Summary
The ending of The Hunting Wives lacks closure and payoff, leaving plenty unresolved in the predictable hope of a second season.
Where to even begin? It was obvious from the start that The Hunting Wives was going to take some crazy turns, but following a penultimate episode jam-packed with revelations (feel free to check out my full season recap for more detail), it seemed inconceivable that Episode 8 could top it. But there’s plenty happening here in the finale that throws things for several loops, and more to the point, doesn’t even build to a proper ending. At this point, Season 2 is the only way we’ll ever find out what happens to half the cast, and we can’t even refer back to the source material for satisfaction, because apparently this climax is totally different.
Either way, there’s tons to go over and break down, and some loose ends that I’m not remotely sure I understand, so we might as well just dive in and see what we can work out together. Okay? Okay.
Blast From the Past
The finale’s opening scenes are set in 2014, showing younger versions of Sophie and Margo at very different stages of their respective lives. Sophie is hanging out with a roommate whom it quickly becomes clear she slept with the previous weekend – this must be the one-off experience with a woman she told Margo about – while Margo is invited to Jed’s house to participate in a threesome with him and his then-wife, Sienna.
Honestly, there’s little reason for this to be here. Sure, it’s drawing explicit parallels between Sophie and Margo that reflect in some way how their personal circumstances and relationship have evolved, but that was already obvious. There’s a part of me that wonders if this was perhaps filmed and slipped in after Netflix acquired the show from Starz, since there’s a gag in it about Netflix’s original incarnation as a DVD rental service.
If so, gross. But it’s not a big deal.
Case Closed
Despite Salazar still being sceptical, everyone else seems content with the idea that Jill killed Abby Jackson. Her recovered GPS data puts her close to the scene of the crime, she had Abby’s phone in her house, and she has also had a connection to the dude who held up the Winnsboro Penny Pantry – he used to work at Holy Horizon as a landscaper. It seems like case closed.
Everyone’s happy to move on. Callie is getting a ton of good press, and the idea of her and Jonny starring in a reality show is being floated. Things aren’t great between her and Margot, since she accidentally gives away that it was she who left the photos of Margo and Brad on the seat of Margo’s car, but swings and roundabouts.
Sophie, now free and clear, is inspired to have a frank conversation with Graham about how their marriage hasn’t been the same since her hysterectomy. She asks for some time to find herself, which means running straight to Margo’s house and jumping into bed with her. Fair enough. But in the bathroom, she discovers something that gives her pause.
It Wasn’t Abby Who Had An Abortion
We’ve learned over the last eight episodes that abortion is a pretty dirty word in Texas. The idea of Abby having terminated Brad’s baby was supposedly a viable motive for murder. So, Sophie is shocked when she discovers tampons in Margo’s drawer, despite her earlier claiming she couldn’t use them. When Sophie Googles why one wouldn’t be able to use tampons, all of the answers are related to pregnancy and abortion.
Putting two and two together, Sophie goes to see Brad, who confirms it wasn’t Abby who aborted his baby – it was Margo. Sophie calls the number that was left for her in the note, which she presumes will allow her to contact One Eye, but she’s met by a different man instead. I still have no idea who these people are and what their endgame is, so perhaps Sophie’s theory that they’re Democrat saboteurs looking to ruin Jed’s governor campaign is accurate. Either way, Sophie acquires the final piece of the puzzle. Margo and Kyle’s father was a doctor.
Remember Doc Blevins, who provided Margo with an alibi for the night Abby was killed? Well, he’s secretly Margo and Kyle’s father. He was lying about Kyle’s overdose and Margo being there. He was also the one who performed the abortion.
Joyce Glenn, Brittany Snow, Katie Lowes, and Alexandria DeBerry in The Hunting Wives | Image via Netflix
Who Killed Abby Jackson?
Armed with his new information, Sophie confronts Margo, who eventually confesses. She killed Abby that night, which, to be fair, we’ve kind of known ever since we saw Margo in the same boots glimpsed in the flashback. Sophie had blacked out and wandered into the woods, which explains why she was on the trail cam footage.
Apparently, Margo only used Sophie’s gun because it was nearest, not in an effort to frame her. In fact, Kyle was supposed to dispose of the weapon, but he instead sold it to a friend who subsequently used it in a robbery. Margo then put Abby’s phone in Jill’s house to frame her and divert attention away from herself and Sophie.
This is the most vulnerable and desperate we’ve seen Margo. Sophie isn’t buying it and storms off. She heads home to Graham and confesses to having an affair with Margo. Margo also tells Jed about getting pregnant by Brad. Neither man takes the news well. Jed even slaps Margo and throws her out, so she’s forced to shelter with Kyle.
One Last Loose End
Sophie plans to get in touch with Salazar and tell her everything. Anticipating this, Margo goes to Callie to reignite their relationship as a means to pre-empt this and gain influence over the sheriff’s department. Kyle decides to take matters into his own hands and threaten Sophie personally.
Kyle happens to catch up with Sophie while she’s drink-driving. Out of fear, she mows Kyle down, but because she’s over the limit and there are miniatures everywhere – and, of course, because she has previous experience in vehicular homicide – she can’t report it. Instead, she dumps Kyle’s body in a lake, stupidly stopping to answer his phone while she’s doing so and letting Margo hear her panicked breathing over the line.
In a brief montage, we check in with some of the other characters. Callie and Jonny still have a reality show in their future, and Jed’s now sleeping with his campaign manager. Sophie and Margo are both seemingly ruined, and their lives will never be the same, but it’ll sadly be left to our imaginations – or perhaps a second season – for us to find out in precisely what way. The Hunting Wives didn’t offer much of an ending, in the grand scheme of things. But it was still a fun ride while it lasted.
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