Beyond Paradise confirmed a heartbreaking double exit on Friday night as the series came to an end. Humphrey Goodman (played by Kris Marshall) and Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton) bid a sad goodbye to Esther Williams’ (Zahra Ahmadi) daughter Zoe (Melina Sinadinou), who has decided to go travelling.
In an emotional moment, everyone gathered to say goodbye to Zoe as she left Shipton Abbott. “Have a wonderful time,” Humphrey said as Margo gave Zoe a big hug.
Martha also gifted Zoe a compass, which had been passed down to her by her dad. She said, “My dad gave me that compass when I went travelling so I didn’t get lost.”
“Martha, are you sure?” A tearful Zoe asked as Martha replied, “Of course, it is for explorers, and that is what you are now.”
“You are going to come home, aren’t you?” Esther asked as Zoe said, “Always.”
Fans also thought that Detective Humphrey Goodman was leaving after he sacrificed his own job to save the Shipton Abbott police team. However, in a surprising turn of events, Humphrey’s mother-in-law, Anne Lloyd (Barbara Flynn), saved the day at the last minute.
After solving what he thought was his last case, Anne confronted Humphrey’s boss, James Smith (Vincent Franklin), with some compromising photographs.
“DI Goodman, you remember our hardworking and dedicated members of the police and crime panel?” Anne said as a confused Humphrey replied, “Right, yeah. Hi.”
“And you know Mr. James Smith from administrative planning?” Anne continued.
“Sorry, what is happening?” the DI asked as Mr Smith chimed in, “That’s exactly what I’d like to know.”
He went on, “What is he even doing here? According to the offboarding timetable, he ceases to exist in operational terms.”
Anne proceeded to explain the urgency of the meeting, telling them it was regarding “police corruption” after Mr. Smith asked Humphrey to select a member of his team to leave the force.
She stated, “I first smelt a rat on a golfing day with Mr Smith, where I noticed he was very friendly with a DI of Heston Morley station. The only officer of that rank to be invited to the event.
“And when I was accidentally detained in the records area of the Shipton Abbott station, I noticed that your budget for the previous year registered an underspend, whereas police council records show Heston Morley has seen an increase in their annual budget by precisely the same amount that Shipton Abbott was asked to lose.”
Anne then explained she had uncovered an affair between the DI at Heston Morley and Mr. Smith, to which he protested, “This is slander.” After showing Mr. Smith some photographs of him with the DI, Humphrey was quickly reinstated, and no jobs were lost from Shipton Abbott.
Suggesting that Mr. Smith would also be making his exit from Shipton Abbott, Anne told him, “Perhaps this would be a good opportunity for you to pivot towards a different career pathway, preferably one heading away from Shipton Abbott.”
As Martha waited outside, Anne broke the news that Humphrey’s job was safe: “Reinstated with immediate effect.”
Beyond Paradise is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.