Instant Family ending explained: Do the Wagners end up adopting the children?

After ranking high on Netflix, the comedy-drama Instant Family has recently gained momentum among audiences. Released on November 16, 2018, in US theatres, it starred Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne as married couple Peter "Pete" Wagner and Elinore "Ellie" Wagner.

It also featured Isabela Merced, Gustavo Escobar, and Julianna Gamiz as the Wagener's foster kids, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Wagner, Juan Wagner, and Lita Isabella Wagner.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.

Pete and Elinore come across Lizzie during a fair after they enroll in a foster parents course. Initially reluctant to adopt teenagers, the couple shows a liking towards her. However, social workers Karen and Sharon inform the Wagners that she is the daughter of a drug addict and had set her house on fire. They also mention that if they want to adopt Lizzie, they would also have to adopt Juan and Lita, her siblings.

The Wagners, although skeptical, decide to take Lizzie, Juan, and Lita in for fostering after some initial setbacks. Although things are hard, the kids, especially Juan and Lita, eventually warm up to them. Lizzie, however, is a bit hesitant, resulting in a turbulent relationship between her and the Wagners. That said, in the end, she comes through, and the couple is able to legally adopt all three kids.

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Lizzie, Juan, and Lita in Instant Family

Lizzie, Juan, and Lita are initially fostered by the Wagners (Image via Instagram/ Instant Family)

When the Wagners first enroll in the foster program in the hopes of adopting, they are not too keen on adopting teenagers. However, when they meet Lizzie during a fair, they feel an instant connection.

They try to learn about her from Karen and Sharon, the people responsible for the program. Besides informing about Lizzie's mother's drug problem, they also inform the Wagners about her two siblings, who also need to be adopted along with her.

The Wagners decide to give things a chance and meet the kids, but do not feel a connection with them. Disappointed, they decide to cancel their adoption plans and inform their family. However, when they express their lack of surprise at their decision, the Wagners are inclined to prove them wrong. Soon after, they take in Lizzie, Juan, and Lita as their foster kids.

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The kids gradually warm up to the Wagners in Instant Family

The kids slowly ease up to the Wagners (Image via Instagram/ Instant Family)

As previously mentioned, after the Wagners took the kids in, things were pretty tough. The connection that they found missing during their initial meeting was still missing, and the couple had to work hard to form it. It did not help when the kids were reluctant to give the relationship a chance.

However, as time went by, the kids warmed up to the Wagners. The first to give in were Juan and Lita. Lizzie was a tough shell to crack and was often bratty with the couple. She eventually gave in when she saw how much the couple cared for them. She even defended them in front of a case worker for a nail accident that Juan was involved in. She realized that the accident could get them removed from the Wageners' care, and decided to step in.

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The Wagners eventually end up adopting the kids in Instant Family

The Wagners adopt the kids in the end (Image via Instagram/ Instant Family)

After the nail incident, in another breakthrough, Lita refers to Pete as "daddy," and Juan calls Ellie "mommy." Lizzie's expression of affection towards the Wagners is more subtle. She starts partaking in family activities with the couple. Additionally, she enjoyed a destructive session with Pete, where they wrecked things together in a fixer-upper house he was renovating.

However, their lives are upended when the kids' biological mother, Carla, who was in jail, is released. Following her arrival, through a series of incidents, the bond between the Wagners and Lizzie is severed. So much so that when it was time to appear before the court to discuss the Wagners adopting the kids, Lizzie spoke against them, resulting in Carla having the rights to the kids.

But at the last moment, Carla does not show up, and the Wagners are informed that she will not be coming. Distressed by the news, Lizzie runs away as Ellie and Pete chase her. The three find each other and make amends. A few months later, another hearing finalizes the Wagners' adoption of Lizzie, Juan, and Lita.

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Instant Family is available for streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.