Why Georgia Killed Tom In Ginny And Georgia Season 2

"Ginny and Georgia" follows Georgia Miller (Brianne Howey), a mother who has been through quite a bit in her three decades of life. After having her daughter Ginny (Antonia Gentry) at 15, Georgia moves frequently, regularly starts over, and runs from perceived danger as a way to keep her children and herself safe. The show starts with them relocating to Wellsbury, Massachusetts, a fictional city, after the death of her latest husband, Kenny. The circumstances are a bit odd, but that doesn't stop the widow from trying to make the most out of an unfortunate situation.

Georgia initially struggles to assimilate into the New England town, though she hits it off with the mayor, Paul Randolph (Scott Porter), with the pair getting engaged. Ginny and her brother Austin (Diesel La Torraca) experience their own problems fitting in, from Austin being bullied for his glasses and Ginny struggling with a racist teacher to common teen issues like break-ups. The second season ends with Georgia being arrested at her wedding for murdering a man named Tom Fuller.

This is a first for Georgia: She usually gets away with her crimes, as flashbacks show her successfully poisoning two previous husbands, shooting an abusive stepfather in the hand, and framing Austin's father Gil (Aaron Ashmore) for financial crimes as a means of getting away from him. But why did she kill Tom Fuller? Here's everything we know about Tom's death in Season 2 of "Ginny and Georgia."

Tom Fuller, who is played by Vincent Legault, is the husband of Cynthia Fuller (Sabrina Grdevich), one of Georgia's key enemies in town. He does not appear in Season 1, and when he is introduced in Season 2, he is in hospice care in the family home, confined to a hospital bed with monitors. Tom is in a coma and wasn't expected to live past the holidays — something Cynthia shares with Georgia — though he has, and his family is in a tough situation. Cynthia is losing the person she thought she'd spend the rest of her life with, and her son Zach (Connor Laidman) is losing his father.

It's never revealed exactly why Tom is in a coma. It's implied he's been sick for a long time, and the coma is a result of that, but the specific cause isn't stated. In fact, in Season 1, it isn't even clear that Cynthia and her son are dealing with Tom's illness, likely because of the animosity between Cynthia and Georgia. However, it becomes a central part of the Fuller matriarch's narrative in the second season. There are several scenes showing her with Tom, and an emotional sequence between her and Georgia as she opens up about how difficult it's been to accept what's happening to him.

Georgia and Cynthia are frequently at odds in "Ginny and Georgia." The local real estate agent nearly caught Georgia in the middle of an embezzlement scheme, but instead Georgia made her look like a fool. Cynthia's son Zach bullies Georgia's son Austin in the first season, only for Georgia to put the child in his place and scare him. It's a constant game of chess between the ladies, trying to one-up the other with insults, snide remarks, and town favor. 

Tom is Cynthia's weak spot. She's struggling to come to terms with losing the love of her life while still watching him be there physically. He doesn't remember her name, and Cynthia tries to help herself feel better by starting an affair with Blue Farm Café owner Joe (Raymond Ablack), though she later feels guilty about it. It would be hard for anyone to go through this, and Cynthia doesn't hide that. 

Georgia killing Tom seems like the perfect way to get back at Cynthia and to have the permanent upper hand in their battle, even if Cynthia would theoretically never know it was her. While this is the obvious answer, the more likely reason is emotional and shows the development of Cynthia and Georgia's new almost-friendship: Tom Fuller's death is a mercy killing by Georgia.

Moments before Tom's death, Cynthia shares that she wishes her husband knew it was okay to die, that he can let go. Georgia may decide to help her in the only way she knows how as a form of gratitude for how the real estate agent assists with Gil: Cynthia saves her when he corners Georgia in a hallway at the elementary school and blacklists his rental application in town. The action may come across as callous to the audience, but Georgia probably sees it as an act of good will.

Georgia's previous victims are individuals who wrong her or someone she cares about. For Kenny, it's the implication that he might try to force himself onto her daughter. For Anthony, it's so she and her baby can escape what becomes an abusive relationship she only entered out of convenience, though she maintains she messed up the dosage and only intended for him to be unconscious for a few hours. 

In Tom's case, Georgia isn't thinking about herself for once. She is thinking about how to return a favor for someone who helped her in a time of need. In her own twisted way, she believes that she's helping Cynthia. She cries while doing it, clearly torn about the decision, but she tells Tom that she will be there for his family, making her intentions clear. Georgia even subtly confirms this when she speaks to Cynthia, denying that she did it but saying that whoever killed Tom likely meant it to be a kindness.

Georgia is on trial in Season 3, both in an actual courtroom and the court of public opinion. While her lawyer is able to get her out on bail and placed under house arrest, with only Wellsbury Public Access and spying on her neighbors to keep her entertained, it sort of constitutes a win. Throughout the season, Georgia maintains her innocence on all levels, though her children know what actually happened. The town is against her, and the trial isn't going well as her past is discussed on the stand. 

Her life continues to be in a freefall outside of the courtroom. Zion (Nathan Mitchell) arranges for himself to take temporary custody of Ginny and Gil to take temporary custody of Austin. This complicates things because Ginny is concerned for Austin's safety after Gil's actions in Season 2, something she voices to Zion, who immediately feels bad about what he's done. Zion's mother shows up to help Georgia, but because their relationship has always been tension-filled, it doesn't go far. 

Additionally, the man she married the night of her arrest decides he can't deal with it anymore. While Georgia opens up about everything she's hiding, the Paul of Season 3 is a darker, angrier man than the one audiences have seen so far. He decides to leave and go back to stay with his parents, and when it looks like his career could take a major hit, he divorces Georgia. 

With the trial not going in her favor, Paul divorcing her, and her kids being removed from the home, Georgia needs a Hail Mary, especially after Paul stops paying her top-tier lawyer. Ginny, taking a page out of her mother's book, figures out a way to keep her out of jail.

She shows Austin the bruises on her arm from when Gil grabbed her in the school hallway. By showing her brother how his father is hurting the women in his life, especially after how Gil behaved toward Georgia in Season 2, Austin is convinced to lie about who he saw kill Tom. When he takes the stand, he says he saw his father do it while playing hide and seek. Everyone in the courtroom is shocked, and the betrayal on Gil's face is evident as he walks out of the room.

Austin is initially happy to help his mother, but as the final episode comes to a close, he starts lashing out at Ginny, hugging the hockey jersey his father got him as he lies on his bed. With Paul and Georgia's divorce, and now the likelihood that Gil could go back to jail, Austin seems to have lost the most this season and is starting to feel guilty about his role in the entire situation.