Vera’s penultimate episode ended in a shock death this evening as one character bid farewell for good whilst a number of others’ lives were left on the line

Vera’s penultimate episode ended with a shock death – as fans fear for Brenda Blethyn’s character.

Tonight, ITV aired its second to last episode, which saw Vera and her sidekick DI Joe Ashworth (David Leon) tackle a difficult case. The pair ended up tackling two different cases at once when an ex-prisoner’s body was discovered on the banks of the River Tyne.

At the shocking climax of the episode, Joe and Vera rushed to the cliff top where they came face to face with Imogen Langworth, who had killed her mother, and her father Lucas Corbridge, who was wrongly convicted of the murder of his wife Marion.

Brenda Blethyn is donning her infamous green hat one more time ( 
Image:
ITV)
In huge scenes, Vera desperately tried to talk Imogen down and find out what really happened to her mum, but then Lucas appeared brandishing a bloody rock, which he had used to try and kill DC Kenny Lockhart.

As they all physically fought, Joe nearly ended up falling over the cliff, before Lucas got involved and somehow Imogen ended up falling to her death, leaving Vera and Joe visibly shaken and Lucas devastated to lose his daughter. As Vera criticised Joe for risking his life, she urged him to seek support over his father’s death.

Earlier in the episode, Joe and Vera struggled with their professional relationship as it was revealed that Joe’s family were at loggerheads, keen for him to get some help over the death of his father.

The final ever episode will air tomorrow night ( 
Image:
ITV)

“There’s something up with Joe at the start of this series. He’s dragging his feet. Vera obviously has a soft spot for Joe. But she doesn’t carry people. Everyone has to pull their weight. And if there is something up, say what it is. Tell her what it is,” Brenda said.

“We filmed a scene involving Vera and Joe on the St Mary’s Island causeway near Whitley Bay which is quite the exchange of words. There’s a history between them. In the very first episode of Vera, Joe scattered her father Hector’s ashes. It had a real impact on Vera. I love working with David. He only left after series four to pursue writing and directing, and no sooner had he done so that his film won an award at the Tribeca Film Festival. But he did return to direct an episode of Vera, Black Ice, series 8 episode 2.”