The Teacher final
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The Teacher viewers furious and feeling cheated after the final episode’s ending

A disappointing end after a brilliant week of drama, some say

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The Teacher final arrived all too soon after a fantastic few days of drama led by Sheridan Smith on Channel 5 this week.

Viewers found out why Brian/Arnold was hellbent on getting revenge on Jenna by persuading pupil Kyle to say he’d had sex with her when she was off her face.

And also whose side Jenna’s so-called friend Pauline was really on – after the revelation that Arnold was her partner Brian at the end of episode 3!

But sadly the denouement left many feeling downright annoyed.

Let’s reflect on what it taught us first, though.

What do fans of The Teacher think about Pauline after the big twist in episode 3
Poor Pauline was also revealed as a victim in The Teacher final (Credit: Channel 5)

Pauline was innocent – hooray!

So, the first bit of good news in The Teacher final was that Pauline really had no clue that her Brian was actually called Arnold and that he’d been plotting to ruin Jenna’s life.

That sadly meant that poor Pauline, who was so obviously craving the love and companionship of a man, had been used all along.

(And that, as Pauline hadn’t been acting shiftily, her weirdness was just down to the role being badly acted.)

Kyle in The Teacher final was full of apologies
Kyle broke down as he tried to apologise to Jenna for his ruining her life (Credit: Channel 5)

Kyle redeemed himself

But what else did we establish? Kyle had agreed to do Brian/Arnold’s dirty work in exchange for a bit of attention – thankfully there had been no grooming of a sexual nature – and a couple of hundred quid.

The teenager genuinely didn’t believe that things would go so far – that Jenna would plead guilty to having sex with him, and lose everything.

As we discovered Brian/Arnold’s involvement last episode, the focus in the final was on WHY.

It transpired that Arnold had been having an affair with a female pupil while he was a teacher at Hillsden and Jenna had reported him.

He was slung in jail and lost everything. After failing to rebuild his life abroad, he returned to the UK, became Brian and hatched his revenge plot.

Brian’s bloody bombshell

During a confrontation with Brian, who refused to accept he had groomed the girl, Jenna defiantly told him that she wasn’t like him – that she would start to live again.

At that part he smirked as he backed away from her, into the path of a truck that mowed him straight down – his final act of vengeance, to leave that sight in her mind.

Jenna collapsed… and then we saw her later chatting to Kyle, who revealed he’d got a 9 in his English exam. And then… well, that was it!

Read more: As Sheridan Smith wows in The Teacher, her best TV roles ranked

The Teacher Jenna and Kyle make their peace in final episode
Kyle and Jenna made their peace in the final episode of The Teacher as they talked outside the football pitch (Credit: Channel 5)

The Teacher final – viewers’ verdict

Well, it’s only fair to say that many viewers were left feeling distinctly disappointed.

Some found the ending nonsensical.

Others felt let down that there was not a sufficient explanation about why Brian/Arnold had chosen Kyle.

And then there was the unresolved question of whether Jenna actually cleared her name…

Read more: Sheridan Smith’s traumatic Holby City role we’d forgotten about

But perhaps that was very intentional… because The Teacher 2 could already be in the pipeline?! There are plenty more viewers begging for that to happen.

In the meantime, you can catch Sheridan Smith next Monday (February 7) in new drama No Return on ITV.

This time, she plays the mother of a teenage boy who is accused of sexually assaulting another lad while they are on holiday in Turkey and their life is torn apart.

You can watch the trailer below.

YouTube video player

What did you think of the final of The Teacher? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think of this story.


Kaggie Hyland
Editor-in-Chief