Thank you to all who work on it," said another.

Someone else added: "Well, that was great."

One hopeful fan argued: "Well, I don't think she's dead for starters."

Sherwood is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.