Summary
The ending of Margo’s Got Money Troubles pays off every thread in a satisfying way, but it’s anchored by a truly brilliant Elle Fanning performance that deserves to win some awards.
In case it wasn’t already obvious that Margo’s Got Money Troubles was one of the better shows of the year, the ending confirms it. “Lock and Load” is a fantastic finale that provides tons of emotional payoff for every major storyline, boasts a remarkable, awards-worthy performance from Elle Fanning, who does her best work of the season in Episode 8, and ultimately ties a neat little bow — perhaps one covered in glitter and smeared in lipstick — around the whole thing. This perhaps makes it a little weird that Season 2 has already been greenlit by Apple TV, but be that as it may.
Judging the finale on its own terms, though, it’s a rip-snorting bit of television that truly moved me on multiple occasions. It certainly provides a much better argument in favour of the artistic possibilities of sex work than, say, Euphoria has been doing with Sydney Sweeney, although I can see how that’s kind of damning with faint praise. It’s very good, is all I’m saying. Give me a break.
Anyway, let’s break it all down.
Pre-Trial Preparation
Needless to say, the bulk of the finale revolves around Mark’s petition for full custody. And as Lace lays out, he has a not-insignificant chance of winning. Jinx tested positive for drugs after the spot Child Protective Services inspection, so Margo’s only hope now is to somehow convince Mark to call all this off. With her psychological evaluation coming up, she has to project a good impression, while Shyanne needs to apologise to Elizabeth for breaking her jaw, and Jinx needs to stay as far out of the way as possible.
In the meantime, life goes on. Margo continues to make content with KC and Rose, while Jinx contemplatively works out and does yoga. You can feel something major is coming. Shyanne makes good on her word and apologises to Elizabeth, whose jaw has been deservedly and hilariously wired shut. By way of explanation, Elizabeth reveals the pain she feels in the disappointment of Mark’s career. She can’t imagine how bad the shame is for Shyanne, which isn’t the most gracious way of accepting an apology in my book.
Jinx also wants to apologise, but to Susie. In a lovely scene, he turns up at the apartment while Margo is out — and while Susie is dressed as Shadowheart from Baldur’s Gate 3 — to say sorry for disappointing her. No, you’re crying!
A Trial It Is
When Margo is declared psychologically fit to retain custody of Bodhi, it does seem for a moment like mediation is where things will end. However, when Mark is asked to rescind his claim that Margo isn’t fit to be a full-time parent, he refuses, instead doubling down on ethical grounds. His best offer is joint custody, but he requests that, for the first two years, all visitation between Margo and Bodhi is supervised. This causes Margo to lose it and launch herself across the table at him. Oops.
The only hope now is a Superior Court case with a firm but fair — and, it turns out, deeply eccentric — judge. This is, for me, where the ending of Margo’s Got Money Troubles kicks into a higher gear, both emotionally and plot-wise. In a standout scene in the under-construction set that Margo is planning to use for the evolution of her work as HungryGhost, Margo gives Shyanne fair warning that, for the sake of Bodhi’s financial security, she will be “artfully rendering her tunnel of love”. Shyanne doesn’t love the idea, but is swayed by Margo’s insistence that the product will be art, and that her comfort in her own body comes from walking in on Shyanne naked when she was a kid, and being reassured by her mother’s confidence in her own skin. There are obvious advantages to being Michelle Pfeiffer, and having the “best vagina on the planet” is, apparently, one of them.
Laughing and joking aside, though, Elle Fanning is remarkable in this scene, transitioning from hysterical laughter to terrified wailing in a moment that really deserves to win something. It’s the ridiculous-looking but emotionally complex undercurrent of this show in a nutshell, and a truly fine bit of acting.
The Verdict Is In
At the judge’s insistence, the entire gang turns up for the trial, including Susie, and KC and Rose, who have been subpoenaed by Mark’s legal team. Their accusation is that the entire “village” surrounding Bodhi is, at its core, dangerous and dysfunctional. But the approach only ends up proving Margo’s point, and Judge Spence, for all his oddness, seizes on it straight away.
Outside of a brilliant gag when Judge Spence doesn’t realise that Shyanne is the grandmother — what were we just saying about the advantages of being Michelle Pfeiffer? — the standout is a moment when the judge orders Bodhi to be passed around between his various relatives. Each time, he coos with affection and familiarity. Even when he’s handed off to Shyanne, whose handling of him has always elicited a scream until this point, he giggles with comfort. The fact that Margo’s Got Money Troubles built so much suspense and delivered so much payoff around this one little moment is really quite remarkable.
Needless to say, when Mark gets hold of Bodhi, he immediately starts crying and reaching for his mother. But that’s to be expected, since this is the first time that Mark has held him. And there’s the trial in a nutshell. With Elle Fanning’s — brilliant, again — insistence that “I am his mother“, Judge Spence figures out the solution that benefits all parties. Bodhi should know his father, and will get to do so two weekends a month, but Margo will retain full-time custody. For the first time, Margo introduces Bodhi to Mark. It’s a happy ending for everyone.
Oh, Kenny!
There’s one final thing to discuss. As Mark is leaving court, he reveals that he never called CPS. All the other unpleasant things he was accused of, he did do, but that one he definitely didn’t. Disappointingly, the real culprit is Kenny, who was apparently just trying to help. After seeing Jinx in a hospital bed following his relapse, he wasn’t sure Bodhi was safe, and knew that Shyanne would never have reported Margo, or indeed Jinx, since she loves them both too much.
From that point of view, Kenny’s position is kind of understandable. He’s clearly not a stupid man and has picked up on the little suggestions throughout the season of the untapped feelings between Shyanne and Jinx. But I don’t think his decision was rooted in bitterness, just reality, at least as he perceives it. What that means for his marriage going forward, though, is going to be anyone’s guess.
See you in Season 2.
