The Buccaneers Cast Breaks Down Nan's Surprising Choice and That Mother of a Cliffhanger

[Warning: This story contains spoilers for the final episode of The Buccaneers Season 1. Read at your own risk!]

Nan St. George (Kristine Frøseth) finally made her choice between Guy Thwarte (Matthew Broome) and Theo, Duke of Tintagel (Guy Remmers) in the Season 1 finale of The Buccaneers. But the decision she made was far more complicated than we thought, with consequences that have yet to be played out. 

In the eighth and final episode of the Apple TV+ drama's freshman season, which is now available to stream, Nan made the daring choice to go through with the wedding to the duke, not long after she and Guy confessed their love to each other the night before. The motivation for Nan to become the duchess, even if her heart lay elsewhere, was to protect her pregnant sister, Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse), from an abusive marriage to Lord James Seadown (Barney Fishwick). 

In Nan's mind, marriage to Theo was the only way to assure Jinny (and her baby's) safety. So, in the final minutes of the season, right before she walked down the aisle, Nan put her sister into a carriage with Guy, who would accompany her on their escape. (Theo, for the record, was left in the dark of Nan's true intentions behind the marriage.) Nan's heartbreaking sacrifice put into sharp focus her priorities — that no matter what, family would always trump her happiness. And speaking of family: Nan's biological mom, who hasn't been disclosed yet, was at her wedding. More on that shocking cliffhanger later.

"I'm really proud of Nan. I think she made a very courageous choice. Maybe after a day or two, a lot of thoughts are going to sink in," Frøseth told TV Guide of her thoughts on the ending. "She's kind of in survival mode in the episode and the most important thing is protecting her sister and nothing else matters."

More on The Buccaneers:

• The Buccaneers: Everything We Know About Season 1
• The Buccaneers Review: Apple TV+'s Edith Wharton Adaptation Is Soapy, Irreverent Fun

The actress admitted she was "surprised" by Nan's choice to still marry Theo, knowing full well she wasn't fully committed with Guy back in the picture. 

"Up until that point she's made some interesting choices and she's let go of her true self, the Nan that we meet [in the first episode]," Frøseth elaborated. "I'm curious if the relationship with Theo is going to work moving forward because I do think her heart is with Guy. It'll be interesting, if there is a Season 2, to explore that marriage and what's going to happen, and what's going to happen with the baby."

The uncertainty of how things will be with Guy now that he's on the run with Jinny, and Nan and Theo stepping into their royal partnership is "what is satisfying about [the ending]," Broome said. 

"It would have been less satisfying if she had picked one of us and that was just it. I suppose she did in a way; she picked one of us but it can't happen for now, so it's still open for discussion," the actor shared. "Of all the endings possible, I think it's very satisfying."

Remmers, who plays Theo, had a different, more light-hearted take: "I'm just happy my character made it to the end!" 

Frøseth was fully aware how messy things are about to get for Nan as she begins a new chapter as a duchess and for keeping a massive secret from her husband. "Not right. It's not good. She's messy, she's impulsive. She needs to chill out," the Chasing Alaska star reacted. 

Even if the duke doesn't have Nan's full attention, Frøseth believes they did have a genuine bond. 

"I do also think Nan relies on the fact that he could be a safe choice. He's a duke. She's lost with her identity. She can become a duchess and move forward in life," Frøseth said. "But then again, Guy Thwarte, who kind of has her heart, also ditched her at a very important time in her life. And then he's just going to come back? I'm questioning both choices. ...  I'm kind of at that place where the boring side of me, Kristine, is like, 'Nan, just be single. Figure this out. Take a second.' But the writers do such a good job to make that interesting."

If Theo ends up finding out about all that went on behind the scenes leading up to the wedding, Remmers is already bracing for the impact. "I think he'll be like, 'Oh god, another thing? I think he would be heartbroken. I think he really would."

Added Broome: "Honestly, one of the most heartbreaking things of the ending is that you are marrying her and you have no idea."

Broome and Remmers acknowledged that the Buccaneers love triangle was meant to not only cause friction between Nan, Guy, and Theo, but also with the viewers, too. 

"It's not easy [deciding] who you think Nan should be with. That's what's so interesting about it. There's not a clear answer," Broome said, adding both Guy and Theo are good guys "deep down" who "make mistakes and have their flaws."

"I think they both truly love her and she has love for them," Remmers shared. "It's a very complicated, complex, confusing thing."

Still, Broome is all-in that Guy sees Nan as his endgame. "It's so messy up until that point and what has kept going is their love for each other, and I think that is when they finally both admit that to each other. Anything is possible from now on."

Then, there's the not-so-little issue of Nan's biological mother coming back into the fold and making her unexpected presence known at the wedding. How did she even know to attend the ceremony in the first place? Is she a character we have yet to meet? 

"I've tried to get the answer and no one will tell me, and I'll just have to find out, hopefully if there's a Season 2, with the rest of you guys," Frøseth exclaimed. "In the beginning, I thought it could be Miss Testvalley (played by Simone Kirby) but I let go of that quite quickly. Now I just think it's someone we haven't met."

"We have absolutely no idea, but we've definitely discussed and thought of possibilities," Broome said. "I had the crazy theory that it's Mrs. Elmsworth," Remmers chimed in, referring to Lizzy and Mabel's mother, played by Conchata Ferrell. 

Frøseth threw out her dream scenario for who Nan's real mom could be. "Please let it be Laura Dern! Can you imagine she just shows up in The Buccaneers? That'd be iconic. I would follow her around."

As for what a potential Season 2 could explore should Apple TV+ renew the series, they're all hoping to get answers to all the loose threads left dangling at the end of the finale.  

"I'm curious about Guy and Jinny, what's going to happen there? How is the baby going to be raised? Are they going to come back? Where do they even go? Is Seadown going to have any consequences?" Frøseth rattled off. "I'm curious about Conchita and Lord Richard's now broke lifestyle that they are going to have to figure out with Minnie. I'm curious about the marriage with Theo and Nan, how that's going to play out, because in the book [by Edith Wharton] it's really dark. It could be interesting to explore the nuances of what it would be like to become a duchess during that time."

"What I'm quite interested in is this idea that Guy is now involved with Jinny and Seadown's story because up until now, he didn't have anything to do with it," Broome said. "Me and Jinny don't even have a scene together until that moment [in the carriage]."

Remmers expressed his desire to "keep telling the story and inhabit this world." "It would be very interesting to explore what Nan and Theo's marriage is like. I fear it's not completely a happy one. I think there are many more obstacles and hurdles to come, but I'd be really excited to see how he processes that marriage and what that marriage entails. And then equally, can he and Guy ever be friends again?"

Season 1 of The Buccaneers is streaming on Apple TV+.