'The Watcher' Ending Explained: How John Graff Is Painted in Netflix Finale

Ryan Murphy's highly-anticipated true crime drama series, The Watcher, is streaming on Netflix now.

The seven part-series is loosely inspired by the true story of Maria and Derek Broaddus, who were forced out of their newly purchased dream home at 657 Boulevard, Westfield, New Jersey, after receiving haunting letters from an anonymous person known only as the Watcher.

The Broadduses, known as Nora and Dean Brannock (played by Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale) in The Watcher, received four letters in total, threatening that the Watcher's eye was always on them, referring to their children as "young blood" and taunting there was a presence hiding within the walls of 657 Boulevard.

Unfortunately, the Broaddus family sold their dream home in 2019 and to this day, the real identity of the Watcher has never been revealed. But in Netflix's The Watcher, one man, in particular, is painted in a pretty damning light.

Newsweek has everything you need to know about John Graff (played by Joe Mantello) and the end of The Watcher on Netflix.

How John Graff Is Painted in The Watcher Finale

At the very end of The Watcher on Netflix and after numerous suspects, persons of interest, and dead-end leads, the true identity of the Watcher is semi-revealed.

An intense creep-stare from John Graff in the finale's final moments, suggests he has been the Watcher all along. However, it is up to the audience's interpretation whether Graff is really the true and only Watcher.

Since receiving the first letter, Dean Brannock suspected John to be the culprit as far back as Episode 3.

They met early on in the series, when John appeared at the Brannock family home under the guise of a local building inspector, making himself a sandwich in the kitchen of 657 Boulevard.

Confused by John's random appearance, Dean asked other contractors working on the house if there is an inspector in the neighborhood by the name of John Graff, raising Dean's suspicions even more.

John's true identity is uncovered by the Brannock's private investigator Detective Theodora Birch (Noma Dumezweni) in Episode 3, who explains John and his family lived in the house until 1995.

However, things took a dark turn when John shot and killed his entire family, after allegedly receiving letters from the Watcher.

John was believed to have fled the area and has never been seen again, ruling him out as a suspect, but Dean is convinced they met in person.

In Episodes 6 and 7, John reappears as a member of the Westfield Preservation Society who is concerned about the Brannock's proposal to sell 657 Boulevard to a buyer who has plans to demolish the home. However, at the meetings, John is now going by the name of William "Bill" Webster, a neighbor who moved to Westfield in 1995, the same year as the Graff family murders.

Long-time local resident Roger Kaplan (Michael Nouri) also has his suspicion about Bill/John, sharing he recognizes him but cannot place where, when, or why they would have met. However, moments later, something for Roger seems to click and he eerily asks, "How's your family, Bill?"

Depending on how you interpret their conversation, Roger may have realized Bill is actually John Graff.

When the series comes to an end, the audience sees John exploring the underground tunnels which lead to 657 Boulevard, hiding from the Brannock family in their next-door neighbor's home and staring out of the window in the last episode's final moments.

The character John Graff is not the real-life Watcher. The Watcher's real identity has never been uncovered, despite police investigations and private investigations.

There have never been any arrests made in the case. There were no fingerprints, no digital trial, and no way to place a suspect at the home, leaving the case unsolved today.

However, John Graff in The Watcher may well be based on real-life murderer John List, notes HITC.

On November 9, 1971, List murdered his wife, three children, and his mother at their home in Westfield, New Jersey, the same town where 657 Boulevard is located and where The Watcher takes place.

List went on the run after the killings for 18 years, living under a false identity. He was arrested in June 1989 and convicted on five counts of first-degree murder. He received five life sentences and died in March 2008.

On the other hand, Pearl (Mia Farrow) could be the Watcher as she has been one of the longest-living residents on the street at 657 Boulevard is located. All along, she has been obsessed with preserving 657 Boulevard, making her opinions known to neighbors and the Brannocks.

She may have been the one to send John/Bill the letters to drive him mad and commit a heinous act of murder and was able to get him on her side to make sure the house remained untouched.

Other suspects include Jasper (Terry Kinney), Mitch (Richard Kind), Mo (Margo Martindale) Roger, and even Dean Brannock himself.

In the end, creator Ryan Murphy has left it up to the audience to decide who really is the Watcher.

The Watcher is streaming on Netflix now.