The author of Apples Never Fall explains how the ending of the TV series differs from the book

The twisty, twisty thriller unfolded over the past few weeks and took us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions as we tried to find out what exactly happened to Joy Delaney (Annette Bening).

After we were last seen happily riding her bike, we noticed that blood was left on the ground and there was no sign of Joy. Her family was soon thrust into the spotlight, but soon turned out not to be the perfect family everyone thought they were.

At the end of the series, Joy returns to her family – alive – and we discover that when she called her children in her time of need, she once again found solace in the enigmatic stranger Savannah (Georgia Flood).

Georgia Flood as Savannah in Apples Never Fall, standing on a porch and crossing her arms.

Georgia Flood as Savannah in Apples Never Fall. Peacock TV, Vince Valitutt

But it was soon revealed that Savannah was not who she claimed to be and was actually on a revenge mission against the Delaney’s for her own personal vendetta. At the end of the series, Savannah crashed her car with Joy inside, leaving Joy for dead on the road, but escaped unscathed.

It’s a pretty open ending when it comes to Savannah, especially since her vendetta isn’t exactly resolved and her actions are completely unpredictable. However, it turns out that the ending of the series is very different from the original novel written by Liane Moriarty.

Chat exclusively with RadioTimes.com at the release of her latest novel, Here One Moment, Moriarty explained the differences from Savannah’s portrayal, saying, “It had a very different ending.”

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She explained: “Savannah had a lot more story in the book, but I understand it’s a different medium and changes are always being made. Sometimes as a viewer I really enjoy watching the parts I know nothing about because then I just watch it like a normal viewer.

“They’re just two different things, different art forms.”

Of course, any TV adaptation of Moriarty comes with its fair share of comparisons to HBO’s hit series Big Little Lies, which was also based on Moriarty’s 2014 novel.

But it’s a comparison Moriarty didn’t want when it comes to seeing her stories on screen. She said: “Yes, I think everything should stand alone, but I think it’s just natural because Big Little Lies was such a success.

“Ideally – it’s the same with my books – I would prefer everything to be standalone. They’re two completely different stories, so yes, I would prefer if they weren’t compared.”

Apple’s Never Fall can be streamed on BBC iPlayer.

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