Your Friends and Neighbors episode 5 ending explained: Whom does Coop discover dead?

Your Friend and Neighbors season 5 premiered on Apple TV+ on April 2, 2025, and answers some of the most pressing questions set up at the very onset of the series. The pilot episode opened with Jon Hamm’s Andrew ‘Coop’ Cooper gaining consciousness in the foyer of a mansion lying in a pool of blood next to a dead body. The identity of the deceased was kept under wraps.

Disclaimer: The following article contains the author’s opinion and spoilers from Your Friends and Neighbors episode 5.

It is revealed in the final scenes of Your Friends and Neighbors episode 5 that the dead person is Paul Leavitt, ex-husband of Sam, with whom Coop has been having a secret relationship since his own divorce from Mel. Paul was known for his philandering lifestyle and was engaged in a bitter divorce proceeding with Sam prior to his death.

While the details of Paul’s gruesome death remain unknown, his body is discovered by Coop in Sam’s deserted home in the middle of the night. The opening sequence of Your Friends and Neighbors' pilot had Coop tumbling into the outdoor pool while trying to get away from the crime scene.

Episode 5 takes the story further, as Coop manages to get back home, take a shower and wash his clothes, while contemplating his next move.

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Why was Coop in Sam’s apartment in Your Friends and Neighbors episode 5?

Early in Your Friends and Neighbors episode 5, Sam tells Coop that they should take a break from each other after sharing a passionate romp. She explains that she does not like herself after they get together, since it makes her feel like a woman being used by a man going through a mid-life crisis.

She also informs him that she will be going away to her parents' home in Boston with her children for the weekend.

After confirming that she is indeed out of her house, Coop decides to rob Sam the night his deal to move stolen art goes sideways.

“I know that breaking into your ex-lover’s house is problematic on many levels… All of them, really. But when you’ve done some blow for the first time in over a decade, drunk your weight in whiskey, and been pepper sprayed all in the span of an hour, it’s safe to say that making good choices isn’t really on the agenda,” he says in voiceover in Your Friends and Neighbours.

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Coop attempts to move stolen painting in Your Friends and Neighbors episode 5

During a previous burglary, Coop caught sight of a painting by Roy Lichtenstein, which he knows is worth millions. He plans to steal it and informs Lu, but she refuses to get involved with stolen art. Coop persuades her to share a contact who would, and meets art dealer Christian.

Christian is initially doubtful of Coop and his partner-in-crime Elena’s ability to deliver the painting, but decides to trust them with the job and provides them a fake painting. The duo steals the painting from the gated neighborhood in broad daylight, replacing the real Lichtenstein with the duplicate.

When they deliver the painting to Christian, he is overjoyed and sends for testing its authenticity. Meanwhile, he invites Coop and Elena to a nightclub to celebrate.

The trio gets drunk and snorts coke, and finding Elena alone at one moment, Christian tries to force himself on her. However, Coop appears at that moment and punches him down.

In a fit of rage, Christian draws a knife on Coop but is stopped by Elena with pepper spray. As a result of being close to Christian, Coop gets sprayed in the process as well and is pulled out of the club by Elena.

While she is saved by him, Elena gets furious with Coop for hitting Christian before they paid for the stolen painting, telling him that she really needs the money. The reaction leaves Coop confounded and desperate for another score.

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