Death in Paradise fans rejoice as Neville Parker gets his happy ending

Spoilers for season 13 ahead!

Dan Seddon
Updated ·5-min read
Death in Paradise s13,24-03-2024,8,DI Neville Parker (RALF LITTLE)
Ralf Little playing Neville Parker for the final time in Death in Paradise. (BBC One)

What did you miss?

Death in Paradise fans waved off DI Neville Parker as he and Florence Cassell sailed away together in tonight's season 13 finale.

Played by Ralf Little, the unlucky-in-love policeman seemingly left the idyllic island of Saint Marie for good last week, but in a neat twist, he was roped back into action for one last murder investigation when a passenger from his flight wound up dead on a beach.

As always, Neville doggedly got to the bottom of the mystery, yet it was his heart-tugging scenes with Florence (Joséphine Jobert) that caught everyone's attention on social media. Initially turning down her offer to give things a go - she still appeared very non-committal on the romantic side of things - and booking himself another plane ride out of there, he soon realised that he'd slipped back into old habits and was letting his fears win.

Just as Florence was about to board a boat, Neville agreed to her terms.

Death in Paradise s13,24-03-2024,8,(L-R) DI Neville Parker (RALF LITTLE) and Florence (JOSEPHINE JOBERT)
Neville and Florence embrace on the beach. (BBC)

What, how and why?

Having enjoyed a catch-up drink with Neville, who'd pined for her and tasted crushing rejection in previous series, Florence told him as they strolled along the beach: "I missed you, being away, and I thought about you a lot. I know you're leaving soon so I don't know what I'm suggesting, but I wonder is there any chance we can spend some more time together, the two of us?

"I can't make any promises, I know you got hurt before and I don't want to do that to you again, and I guess I'm still figuring this out myself."

Visibly torn, he asked her permission to think about it.

Later on, a dejected Neville answered: "The thing is, if we were gonna give us a go, and believe me there's nothing I'd like more - I kind of want you to want it as much as I want it, and I don't think you do. You said yourself you don't know where this is gonna lead, you can't make any promises. And that's totally fine, it wouldn't be fair of me to ask for something you can't give, but I can't help feeling for my own self-preservation I should probably bow out now..."

In the end, though, Dwayne Myers (Danny John-Jules) and the rest of Neville's police pals persuaded him to rethink his decision.

"All I want is for us to take a leap together," he told Florence at the seaport. Standing at the front of the boat with the ocean breeze in their faces, the pair finally held hands, looking out to the symbolic horizon.

The pair hand-in-hand, finally. (BBC One screengrab)
The pair hand-in-hand, finally. (BBC One screengrab)

What did social media fans think of Neville and Florence's ending?

Reacting on social media site X, Death in Paradise fans were equally gutted by Little's departure as Neville and ecstatic that he and Florence were making a major step in their relationship.

Death in Paradise airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Read more:

Watch: Death in Paradise: Neville Parker appears to leave island

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