'Until I Kill You' Concludes with "Healing" & "Justice" for Delia Balmer

Until I Kill You’s first half left off with John Sweeney having fled the country and disappeared, though he’s still sending the cops postcards from random cities like Berlin, taunting them for letting him escape. But he’s not gone for long, returning to England under a false name and moving into a flat in London, where he’s already done in his next victim, Paula Edwards, who had the misfortune to pick the worst wrong door to knock on in the entire block. 

Delia, meanwhile, is rebuilding her life. While John is doing in new women, she has also moved on and begins a relationship with David (Kevin Doyle). She has started a university course because she doesn’t want to return to nursing and is now studying to get a degree in massage and other therapies. David’s even bought her another bike. Everything seems to be going well until the cops show up one night on her doorstep, which is how she learns about John’s return to London and that he has been there for some time now, long enough to commit murder and be arrested. 

Delia’s discovery John Sweeney has been living in London for two years undoes her completely, and she furiously explodes at DC Christine Webb, her family liaison officer. It’s even worse when she learns just how busy he’s been; Paula Edwards’ body was found in London’s Regent St. Canal. Now, despite failing to believe her or keep Sweeney in prison, the CPS services want to build a case against John for Paula’s murder using her testimony.

Despite being coached by the police and her legal team, Delia’s fury takes over. First, she drinks a few miniatures in the bathroom to fortify her courage before her testimony. Then she refuses to swear on the Bible, instead swearing on her injuries – broken bones and a stab wound to her breast. She is understandably upset when John greets her from the dock. But if Delia doesn’t testify, John may go free, and it’s that which persuades her to return. It’s now been seven years since the attack, and physical and emotional effects still cause her pain, and she has PTSD. 

“I feel as though I’m in a black hole. I am scared to wake up and face a new day because I feel I have lost my future.” Why, she asks the court, is the law allowed to treat people like this? The deciding factor for the jury is that in one of John’s sketches, masked by white-out, are the words “May you never die until I kill you.” After a nine-hour deliberation, the jury finds John guilty, and he receives four life sentences. However, Delia is horrified to learn he will be eligible for parole in nine years.

She writes a letter of complaint to the police about her treatment, and her relationship with well-meaning, kind David starts to deteriorate. He’s dumb enough to wish out loud he’d met her “before.” She storms out of a restaurant, drunk, and meets a group of cheerful policemen who don’t believe she’s just walking home and arrest her (in other words, she doesn’t appreciate their cheerful banter). After a night in the cells, the police identify her as a victim but don’t seem nearly apologetic enough, and Delia breaks up with David.

Two years later, Delia has become a qualified massage therapist and works for free in an HIV ward, surviving on appreciation and friendship from the patients and their families. Despite all she's been through, she seems to have found peace. However, in Amsterdam, Astrid De Vries is still doggedly trying to solve her cold case, having confirmed to the London police that the body from the canal was that of Melissa Halstead. (It’s not explained why the earlier DNA test came out negative).  

Time is running out. John will be eligible for parole in two years. Furthermore, he has requested that Delia testify in person, and the judge agrees. A compromise is found when she is interviewed by psychiatrist Dr. Larence Howes (Nicholas Khan), for which she prepares by shopping at the liquor store. (Notably, this time, she doesn’t drink any of her purchases ahead of time.) Dr. Howes diagnoses PTSD and believes Delia may try to take her own life if fear predominates, and she should not be forced to testify. The police raid the Lancashire home of the Sweeney family and find a cache of John’s artwork, obsessed with mutilating women and with hidden codes covered in whiteout. 

Faced with this new evidence, John is found guilty and sentenced to a "whole life tariff," i.e., life without parole. After the trial, Delia talks to her brother, who reminds her that she’s always been strong. Does she remember watching a tornado with him when they were kids? It was dangerous, but she enjoyed it. The episode ends as she leaves her apartment in search of sun and warmth, making up for lost time. All power to her.

Until I Kill You is dedicated to John Sweeney's victims, Melissa Halstead and Paula Edwards. All episodes are now streaming on BritBox.