ITV's six-part drama Adultery has concluded, with the affair between Tom Kirkman (Dominic Cooper) and Beth Brookes (Romola Garai) being exposed in the penultimate episode. The series ends with the pair deciding to pursue their relationship.
All episodes of the drama are available to watch on ITVX, with viewers sharing their reactions on social media. One viewer wrote on X: "#Adultery oh wow - binge watched this - incredible , really fantastic acting and the exact emotional rollercoaster that all parties feel . Gripping, sad and also real." Another added: "Really enjoyed #Adultery on ITV. Great writing and feels very old school drama just about life, family and love. Also a great cast."
How the affair is exposed
Tom and Beth's secret trysts remain hidden for most of the series, but the truth comes to light in the fifth episode. Tom's daughter Jess Kirkman (Leila Khan) finds revealing pictures on her father's tablet and works out that the woman in the faceless snaps is Beth.
While Tom and Jess are driving Beth, her son Ollie Brookes (Johnny Sanpher) and her husband Neil Brookes (Matthew McNulty) home after Beth's car accident, Jess sends Beth a confrontational text message from the backseat. After leaving the car, Jess tells Beth what she thinks of her and threatens to reveal the truth to her family.
Jess is upset because she loves Ollie and wants to be with him for the rest of her life. She tells Beth she can keep the affair a secret as long as they choose to end it. In a shock twist, when Jess returns home to Tom, she tells him she is pregnant.
The pregnancy lie and the fallout
They drive back to the lakes to discuss it with Tom's wife Hannah Kirkman (Shelley Conn), and it becomes evident that Jess is using the pregnancy as a tool to try to unite her family. Ollie later discusses Jess's pregnancy with his parents, and when Tom and Beth meet, Beth tells Tom she thinks Jess is lying about the pregnancy because of the affair.
Beth tells Tom she is going to tell Neil about the affair and urges Tom to tell Hannah if he is serious about them being together. Tom plans to tell Hannah when he gets home but changes his mind, telling her instead that he feels he has not been a present father.
Later, while having dinner with his family and Ollie, Tom receives a text from Beth confirming she has told Neil. Minutes later, Neil bursts through the front door ready to attack Tom. Neil tells Hannah that the affair has been going on for months and that Tom and Beth are in love.
Outside, Ollie confronts Jess about knowing about the affair. Jess admits there is no pregnancy and that she lied to force their parents to stop the affair, and Ollie ends things with her. Tom is ordered to leave by Hannah, and Beth confronts Neil about the lack of attention and care she has received in their relationship, especially after her best friend's death.
Tom and Beth's decision
Beth goes to her sister's to stay, but her sister turns her away, telling her to go back to her family and beg instead. With nowhere else to go and feeling as though their families hate them, Tom and Beth meet and agree it is worth it to be with one another.
While Tom suggests renting a place together on a short-term lease, Beth says she thinks it is better if they get their own places so their kids have somewhere to stay. Tom later travels back to his family home in the middle of the night and, when he returns to Beth, admits he feels lost and that things are moving quickly. Tom says he may love Beth but did not anticipate feeling so lonely; Beth replies that they are now in the reality of everything.
A montage shows what has unfolded since the bombshell, with Tom spending evenings with his two younger daughters, Beth having difficult conversations with her own children, and Jess and Ollie seeing each other again at a party. The series ends with Beth getting ready for a date and walking into a restaurant where she is greeted by Tom. It is their second official date, and it is clear they are restarting their relationship timeline in their own way, with the pair deciding to pursue things.
