The Girlfriend season 1 ending explained: What happens to Laura and Cherry?

The Girlfriend season 1 premiered on Amazon Prime Video on September 10, 2025. The series explores the complex relationships between a mother, her son, and his new girlfriend.

Starring Robin Wright, Olivia Cooke, and Laurie Davidson, the show revolves around Laura Sanderson (Wright). Laura's seemingly perfect life starts to crumble when her son Daniel (Davidson) introduces his girlfriend Cherry Laine (Cooke). The tension between Laura and Cherry builds throughout the six episodes.

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers from The Girlfriend season 1. Reader’s discretion is required.

The Girlfriend season 1 focuses on Laura's obsessive need to protect her son from Cherry, whom she suspects of being a manipulative gold-digger. Even though she lied to get Cherry's attention and did everything she could to ruin her relationship with Daniel, the story ends with a shocking death.

At the end of the season, Laura's protective feelings and jealousy force her into a fight with Cherry, which ends in her death. As things get worse, Daniel has to make a terrible choice that causes his mother to die in self-defense.

---

What led to the final confrontation between Laura and Cherry in The Girlfriend season 1?

A still from The Girlfriend season 1 (Image via Prime Video)

The end of season 1 of The Girlfriend is nothing short of shocking. The friendship between Cherry and Laura breaks down after months of stress, lies, and manipulation. In the exciting conclusion, there is a violent fight that changes the characters' lives in a big way.

Throughout The Girlfriend season 1, Laura's increasing obsession with exposing Cherry's past and her manipulative nature grows. When Daniel falls during a rock-climbing trip, Laura sees this as her opportunity to permanently separate the couple.

She tells Cherry that Daniel has died and even holds a "family-only" funeral. However, when Daniel recovers and Cherry learns the truth, she seeks revenge on Laura by having her arrested for vandalizing her gallery.

When Daniel and Cherry's engagement party comes around, Laura's actions hit a turning point. Daniel tells her she's getting in the way of his relationship, so Laura gives him drugs to keep him from going. She wants to use a recording she made of Cherry's mother's confession as leverage. Cherry shows up just as Laura is trying to get Daniel to listen, and the fight between the two women gets worse.

---

How did Laura end up dying?

A still from The Girlfriend season 1 (Image via Prime Video)

When Laura and Cherry get into a fight in the Sandersons' pool, the fight gets worse. Laura gets angry and grabs a knife, ready to hurt Cherry. Things go horribly wrong, though, when Daniel, who is still high, tries to help.

Daniel accidentally drowns his mother when he pulls her under the water in his confusion. There is already too little time for Cherry to tell Daniel to stop; Laura's life ends in a terrible accident.

Daniel is still not aware of his actions. Cherry, on the other hand, seems to gain control of the situation and benefit from the result.

---

What happens after Laura’s death?

A still from The Girlfriend season 1 (Image via Prime Video)

Five months after Laura's death, Daniel and Cherry are living a seemingly blissful life. They are going to get married, and Cherry is already pregnant with their child. Daniel's dad, Howard, joined the couple for a sunny day in the yard, so it looks like they've moved on from the tragedy. Daniel makes a scary finding, though, when he finds his mother's phone, which she lost during the last fight.

As Daniel charges his phone, he listens to a recording of Cherry's mother, Tracey, telling Laura that Cherry will do anything to get what she wants and that Daniel could be next. The things Tracey said make Daniel think that the future will be dangerous, and he is terrified to realize that his mother may have been right all along about how manipulative Cherry is.

---

What did Cherry’s mother reveal about her past?

A still from The Girlfriend season 1 (Image via Prime Video)

The truth about Cherry's past is one of the most shocking things that comes out in season 1 of The Girlfriend. Laura is determined to find out who Cherry is and finds out that Cherry's father, John, is still alive and lives in a nursing home.

Laura talks to Cherry's mom, Tracey, to find out the truth after hearing that John was badly hurt in a fall. It turns out that Cherry hurt her father by pushing him, which changed his life. This proves Cherry to be violent, which makes Laura even more sure that Cherry is a threat to Daniel.

Even though this information came up, Cherry's mother supports her daughter's actions by saying that her daughter had a reason for pushing John. This talk, recorded on Laura's phone, is the last piece of proof Daniel needs to fully understand how manipulative Cherry is.

---

The Girlfriend season 1 is currently streaming on Prime Video.

Edited by Rajan Bhattacharya