No Return ending explained: What does the judges' verdict mean?
What happened to Noah? **CONTAINS SPOILERS**
The fourth and final episode of new thriller No Return – which has captured the imagination of fans across the country over the last few weeks – will land tonight (28th February 2022) on ITV.
Sheridan Smith (Four lives and The Teacher) leads the cast of No Return as Kathy, the mother of a teenager called Noah (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) whose peaceful holiday in Turkey is derailed when Noah is accused of assaulting a boy.
It certainly doesn't look great for Noah in the first episode, but the plot quickly thickens when an emotional Kathy sets out to defend her son and prove his innocence.
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So, how does No Return, which was inspired by an actual case of a family getting in trouble abroad, end – and what happens to Noah? Read on for everything you need to know about the teenager's fate...
ITV's No Return ending explained
For much of ITV thriller No Return, it looked like Noah Powell's days were numbered. What should have been a couple of weeks of sun, sea and copious amounts of ice cream during a family holiday to Turkey quickly spiralled into a nightmare when he was arrested for sexually assaulting another holiday goer.
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The allegation was made by Milo, a 15-year-old boy from Spain, who was staying at a nearby hotel. The pair met during a beach party and instantly hit it off. According to Noah, Milo made it very clear that he was attracted to him, which prompted them to slip off to the hotel grounds, where it was quieter.
It was then, shielded from prying eyes, that Milo claimed Noah forced himself upon him. But Noah vehemently denied the accusation.
During the statement that he made in court, Noah explained what had unfolded: the pair had started kissing one another –"things got pretty heated pretty quickly." Milo then slid his hands down Noah's shorts and started pleasuring him, but paused when his phone rang. It was his mum, who we learned is a devout Christian and part of a group that engages in gay conversion therapy. Milo ignored her call and carried on, but she contacted him again, which prompted him to stop.
"And a look crosses his face like he's suddenly seeing himself from the outside," said Noah.
Milo, who looked furious, then spat at him, but Noah was confused. He thought it was a come-on from Milo, an invitation to engage in rough sex. Noah pushed him against the wall and kissed him. Milo then responded and in an instant, they were "at each other's shorts" before Noah spun him around and they continued to enjoy one another's bodies.
Milo's mum called him again, which finally spooked him and he quickly left, leaving Noah alone.
In his closing statement, the head judge said that while Noah had "taken his desires too far", as well as highlighting his "anger issues", the sexual exchange between them was "almost certainly consensual".
The fact that Milo withdrew his statement also worked in his favour.
But given that Milo was 15, regardless of the fact that he was wearing one of the blue wristbands that signalled he was 16 or over, a crime had been committed. Noah was slapped with a three-year suspended sentence, a decision the judges had made due to his age and the absence of risk to the public.
And with that, Noah was finally free to leave Turkey and return home to Manchester with his family.
No Return continues on 28th February at 9pm on ITV. All episodes are available on the ITV Hub. Check out our Drama coverage for more news, interviews and features or find something to watch with our TV Guide.
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