Single Black Female 3 Review and Ending, Explained: Who is the Killer?

Lifetime’s ‘Single Black Female 3: The Final Chapter’ centers on Monica Harris, whose life was upended at the end of the second film after she was wrongfully convicted of murder. Monica copped the blame for her half-sister Simone’s actions while the latter absconded miles across the border into Mexico. In the franchise’s third installment, the protagonist tries to rebuild her life following her recent incarceration. However, things get complicated when a series of murders emerge in Houston, Texas, threatening to destroy everything Monica has built thus far. Additionally, Simone faces her own troubles as she attempts to take on more motherhood responsibilities. As a result, the two siblings end up on a collision course again.

Review: A Solid Obsession Thriller With a Rushed Conclusion

For the most part, ‘Single Black Female 3: The Final Chapter’ satisfactorily wraps up the longstanding saga between half-sisters Monica and Simone. The film delves into their personal challenges as they both try to come out of a difficult part of their life – Monica reestablishing her normal life following a false conviction and Simone coming to terms with her duties to her daughter Joy. It brings a new dimension to their characters and paints a more complex picture of the trauma tying them together. To that end, the story neatly brings them together in a fashion that feels organic and well-balanced, albeit externally motivated. The drama between them is one of the best parts of the movie. Even the murder mystery feels adequately compelling and keeps one guessing till the end.

However, while the film works on a variety of levels, it slightly comes apart in its final moments when the killer’s identity comes to light. The pacing and progression of these ending portions feel off the mark, especially during the resolution. Monica and Simone’s realization of the actual killer feels jarringly abrupt and does not have the same organic feel as the rest of the film. It brings to question whether some scenes could have been reshuffled in places to lend more weight to the reveal. Still, when it happens, it adds to the cyclical nature of the narrative and how it connects back to the theme of “hurt people, hurt people.” Overall, it brings a compelling end to the complex obsession thriller franchise centered on sisterhood and two women trying to piece together the trauma from their childhood in wholly different ways.

Single Black Female 3 Plot Synopsis

‘Single Black Female 3’ begins where the previous movie ended, with Monica being whisked off to prison while Simone is still in the wind. A few days after her incarceration, Monica is released after DNA tests prove that she was not involved in the murders of Trevor Williams, Layla Clinton, and Kendyl Rouse. As she settles back into a life of freedom in Seattle, Washington State, she tries to provide more clues to the police in their search for Simone. However, her friend Bebe discourages her, stating that she should focus on herself. After a night out, Monica takes Bebe’s advice and moves to Houston, Texas. There, she meets up with her producer and poses a new podcast project centered on people who have been wrongfully convicted like her.

Meanwhile, Simone is in hiding in Jalisco, Mexico, biding her time with the Sisters of Guadalupe. Her daughter Joy is the victim of bullying in her college, which causes Simone great concern. The woman is trying to turn a leaf in her life, especially when it comes to making violent and impulsive decisions like in her past. She calls up Sister Margaret, telling her that she wants to come to Houston to be closer to Joy. However, Margaret does not support the idea, especially since Monica is back in Houston. Elsewhere, Joy starts a budding friendship with a boy named Devon. Shavone, Joy’s bully, throws meat on Joy, humiliating her publicly and recording the video for some shallow social media clicks. Devon comforts Joy. Monica gets a surprise visit from Sister Margaret, who confesses her role in keeping Simone alive.

Following the exchange between Monica and Margaret, Detective Williams follows the latter back to the church. The cop is still obsessed about exacting revenge on Monica or Simone for her brother Trevor’s murder. Later, Bebe gives Monica the idea of hiring a PI named Walter before getting in touch with him herself. Elsewhere, Shavone is murdered by an unknown assailant driving a car. The college mourns her death while Joy is happy to welcome Simone back into her life, who, against Margaret’s wishes, decided to come back to Houston. Mother and daughter talk about the former’s past. Joy says she has no qualms about Simon’s crimes. She is happy that her mom is back. Meanwhile, an attacker enters Sister Margaret’s home and murders her while she is asleep.

Single Black Female 3 Ending: Who is the Killer?

After a number of deaths start racking up in Houston, our main characters begin investigating these confusing patterns through different avenues. Monica uses Walter’s help while Simone tries to avoid the affair to the best of her ability. The latter is worried that if she gets involved somehow, it will undo many of the changes she has made since learning of Joy’s existence. To her, Joy means everything. However, unbeknownst to everyone, the girl has developed a killer instinct that resembles her own mother. She treats any problem in her life with the same sort of tactic – violence. Thus, in the end, it comes as a shock when we learn that Joy is the one behind the murders. She killed Shavone because the girl bullied her. She killed Margaret because the nun was trying to keep Simone away from her. Plus, she poisoned her boyfriend because he found out about her and her birth mom.

For large chunks of the narrative, the identity of the killer is hidden in a layer of subterfuge. The film tries to misdirect the audience by showcasing the murders as a revenge mission carried out by Detective Williams. Fueled by her brother’s murder in the second film, she wants either Monica or Simone to pay for the crime, especially after the former is cleared of all charges at the movie’s beginning. To add salt to her wounds, Williams is also frustrated by the fact that Simone, the one that everyone claims to be behind the murders, is missing. She grows obsessed with her crusade and tunnel-minded in her zeal to make someone pay for her brother’s passing. It leads to her developing an unhealthy, toxic mindset that is akin to Simone’s from the earlier films.

Thus, when Detective Williams shows up at Joy’s place near the end, the expectation is that the cop is the one in the wrong. Certainly, Simone and Monica believe that to be the case as well. However, they are both wrong, as Joy is the culprit behind those crimes. The teenager likely developed a warped sense of justice because of her unstable childhood and not having a loving figure in her life. In fact, she explains that everything she has done in her life is an attempt to be loved by someone else, which captures the trauma her mother is also dealing with. They are both similarly affected by inadequate childhoods and parenting. Thus, even after Joy is subdued, it feels that she is not the evil mastermind that one might expect. Instead, she is just a scared child looking for safety.

How Does Monica Move On With Her Life?

A year after wrapping up the incident with Joy and Simone, Monica realizes her dream of starting a podcast for KCRN. She becomes the host of ‘Moving On With Monica,’ a show centered on helping people who have been wronged in their lives. We see her talking to one of her guests, a pastor, who teaches her the value of forgiveness via a Bible excerpt. While Monica recognizes the phrase, she starts reflecting on the concept of forgiving Simone. The two have been inextricably linked to each other because of some terrible incidents. However, earlier, we see them cooperating when they try to find the killer. It proves that Simone has changed and is remorseful for her actions, while Monica is willing to accept her half-sister as who she is, even after all the difficulties she faced.

As a result of her talk with the pastor, Monica writes a letter for Simone, addressing the complex details of their warped relationship and how they have been at each other’s throats for such a long time. However, the central message of the letter is forgiveness. Monica talks about how she has forgiven Simone for everything she did to her, particularly in light of the trauma that she had to suffer as a child. The letter is her final way of saying that she has given up on any negative feelings for Simone, and the two are back on as equal a footing as possible. Subsequently, we see Monica head out for a date with Bebe at a restaurant. She is enjoying her life as a regular citizen once more, especially in the company of her best friend. She claps in joy as Bebe and Walter get engaged in front of her.

What Happens to Simone and Joy?

While Monica enjoys her life in peace outside, Simone and Joy lead a different kind of existence – one of repentance inside prison. They have both been incarcerated and locked up. However, they have one positive: they are still together. After growing up without any affection, this could be a pivotal point for Joy, who can finally spend her life in close proximity with her mother. However, their future may not be as bright as the extent of their crimes opens them up to a life sentence at the very least. Both mother and daughter killed a lot of people to achieve their goals, sometimes not realizing the damage they were doing to innocents. Still, Simone showed some signs of acknowledging her actions before her imprisonment. She may teach her daughter the same.

Chances are that Simone will have to spend the rest of her life in prison. However, her daughter Joy may have some chances of applying for parole as she is still a minor. Thus, it makes it possible that Joy may still see a happy ending after she rehabilitates herself in prison and learns to grow emotionally and mentally via her exchanges with her mother. It is a remote likelihood, but it provides a small semblance of hope for both of them moving forward. It also allows Simone to be a proper mother to Joy, something she desires throughout the film. Now, the opportunity has presented itself in abundance. The tragedy is that it took them far too long and cost many people’s lives in the process.