Run Away series writer responds to ‘plot holes’ criticism as viewers ask what happened to Henry

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Run Away

The screenwriter of Run Away has responded to criticism of ‘plot holes’ in the series.

Plenty of viewers of the latest Harlan Coben adaptation were left asking about the fate of one of the show’s minor characters after it dropped on New Year’s Day.

And as it climbs up the charts on Netflix both in the UK and globally, some reviews have said Run Away is a little ‘confusing’ with its complex twists and turns.

Series based on the Harlan Coben books seem to pretty much be a TV January staple at this point and this latest addition is developed and written by Danny Brocklehurst. He was also behind the hugely successful Fool Me Once in 2024, as well as a number of the other adaptations.

What happened to Henry?

So, we spoke to Brocklehurst about Run Away to see if we could get his take on some of the common reactions fans have had.

And of course, that includes: “What happened to Henry?” which the screenwriter says seems to be ‘the recurring question’.

While we never actually meet Henry in the series, he’s a pretty core part of how the story moves along – it’s because of him going missing that private investigator Elena (Ruth Jones) gets involved in the first place.

She’s enlisted to locate the missing lad but it becomes clear his story is entangled in a string of murdered boys – all adopted children who turn out to be related.

We soon learn that Dee Dee (Maeve Courtier-Lilley) has carried out these killings with her accomplice as a task from her cult leader, Casper (Ken Bones), who wants to wipe out his biological children for his inheritance.

Coben and Brocklehurst. (StillMoving.Net for Netflix)

Henry therefore has a hit on his name, but we never see him die like the other sons.

And Brocklehurst acknowledges: “We do answer it, sort of, but perhaps we didn’t answer it thoroughly enough.”

A bit of a ‘hidden detail’ does seem give this answer to the ‘what happens to Henry’ question, as Dee Dee goes through a list of the sons towards the end of the series: “One was shot in a robbery. One committed suicide. One is just missing, probably a runaway. One should be, I don't know, stabbed, maybe by a drug-addled homeless nut."

And in that case, it seems they have murdered Henry and covered it up by making it look like a ‘runaway’.

James Nesbitt and Minnie Driver star in the series. (Ben Blackall/Netflix)

Run Away ‘plot holes’

One critic said the show has ‘plot holes you could twist an ankle in’ as others on X claimed: “Exciting and suspenseful with a strong cast but, at the end, the plot has several holes that don’t get filled.”

But, to be honest, it’s kind of up for debate over if there actually are plot holes in the series or just points that viewers have missed or misunderstood.

And that seems to be what Brocklehurst reckons is the case.

“We work very hard to dot the i's and cross the t's on every plot but there is always something people don't get,” he tells LADbible. “A few reviews have said we left gaping plot holes but I’d like to ask them.... like what? Did they watch to the end?”

Run Away is now streaming on Netflix.