The Ending Of Your Honor Season 2 Explained

All rise for the dramatic conclusion of Judge Michael Desiato's tragic story. Season 2 of "Your Honor" has reached its end, and answers many questions about what comes next for the troubled group from New Orleans we have grown to know during the past two seasons.

This season, Michael Desiato (Bryan Cranston) has to deal with the aftermath of Adam's (Hunter Doohan) death. Following a harrowing confession, Michael spends a year in prison before he is taken out to help the government bring down the Baxter crime family. As the season progresses, Michael learns the truth about his wife's death, gets closer to Fia (Lilli Kay) and his grandson, Rocco (Benjamin Wadsworth), and works to set himself free from the lies that have held him down for so long.

But this season truly dives deeper into the characters that make up the mosaic of Michael and Adam's life. We learn more about the Baxters and their dealings, Fia's golden heart and desire to leave the family business, Big Mo (Andrene Ward-Hammond) and Little Mo's (Keith Machekanyanga) complicated lives and relationships, and, most interestingly, Charlie Figaro's (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) involvement in areas where we did not know he played a part.

After viewing Season 2's shocking finale and its big revelations, ending relationships, and many unanswered questions, we took a deep dive at what exactly the end of the season means for the characters and storylines of "Your Honor."

Big Mo and Little Mo go through the wringer this season. Not only are they both trying to work on their own separate deals, but they end up having a falling out that compromises the integrity of their relationship for most of the season. However, Little Mo turns on his friends in favor of getting back in Big Mo's good graces, so the two end the season as a team once more.

Now that Big Mo is in business with Gina (Hope Davis), everything could change for her. Frankly, Big Mo needed the win of being able to sell in the quarter without the Baxters targeting her — particularly after Janelle (Ciara Renée), the love of her life, broke up with her. Big Mo's only source of humanity, and the main reason Little Mo is even still alive, was Janelle. Now that she's out of the picture, it is likely Big Mo will usher in a whole new, and dangerously intense era of the business. As for Little Mo, he is back safely at Big Mo's flank, and it seems he has officially learned his lesson with what will happen if he defies Big Mo's orders. The two are a great parallel to Carlo (Jimi Stanton) and Gina — watching the dynamic between the four of them in the last episode opens the door for a spin-off.

One of the interesting parts of "Your Honor" Season 1 is learning what police officers are tied to the respective Baxter and Desire gangs. This season leans heavier into the idea of police corruption within New Orleans and gives us a few extra characters to tie into the death of Michael's wife, Robin. As soon as Michael finds out about the police corruption, he takes the information straight to Detective Nancy Costello (Amy Landecker), and she decides to help him. What's more though, is that Nancy and Lee (Carmen Ejogo), along with Olivia Delmont (Rosie Perez), all have a nice team-up to ensure that the police corruption has been eradicated from the New Orleans government.

Though the three powerful women have pledged to maintain the integrity of the New Orleans justice system, there is no telling whether or not there will be any future officers found tied to corruption, or who will fall under the Baxters' rule to ensure their wrongdoings are never punished. For the time being, though, Robin's murderer is apprehended, and Rudy Cunningham (Cullen Moss), the most corrupt of them all, is dead.

The audience learned a lot of new information about Charlie this season. The fact that Charlie is actually working with the corrupt officers in the force is one thing, but the main truth bomb comes from the revelation that he was the one who Robin, Michael's wife, called on the night of her death. After they spoke on the phone, Charlie called the police officers he worked with and alerted them to her knowledge, which subsequently led to her death. Michael ends up confronting his best friend about this, and he confirms it.

However, Charlie's main concern throughout the season is whether or not he is going to win his campaign for reelection to the mayor's office. After Michael's truth bomb in the courtroom about Kofi Jones (Lamar Johnson) taking his car at his request to protect Adam, it's thought that Charlie would be implicated for it. However, because the corruption in the police department was already discovered and Michael never explicitly said Charlie's name in the courtroom, Charlie's position as mayor is safe ... for now. With Gina and the Baxters still running rampant around the city and his constituents unhappy due to all the promises he hasn't delivered on, who knows how long Charlie will maintain his position in office.

One of the most interesting and unexpected parts of this season came from Fia and Adam's son, Rocco. The sweet baby is born well after Adam dies, and makes an unexpected addition to the Baxters. Fia desperately wants Rocco and Michael to have a relationship, and eventually they do. However, upon learning the truth about Adam killing Fia's brother, and Michael and Jimmy (Michael Stuhlbarg) covering up for it, Fia reaches her breaking point with everyone she knows in New Orleans.

Fia literally seeks sanctuary within the church she had planned to baptize Rocco. She knows that her family is capable of horrific things and that she cannot trust Michael, so she resolves to leave New Orleans and start fresh. However, being a 17-year-old who has not yet finished high school, she knows that she will not have the capacity to keep herself on the run from her family and raise a child, so she puts Rocco up for adoption. She knows he will find a better home than she can give him, and she makes a clean break. Ultimately, this decision is best for them both: Rocco gets a loving home away from the threat of being a Baxter, and Fia gets the chance to do the same for herself and pave her own way. Still, though, Fia is the only character who hasn't done anything wrong, yet she gets her entire world upended, so it is a devastating ending for the mother and son.

Probably the most surprising, yet least surprising part of the finale comes from Gina's decision to sabotage the men in her life and take over. She convinces her father that Jimmy is going to compromise the family by going to the police, so her father shoots him. He goes to prison for attempted murder, and Jimmy is hospitalized in critical condition. Gina has always been the true mastermind, so it is only fitting that she finally takes charge and becomes the head of the crime family. With Jimmy out of the way and Carlo at her side, Gina starts dealing with business the way she prefers, starting with striking a deal with Big Mo.

The problem here, though, is that Jimmy Baxter does not die in the shooting. The audience is meant to presume he did but is quickly shown a clip of him waking up in the hospital. This poses a huge threat to Gina. If Jimmy figures out that Gina set him up, there is no telling what will happen. Jimmy could talk to Gina's father and get him out of prison, creating a whole new world of problems for Gina. Jimmy could easily come after Gina and reclaim everything he had inherited and worked toward, or Gina could put out another hit on Jimmy. Either way, the patriarch and matriarch of the Baxter crime family facing off against one another? That could make for one excellent, stressful, and drama-ridden spin-off.

In the finale, Eugene (Benjamin Flores Jr.) is still on trial for the murder of Adam Desiato. The audience has come to know more about Eugene, his heart, and even a bit about his struggles with mental health throughout the season. Every action and moment lead up to the trial, where Lee must do her best to convince the court that Eugene is not guilty. She succeeds with the help of Michael, and Eugene is free to go. However, as one of the most wanted men in New Orleans, Eugene knows he cannot stick around if he wants to truly have a clean life for himself.

That's where Olivia comes in. She knows that the Baxter trial is going to be huge, and that if she puts Eugene in witness protection, he will be safe and can have a new life. Olivia does this because she cares about him, not because she actually needs him.

Now, Eugene can start over. It will be hard, having lost his whole family and going through so much trauma at such a young age, not to mention the fact that he's going to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder. However, when Eugene is driving away to his new life, it is the first time we see his character feel true peace — that's how you know he is going to make it.

One of the biggest questions in the finale is whether or not Michael is going to tell the truth in court, let alone take the stand in the first place. Michael has been conditioned to keep secrets for so long in the interest of protecting his son that it is hard for him to reconcile coming clean now. Michael has the opportunity, though, to lie on the stand and say he did not see Eugene. However, Michael decides to tell the truth, and though he does not directly set Eugene free, he does end up helping by telling Lee about the gas leak.

What's so interesting here is the parallel between Eugene and Adam. Both were good kids just trying to support their family and live a normal life, and both got caught up in a war they never meant to fight — Eugene with the Desire Gang, and Adam with the Baxters. It is clear that Michael, though wracked with pain and sorrow from his son's death, sees a bit of Adam in his killer. Ultimately, Michael tells the truth because he cannot save his son and has nothing left to live for. However, Eugene still has a fighting chance to make it in the world, and Michael knows he can help by telling Lee about the gas leak. Michael's feelings are further confirmed after the trial is over when he talks to Eugene and sees his good heart and substantial guilt from his mistaken killing. It's a beautiful scene, and great redemption for Michael.

Some fans might forget that Michael was not supposed to be released from prison in the first place; he got out on the contingency that he would help Olivia bring down the Baxters. Michael struggles throughout this season to understand why he lied at all in the first place, other than as a method to protect his son. Now that Adam is dead, Michael does not feel so intense about keeping the truth under wraps, so he decides to tell the truth.

This means that Michael, finally deciding to take responsibility for his actions, comes clean about everything: fixing Carlo's trial, covering up Adam's murder, and more. It does seem that Michael left Charlie out of the mix, which is more than generous considering the role Charlie played in his wife's death. But, aside from that, it would seem Michael tells the cops everything. How long will Michael serve his prison sentence? Who knows? What we do know, though, is that he is very content to do so, particularly because he is still fundamentally rooted in the law and knows he deserves it. Plus, with Adam gone and baby Rocco out of his life, there is no one left for Michael to protect. This gives him the freedom to come clean and truly pay for his wrongdoings.

Season 2 is very similar in tone to Season 1, but the two differ drastically. In Season 1, the audience is doomed to watch Michael and Adam keep a very intense and life-threatening secret that could get them killed with just the slip of a detail. Adam's accidental killing of Jimmy Baxter's son creates a career-ending set of lies for Michael, and, through a wildly out of control chain of events, ultimately leads to Adam's own demise. The anticipation of the other shoe dropping at any moment is nearly too much to bear for the audience.

In Season 2, the tone is still filled with dread and danger lurking at every corner, but the stakes are much different. Our protagonist, Michael, feels like he has nothing left to lose, so his exploration for the truth behind Robin's death and the secret investigation into the Baxter family seem like small potatoes. If he is found out and dies, that is that. However, in the previous season, his will to live and keep his son protected is what anchors the audience to Michael's plight. Meanwhile, this season just does not have that same urgency. What this season does emphasize, though, is an all-star ensemble cast with every bit of their souls poured into these characters. Eugene and Fia in particular become more sympathetic and relatable with each ethical dilemma. Season 2 is not better or worse than Season 1; the two simply differ in tone.

Unfortunately for fans wondering when more specific answers to their questions will be released, there is no good news to report. When Bryan Cranston went on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, he said that this is the second and final season of "Your Honor." However, we can't really complain, seeing as how two seasons is twice as many as we were originally supposed to get in the first place.

Cranston's interview does pose an interesting point, though — with such high ratings for the show, would it be possible for there to be a spin-off that does not center around Michael, but around the rest of the interesting ensemble of characters in New Orleans? There is no set answer for that, either, but with so many strongly written characters and many plot lines left open ended, there is a lot of opportunity. It would be extremely interesting to have Gina and Big Mo as co-leads of a spin-off that follows their crime organizations as they progress throughout New Orleans. It would even be cool to see Eugene in witness protection or watch Fia try to make a new life for herself. However, the best potential spin-off stars from "Your Honor" are definitely Gina and Big Mo.