Paramount+'s 'Orphan: First Kill' Ending Explained: Albrights Vanquished

Death and destruction follow Orphan: First Kill like a bear to honey. A prequel to the first Orphan, this film focuses on the way Esther killed the Albrights. The original film was set in 2009 while the prequel was set in 2007. The original followed a Kate Coleman (Vera Farmiga), coming across the story of Esther/Leena (Isabelle Fuhrman) who was adopted by a family that was murdered by the child. Adopted by the Albrights which included Tricia Albright (Julia Stiles), Allen Albright (Rossif Sutherland), and Gunnar Albright (Matthew Finlan), Esther actually disappeared (well actually spoiler alert, she didn’t) and the family has been living in wait of her, as reported by DM Talkies.

The character Leena, who we meet in this film has been convicted of multiple killings in Estonia including an art therapy instructor Anna Troyev. As Leena bludgeons Anna to death, she finds another child’s picture on Anna’s computer. This is a child named Esther Albright who went missing a few years ago. Leena figured out that she looks exactly like this little child Esther because of the complication hypopituitarism that didn’t allow her to look older than 10–12 years. She dressed up as Esther and waited for the authorities to show up so they could take her home. 

Cut to Connecticut, we see Detective Donnan (Hiro Kanagawa) reluctantly hand over Leena as Esther. He was the lead on the Esther Albright case and felt like this development didn’t make complete sense. He was right, of course, but before he could tell anybody, Leena killed him. When she asked him how he knew she wasn’t Esther, he revealed that Tricia knows. The plot thickens, because there is no way Tricia could have figured out about Leena pretending to be Esther. That’s when we find out that Gunnar and Tricia were both in on Esther’s death (bum-bum-BUM). Actually, Gunnar killed Esther and Tricia covered for him with the police. 

As the film progresses the two opposing sides Leena/Esther, and Tricia & Gunnar passive aggressively attack each other and almost reveal their secret, skirting around the edge both holding some form of leverage over the other. When Allen had to go to a conference, Leena decided to make a break for it but Tricia catches up to her after the police caught Leena for speeding. After they all come back home, Tricia and Gunnar decide to kill Leena. Quite unsuccessfully, Gunnar pushes Leena off the stairs attempting to kill her which was hinted to be the same way the OG Esther died. So Leena doesn’t die and Gunnar decides to stop over-thinking it and just end it with her. 

At this point, Allen calls Tricia to tell her that he is coming early after hearing about “Esther” and her detention. She asks him to take a cab so they can buy time. Leena lures Gunnar into a room and shoots with a crossbow, stabbing him to death with a fencing sword. One down, two to go. Tricia and Leena get caught in a fire situation when the witness Allen comes by to save them. Tricia tries to let Allen know about Leena but he saves her first, letting Tricia fall to her death. Leena was hoping Allen would support her if she told him about her situation, Tricia and Gunnar’s betrayal and the death of his sister, but he was disgusted and disgruntled. Unable to take that Allen also dies. The Albrights are all gone and Leena, once again, adopts Esther’s identity and Dr. Sager toils to find Esther a loving home again.

Orphan: First Kill is streaming on Paramount+