The Institute: What happened to Chief Ashworth? Character's fate, explored

The Institute brings forth one of the more thrilling Stephen King stories to screen. The MGM+ series follows the story of a 14-year-old boy called Luke Ellis (played by Joe Freeman) with special powers, who gets kidnapped. He suddenly finds himself in a mysterious facility called The Institute, where he will not only meet other children like him but also undergo inhumane experiments.

In a neighboring town, Chief John Ashworth, portrayed by Martin Roach, hires ex-cop Tim Jamieson (played by Ben Barnes) as the ‘night knocker’. Luke, who manages to escape the facility, will share the horrors of the facility with them. While Ashworth wants to help him, in a shocking twist, he gets killed by Drew Reynolds (played by Dan Beirne), a fellow police officer.

The Institute premiered on July 13, 2025, on MGM+ and is based on King’s 2019 novel of the same name.

What happened to Chief Ashworth in The Institute?

Janitor Maureen Alvorson (played by Jane Luk) witnesses the torture the children are put through in the facility. She is forever driven by the guilt of being complicit. She goes on to form a special bond with Luke and eventually helps him escape. Wanting to end things before it gets worse for her, she kills herself.

In Episode 7, titled ‘Hide,’ we learn that before she took the extreme step, Maureen had recorded the atrocities carried out against the children at The Institute. She stored it in a flash drive as per Luke’s suggestion. Meanwhile, Norbert Hollister (played by Brendan Beiser) learns about Luke’s whereabouts and informs Stackhouse (played by Julian Richings) that the child is in the station with Chief Ashworth and Tim.

Ashworth and Tim see the footage and Maureen’s comments about the facility. The two officers are visibly outraged at the revelation.

Luke desperately wants them to use the evidence to end the terror at the facility. Meanwhile, Sigsby (played by Mary-Louise Parker) and others are heading to the station to get hold of Luke. Both Ashworth and Tim appear helpless as they realize that the enemy is quite powerful and they do not have enough resources to face them at the moment. Ashworth suggests that they meet a special agent in Portland who can help them.

But before they can act, Drew appears suddenly and shoots Ashworth. Annie’s inklings are proven correct. After killing Ashworth, Drew cuffs Tim and Luke to the chairs and calls on Stackhouse. However, at the end of the episode Tim escapes with Luke, albeit without the proof, which they leave behind as it was in Ashworth’s pocket.

Watch The Institute on MGM+.

ALSO READ: Where was The Institute shot? Revisiting the key filming location of the Stephen King adaptation

Trending

For more stories on shows, follow SoapCentral.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback