‘Strung’ Ending, Explained: Who Lives & Who Dies in Blumhouse’s New Peacock Thriller?

The title of Blumhouse’s newest thriller with Peacock has multiple meanings in Strung. The movie, which hit the streamer on Friday, June 26, follows an ambitious violinist, Laila (Chloe Bailey), as she takes on a job tutoring a curious little girl, Zuri (Romy Woods), for a wealthy family and immediately finds there’s something off — and dangerous — going on with them. And Laila’s hands aren’t exactly clean either.

So, how does the twisty saga of Strung play out? Here’s a look at the ending, explained. Warning: Spoilers for the ending of Strung ahead!

What happened to Laila’s sister?

Throughout the film, we learn that Laila previously had a little sister who died right in front of her as a child due to a severe asthma attack. The trauma of that loss still takes a toll on her mental and emotional well-being as an adult, and she’s quickly drawn to Zuri as a result, since the child reminds her of her own sister.

What happened to Zuri’s father?

Zuri’s father, RGB, was a famous rap artist but ostensibly died of a drug overdose, with Zuri finding his body and later using his old mask as a defense mechanism. However, that turns out to be a cover for what really happened to him. Thanks to a clue he’d hidden in his pet snake’s tank, RGB posthumously reveals that it was his best friend, Marcus (Lucien Laviscount), who murdered him and made it look like an overdose.

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Why does Marcus kill RGB?

Marcus was acting in cahoots with Audra (Lynn Whitfield), the mother of RGB’s wife, Imani (Anna Diop), and grandmother to Zuri. He was driven by greed and lust for Audra, with whom he had a secret romance, to steal RGB’s foundation money and take over his life.

Who is the woman at Zuri’s school?

Though she initially frightens Laila when she’s spotted lurking around Zuri’s school parking lot, the woman turns out to be RGB’s mother, Charmaine, who is convinced her son was murdered and did not die of a drug overdose. She tells Laila about the missing funds from RGB’s foundation, as she was the finance manager for it before being shut out of Imani’s life by Audra.

Ilze Kitshoff / Blumhouse

What does Audra do?

Audra detested RGB’s hip-hop lifestyle and wanted to start her family anew with Marcus’ help. She plotted for Marcus to kill RGB and marry Imani to produce a grandchild she could be proud of. All the while, she has a secret romance with Marcus and knows that Marcus and Laila have been having an affair on the side, which starts before she’s hired for the family. She hires Laila, knowing her vulnerability with her late sister and of her hookup with Marcus. Audra stages the sabotage of Laila’s performance at Imani’s baby shower to make Laila look rash and violent, so she can ultimately frame her for the murder of Zuri.

Who lives and who dies?

Audra attempts to poison Zuri by feeding her food that she knows the child is allergic to and saying the meal has been prepared by Laila. However, Zuri suspects something is amiss and hides her plate under her dad’s mask. Meanwhile, Audra uses a henchman to drug Laila and stage her car and body at the beach to appear as death by suicide (a story supported by Marcus previously tricking Laila into writing a suicide letter by having her transcribe a translation read aloud by Zuri). However, thanks to an Epi-pen she keeps on her for Zuri, Laila is able to save herself, kill the henchman, and return to the house to spring Zuri and Imani from the duo. This culminates in a fight in which Audra kills Marcus out of jealousy over his romance with Laila and attempts to kill Laila. However, Imani, who was drugged into a nap, awakens and distracts Audra, giving Laila the opportunity to attack Audra. Audra shoots at Laila, but the bullet hits the giant glass chandelier she strung up in the house, and it crashes down on her, killing her instantly.

How does Strung end?

In the end, Zuri successfully performs the song from her father’s music box at the recital, with Laila, Imani, Charmaine, and Laila’s friend all cheering for her in the audience. Laila does spot someone behind her who initially appears to be Audra, but it’s just her imagination.

Strung, Streaming Now, Peacock