Who is Nan’s Mother in The Buccaneers?

On the surface, Apple TV+’s ‘The Buccaneers‘ might seem like a generic romance drama. But the show also keeps the viewers engaged with its many mysteries. There is so much that lurks beneath the surface, in the unknown pasts of the characters, that if it wasn’t for the subtext of the sly glances and the awkward conversations, we’d never guess which character was connected to him. These things reveal that people are keeping a secret, and this often opens the door to new discoveries. Something similar happens with Nan and the secret identity of her mother. SPOILERS AHEAD

Nan May Already Know Her Biological Mother

One of the biggest mysteries of ‘The Buccaneers’ Season 1 has been the identity of Nan’s mother. In the final scene, her father says that the mother is in the castle as they speak, but he doesn’t take any names to give us a clue. Going back over the events of this season, there is only one person who has fallen under the suspicion of being Nan’s mother: Laura Testvalley.

The governess has been quite a mysterious figure in the show, with little to nothing known about her past, and whatever is revealed has been through other characters. Her shocking connection with Richard makes us reconsider her position as the governess of the girls and makes one wonder if there is any other secret she is hiding. She has been known to share secret glances with people she had a past with, like Richard and Mr St. George has been one of those people. It would make sense that she is Nan’s real mother, as it also aligns with several hints that have been thrown around.

At one point, Patricia asks her husband if he told Nan who her real mother and he scoffs, saying of course he didn’t. This means that the woman is someone well known to Nan, and discovering her identity would cause a massive stir, especially for Nan, who would feel betrayed by her parents for keeping her away from her real mother all this while when she was close to her. But then, all of this doesn’t align with the emotions of the final scene.

If Laura is Nan’s mother and she has been working as her governess, why would Nan’s parents be so alarmed by her being in the castle? If Laura has spent a good few years with Nan and never comes clean about her parentage, then why would Patti and her husband have anything to worry about her being around on the wedding day? This means that Laura has probably been the red herring all along, and the mother is someone else, maybe even a new character. It would explain the alarm because she has resurfaced after many years, and Nan’s father is horrified because he told Nan her biological mother was dead. All of this points towards the mother being someone completely new to the show but already talked about or related to someone close enough to cause dire consequences for Nan’s already threatened reputation.