In recent years, Netflix subscribers have been treated to a wealth of excellent foreign language outings and crime dramas, with some even spawning whole cinematic universes. One such project, a Dutch series titled Undercover, loosely adapts the true story of notorious drug kingpin Janus van Wessenbeeck. Though Undercover has wowed audiences far and wide, the series has been largely overshadowed by other spinoff efforts that further explore the life and childhood of the central character, Ferry Bouman. In a slightly confusing turn of events, Netflix has produced both a film and a series titled Ferry, which have each garnered massive audience acclaim. The long-awaited sequel Ferry 2 has finally been released, though many fans are understandably having a little trouble keeping up with the narrative chronology.

Luckily, we’ve got you covered, with a comprehensive guide to the plot, narrative and themes of Ferry the feature film and Ferry the series. This quick recap should give you everything you need to head into the recently released film with clear eyes and a fresh mind. As always please be advised that the following write-up will contain full spoilers for both the 2021 movie and the entirety of the 2023 limited series. Those who haven’t seen one or the other in full should be sure to bookmark this page and return at a later date, as the franchise is truly bolstered by its shocking twists and turns. For everyone else, let’s don our leather jackets, double-check the pockets for loose product, and dive right into the events of the Ferry universe.

What Happens in the 2021 Feature Film?

Ferry (2021) serves as a prequel to the events of Undercover, highlighting the life of Bouman before his rise to the top of the criminal underworld. Inspired by true events, the film sees Bouman meeting and growing close with his mentor, Ralph Brink. Though Brink is a ruthless criminal, he seems to have a soft spot for a young Ferry, which is only exacerbated by the boy’s contentious relationship with his father. Shortly after joining Brink’s crew, Bouman begins accepting contracts to kill Brink’s enemies, which comes with a hefty sum of cash. Before long, Bouman has gone from a penniless child with no adult supervision to a big baller with a shocking excess of wealth. The bulk of the 2021 film centers on one specific job, which sees Ferry tracking down a group of thugs who robbed one of Brink’s stash houses and shot his son.

As Ferry roots out the would-be thugs, he also works to uncover the mole in Brink’s operation, further insulating himself into the criminal underworld as a high-ranking associate. In a shocking turn of events, Ferry comes to learn that it was Brink’s own son Mattijs who set up the robbery and that the son was only shot by accident. By the end of the film, Ferry has easily dispatched two of the three half-stepping high-jackers but has difficulty killing the third. As it would turn out, the getaway driver, Lars van Marken, is the brother of Ferry’s girlfriend Danielle. This complicates things for the young killer, as Brink increasingly puts pressure on him to take out the third man, despite his personal connection. For a time, it seems like the job is driving a wedge between Ferry and Danielle that cannot be undone.

How Does ‘Ferry’ End?

In the end, Ferry chooses Danielle over Ralph Brink. He refuses to kill Van Marken, in direct opposition to Brink’s orders. As the two grow more frustrated with one another, tensions boil over, and Ferry winds up killing his boss and fleeing from the Amsterdam area. Surprisingly, Danielle is willing to uproot her life and follow him across the country, exemplifying the attachment that the couple feels for each other. In a post-credits scene, we see that Ferry has also teamed up with Lars, employing him and several of his buddies to manufacture MDMA for his drug trafficking operation.

The film ultimately proves that Ferry Bouman’s greatest strength as a crime lord was his ability to read people and forge connections from unlikely origins. When he met Lars, Ferry could never have imagined that one day they’d be going into business together. Obviously, even honor among thieves falls by the wayside when matters of the heart are concerned.

Bouman’s Journey Continues in ‘Ferry: The Series’

Ferry: The Series picks up a few years after the events of the 2021 film and sees the gangster forging his own path in Brabant, a remote province nearly 100 miles South of Amsterdam. After doing away with Ralph Brink, Ferry has opened up a massive power vacuum in Europe’s criminal organization, which he intends to fill himself. As shown by the film’s post-credits scene, Ferry hires Lars van Marken and a few other men named Dennis and Remco and puts them to work crafting synthetic drugs. Ferry hits the streets with the product himself, selling ecstasy and Molly in small doses to local addicts. Though the money begins rolling in, the newly minted boss seeks to level up his operation rapidly, by teaming with local distributors to tap into the international narcotics market.

Ferry’s next big break comes when his main competitor, Artie Tack, is arrested on drug trafficking charges, causing his entire network of distributors to screech to a halt. In a bid to corner the market, Ferry reaches out to Tack’s main distribution network, a biker gang known as Pusaka, and makes it clear that he’ll be running the show from now on. The higher-ups of the gang agree to Ferry’s partnership offer, but make a ludicrous demand of one million pills per month to prove that Ferry’s crew can keep up. Blinded with ambition, Ferry agrees and begins instructing Lars and his friends to ramp up production rapidly.

The Landscape of the Criminal Underworld Keeps on Changing

Much to the surprise of Ferry and the Pusaka crew, Artie Tack is released shortly after his arrest and sent home with an ankle monitor. Rather than seeing Ferry as a threat to his stronghold in the drug business, Artie offers to go 50/50 with him. As Lars points out, this would make it significantly easier to meet their one million pill order, especially since Ferry’s crew lacks the raw materials necessary to synthesize a million ecstasy tablets to begin with. Ferry, being the overconfident industrialist that he is, not only declines Artie’s offer but actually stages a robbery of Artie’s manufacturing plant, stealing more than enough materials to make the first delivery. This plot point serves as an interesting foil to Lars and Ferry’s first meeting, where Lars is the one on the hook for robbing a local kingpin.

Ferry and Artie aren’t the only duo fighting for control of the drug operation, as several shifting loyalties shake up the leadership of the Pusaka gang. The gang’s leader, Mick, was initially very open to dealing with Ferry, even though his second in command, Ricardo, held reservations. As Ricardo continues investigating his boss’ strange behavior, he eventually uncovers the truth – that Mick was the one who set Artie Tack up with the feds. He also discovers that Artie was only able to escape a harsh prison sentence because he had been cooperating with the police and offering to give up the names of his accomplices. This also explains why Artie was so willing to partner with Ferry after he was released from police custody. After presenting his findings to the rest of the gang, Ricardo kills Artie Tack, kills Mick, and takes over as the gang’s new leader.

Ferry’s Personal Problems Complicate the Business

'Ferry' Recap pictured: Frank Lammers — (Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

As all this is going on, Ferry faces numerous difficulties and stressors in his personal relationships. For starters, Ferry’s wife Danielle becomes pregnant at the very beginning of Ferry: The Series, only to suffer a miscarriage part of the way through the show, sending her into a deep depression. To make matters worse, Danielle begins taking issue with Ferry’s criminal lifestyle when she learns that a local woman was gravely injured by a pool of chemical waste produced by his ecstasy plant. After an enlightening conversation with Lars, Danielle comes to realize that Ferry’s criminal past goes much deeper than simple drug dealing, which leaves her shocked and emotionally scarred. Planning to divorce Ferry and escape from his world of danger, Danielle packs her bags and heads to her best friend Sabien’s house, though she finds little refuge there.

As luck would have it, Ferry had just gone into business with Sabien’s husband Marco, meaning the criminal activity is still very much a factor in Danielle’s new living quarters. Marco runs a beauty salon and agrees to purchase large quantities of raw chemicals through his business, which Ferry and Lars can repurpose for their massive ecstasy shipment. This also allows Ferry to launder some money through the shop, increasing profits for everyone involved. Somewhere along the way, the feds begin catching wind of Marco’s unusually large chemical orders and begin snooping around, pressuring him to talk. At first, Marco remains quiet, though he is eventually compelled to snitch on Ferry by a very emotional Danielle. Marco goes so far as to wear a wire when discussing incriminating information about the business and suits up one day to go speak with the police.

How Do Things End in ‘Ferry: The Series’?

Just before Marco can bring the entire drug empire of Brabant crumbling down, he is stopped by Ferry, who is already two steps ahead. As we come to learn, Danielle had a change of heart just before Marco left for the police station, and returned to Ferry to let him know that his associate was plotting against him. Even though it was Danielle’s idea to turn Ferry into the police in the first place, she ultimately realized that she still loved him when he gave Marco a bundle of money to hand off to her. Before sending Marco to the police station, Sabien recommended that Marco keep the money, and turn it in as part of a comprehensive package of evidence collected against the crime lord.

Danielle saw this as a betrayal of her friendship since the cash was meant for her, causing her to turn on her friend and get back with her husband, who is a good provider if nothing else. In the end, Ferry manages to dodge numerous legal and life-threatening issues throughout the show, rises through the ranks to become Brabant’s sole drug trafficker, and even gets his beloved wife back. As the series concludes, Ferry’s relationship with Ricardo and the Pusaka crew is as strong as ever, and he is already looking to expand his empire into larger territory. Those who have already watched Undercover already know where things go from here, as Ferry faces additional difficulty in his role as a drug kingpin. With Ferry 2 now streaming on Netflix, you should be mentally prepared to tackle the supposed final installation in the sprawling franchise.

Ferry

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