‘Sharp Objects’ Finale: What You Missed In That Crazy Ending

“Don’t tell mama.”

The final, haunting moments of Sharp Objects are wild, confusing, and absolutely amazing. After Adora (Patricia Clarkson) is revealed as the killer, Camille (Amy Adams) takes Amma (Eliza Scanlen) to live with her in St. Louis and things seem fine. Suddenly, Amma’s new friend Mae goes missing, and Camille discovers human molars in and on the floor of her sister’s beloved dollhouse. The final moments of the series suggest that the real killer is…Amma?

So what does it all mean? How did Amma do it? Did she do it alone? Is Adora innocent? Let’s break down the shocking finale of HBO’s Sharp Objects.

Be Sure To Watch The Sharp Objects End Credits Scene

Before we dive into who the killers were and why they chose their victims, we need to make sure that you didn’t turn off the TV in a huff after Camille and Amma’s final smirking showdown. After the main cast credits roll, we get a frenetic montage of each of Amma’s murders (complete with a glimpse at her accomplices), and the final button on the whole series is a shot of Amma, dressed up as the “Woman in White” in the woods.

So…how did it all break down?

Amma Crellin Was The Killer

Yup, Camille’s teenaged sister Amma murdered Ann Nash, Natalie Keene, and finally in St. Louise, Mae. The quick-paced flashbacks give us some insight into how the willowy teen girl pulled it off: with a little help from her friends. Jodes and Kelsey, Amma’s BFFs, were accomplices for the first two crimes. They helped her strangle the girls. The pliers that detectives found in the house that they pinned as evidence implicating Adora? Those were Amma’s.

In Gillian Flynn’s novel Sharp Objects, we get some additional insight into why Amma was motivated to murder the three girls. The superficial answer is she wanted to steal their teeth to tile the bathroom floor of her dollhouse. Early in the season, we see her fret over making sure the house is an exact copy of Adora’s picture perfect Southern Gothic home, and the showstopper of the house is the ivory tiled master bathroom. Only real human teeth would do it for Amma.

However, there’s a less macabre, more psychologically compelling reason for the murders. Amma was jealous of Ann Nash, Natalie Keene, and Mae. Both Ann and Natalie received special attention in the form of tutoring from Adora, Natalie was the apple of town hunk John Keene’s eye, and Mae gets heaped with praise from Camille and her editor. Amma’s controlling nature extends to the need to be the center of attention no matter what. That made these three girls her natural victims.

Adora Crellin Was Also The Killer, Though

Here’s where the story gets a little complicated. It’s easy to say Amma was the killer, but it’s not 100% accurate. Camille’s mother Adora was also responsible for Marion Crellin’s murder. Adora did indeed suffer from Munchausen syndrome by proxy and likely would have killed  Camille if left to her own devices.

Where to Stream Sharp Objects