Summary
An excellent finale delivers a satisfying payoff, twists and turns, and finally balances Michael’s moral ledger. A bravura hour.
This recap of Your Honor Season 2 Episode 10, “Chapter Twenty”, contains spoilers, including an open discussion of the Your Honor Season 2 ending.
From a court case to a hostile takeover to an almost-murder, the finale of Your Honor Season 2 had just about everything, bringing a sophomore outing that didn’t make much sense on paper to as tense and riveting a close as the first season finale. Let’s break it all down.
Your Honor Season 2 Episode 10 Recap and Ending Explained
As was implied in Episode 9, Michael was ultimately subpoenaed to appear in the trial of Eugene Jones, even though he wasn’t exactly keen on the idea. And while he had promised Lee that he would tell the truth and not lie on her behalf, he was able to finesse a way to save Eugene without being dishonest, even though it cost Michael a lot in the meantime.
So, Michael told the truth. Yes, he saw Eugene Jones shoot his son Adam. He was sure of it. But Lee gets the hint straight away that he wants her to press the details. So, he explains how he recognized Eugene because he had seen him earlier that day and he was wearing the same clothes. He had seen him earlier that day because he had let Eugene’s mother off for some minor infraction or other. In that conversation, Eugene mentioned looking after his younger brothers, and sometimes even his mother. He mentioned drinking pickle juice and eating cereal because they weren’t able to cook. His mother was behind on the bills. They’d had no gas for weeks.
Of course, the primary defense of the Baxter family against the charge of having had Eugene’s family killed is that the explosion was supposedly an accident – a gas leak. But gas to the property was cut off weeks before. Since houses don’t explode for no reason, it doesn’t take much for everyone present, including the jury and, sadly, Fia Baxter, to work out what happened.
Why Does Michael Desiato go back to prison?
Michael’s truthfulness on the stand means that he’s also truthful about Adam being the driver of the car that killed Rocco Baxter – which is the first Fia is hearing of it – and his own role in covering up the crime. While he’s able to help Lee save Eugene without violating his personal principles, in the end, he can’t save himself from going back to prison.
Not everything Michael had done was common knowledge, and he wasn’t convicted for all of it in the first place, so one assumes that in opening up about the depth of his involvement he also opened himself up to another stint on the inside. However, crucially, he walks back into the penitentiary with his head held high, presumably at peace with himself and what he has done. So, it seems he won’t be starving himself, at least.
Is Eugene found innocent or guilty?
During Eugene’s trial, we see someone being surprisingly moved by his story – Olivia. Now, it’s no secret that Olivia has been looking for a way to take down the Baxter family all season long. But while it seems like that may be exactly what she’s doing when she offers to put Eugene into federal protective custody as a witness, Lee makes it clear that Eugene doesn’t actually know anything substantive about the Baxters’ operations, and Olivia decides to get him out of New Orleans anyway. She knows he’ll never be safe as long as he remains.
So, in the end, Eugene isn’t found guilty or innocent. The case becomes a federal matter and the trial is discontinued. Eugene walks away with a new life and identity and warmly hugs both Lee and Olivia as he leaves.
Is Jimmy Baxter dead?
With all this going on, Gina Baxter sees the perfect opportunity to finally kill her husband.
Jimmy has leverage over Gina – she was adamant about sending the Jones family a message. She facilitated the death of Kofi in prison and pushed Jimmy into blowing up the family home. With all this coming out, Jimmy is quick to warn her that she’s culpable. And she doesn’t take kindly to the accusation, to put things mildly.
So, she does what any self-respecting power-hungry child of privilege would do – she tells her daddy. She makes out to Carmine that Jimmy intends to snitch, so a furious Carmine shoots him in the hotel hallway. The act is caught on CCTV, so Gina immediately calls the police to report it, sending dad off to jail, since he had earlier told her that she’d never be able to take the reins of the family business. With both Jimmy and Carmine out of the way, Gina makes a deal with Big Mo, one that Jimmy rejected earlier in the episode. Both women end up on top in a mutually beneficial arrangement.
However, the final scenes reveal that Jimmy Baxter is alive, though in hospital.
Why does Fia leave without Rocco?
Fia has an absolutely terrible time in this finale. Despite her being the most innocent person in the entire show, she once again draws the shortest straw. When Michael reveals that Adam was the one driving the car that killed her brother, she feels immensely betrayed, but once she realizes that her entire family not only knew this but absolutely did blow up a mother and her children, she has had more than enough.
What Fia realizes, though, is that she cannot allow baby Rocco to have any involvement with her family. She has lost trust in Michael and Elizabeth, even after turning to them initially, and with Michael back in prison, she can’t rely on the Desiatos. If she leaves with Rocco, her family will likely come looking for her. So, she feels she has no choice but to give Rocco up for adoption, leave alone, and hope the rest of the Baxter clan never finds either of them.
You can stream Your Honor Season 2 Episode 10, “Chapter Twenty”, exclusively on Showtime. Do you have any thoughts on the Your Honor Season 2 ending? Let us know in the comments.
